Pioneer PDP428XD Reviews: Kuro, 42" Screen Plasma HD Ready TV

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Product Features

Screen Size in Inches	42
Screen size is measured diagonally from corner to corner.
Type of Screen	Plasma
Most small flatscreen TVs have LCD screens. Some larger TVs have plasma screens. Some very new TVs have LED screens. Traditional TVs are called Standard or CRT.
HD TV	HD Ready
‘HD Ready’ is a Europe-wide standard designed to made HD technology less confusing. HD Ready TVs must have • Minimum vertical resolution of 750 pixels (in widescreen format) • Ability to display 720p and 1080i formats • An HDMI or Digital Video Interface (DVI interface) Full HD is a higher standard. Full HD TVs have screen resolutions of 1080p and can output at least 24 frames per second. Full HD is becoming common, but you won’t see Full HD on normal TV channels for a long time, so it remains optional for many people.
Freeview or Freesat Tuner	Freeview
Freeview is free digital terrestrial TV. FreeSat is a free digital satellite TV service, which gives you HD programming from people like the BBC without having to pay for a subscription to a service like Sky. You need a dish to receive Freesat but not Freeview. For more information see the Freeview site or the Freesat site.
Built-in Disc Player	No
Some products come with built-in DVD players or Blu Ray players.
HDMI Interface	3
Like a scart interface but capable of carrying HD signals from or to other devices. You’ll need these to link your Playstation 3 or your Blu-ray player to your HD-ready TV.
Number of Scart Interfaces	3
Scart sockets are places where you can connect other devices to your TV. If you already have a DVD player, a VCR and a Playstation you might want to make sure your new TV has enough Scart interfaces so you don’t have to keep crawling round the back of the TV.
Frequency (Hz)	50
A TV’s frequency is how often the picture is updated per second, and is measured in Hertz (Hz). A higher frequency, such as 100 Hz, means that a TV is more likely to show fast-moving images with high detail.
Contrast Ratio (X:1)	16000
This figure is designed to tell you how much difference there is between dark and light colours on the TV. It is quoted as a ratio, between the brightest white and the darkest black. 500:1 means the brightest white is 500 times more bright than the darkest black. Plasma screens have historically boasted better contrast ratios than LCD screens.
Screen Resolution (pixels)	768p
The number of pixels the screen has. The more you have, the more detail the screen can display, given a high quality source. A breakdown of resolutions can be found on Wikipedia here
Reflection Angle	178
Also known as the viewing angle, it’s a measure of how good the picture looks when you are not face on to the screen. Higher is better.
Screen Format	16:9
This is a ratio of the horizontal to the vertical size of the screen. 16:9 is standard widescreen format for TVs, replacing the older 4:3 format.
Brightness in Candela per square metre	1200
Brighter TVs, such as LCDs, tend to provide a better experience in lighter rooms, whereas TVs with a lower brightness, such as many plasma TVs, are often better suited to darker rooms.
PC Interface	Yes
If you’d like to use your TV as a PC monitor you’ll need to make sure it has a port to allow you to connect it. This is usually a VGA port, but some TVs include a newer DVI port. Adaptors are availible to allow VGA to DVI and vice versa.
USB Port	Yes
Socket for connecting devices such as a computers and other components
Electronic Program Guide (EPG)	Yes
TVs with this feature have an on-screen guide to all the programmes that are currently showing or coming up, so you can find your way around all the extra digital channels easily.
Picture in Picture (PIP)	Yes
TVs with this feature are able to display a preview of another channel while you are watching your current channel.
Energy Savings Trust Feature	No
A Yes means this this product has been rated as being energy-efficient by the Energy Savings Trust. Good for the environment and good for your electricity bill!
Weight (kg)	29.6
Height in mm	679
Width in mm	1040
Depth in mm	115
Freeview	Yes
Freeview is free digital terrestrial TV. Many newer TVs have Freeview built in. For other TVs you will need a separate Freeview set-top box.
FreeSat Tuner	No
FreeSat is a free digital satellite TV service. The main benefit is that you can get HD programming from people like the BBC without having to pay for a subscription to a service like Sky. You’ll need a dish to recieve the signals though.
Sound System	SRS TruSurround
Colour	Black
The main colour of the product.

Also known as: Pioneer 42in, Pioneer PDP-428XD, Pioneer PDP428XD-T25B, Pioneer PDP 428XD, Pioneer 42, Pioneer HD, Pioneer Kuro PDP 428 XD

Advanced 42-inch KURO with Digital DVB-T Tuner

Nothing is as powerful and emotional as film.

It’s the very reason why we’ve put more than ten years of design, research and development into building KURO: a flat screen television that will let you see and hear film like never before.

Our goal was straightforward: to build a screen that delivered the absolute best picture quality in the world. A screen that was true to how filmmakers intended their work to be seen. The result is KURO.

‘KURO’ means black in Japanese; this is relevant because our KURO screens have significantly deeper black levels than any other flat-screen TV on the market; some 80% deeper.

The deepest black levels produce the purest colours, which reveal the sharpest details. This is KURO.

The KURO screen gives you the ability to see literally every shade between black and white. Now, the film you see – and feel – on-screen is unparalleled in range and detail, the ultimate appearance of vivid and flawless colour.

The impact of what you see on KURO is unlike anything you have possibly seen before.

Features that make this KURO different from the other models in the range are:

• Intelligent Brightness Control which intelligently controls on-screen brightness so that you get the best picture, regardless of the changing lighting conditions in your room
• Integrated digital DVB-T tuner, with a CI Slot, which means that you don’t require an additional decoder box: everything is integrated in one body. This is ideal if you don’t want a ‘hardware’ invasion in your living room
• USB host: turn your screen into a home media gallery. Simply connect your USB memory stick and enjoy your digital photo’s onscreen. It’s a good way to share your pictures in the best possible format
• Subwoofer output: this KURO has high-grade audio parts: but if you want to boost lower frequencies, it has direct sub out, with no need for an additional amplifier.
• ISF calibration ready: The ISF C3 (or Custom Calibration Configuration) feature allows your screen to be optimised for your viewing environment. As an optional service, a trained professional can precisely calibrate your plasma panel with customised levels of contrast, tint, colour level and other parameters.
• Multi-screen options: this KURO allows for picture in picture and split screen views; particularly useful if you want to keep an eye on a sports game whilst watching a DVD, for example.

This KURO is also available in a 50-inch version.

• More info at Pioneer's website
• User manual