Pioneer PDP-4280XD

A Pioneer PDP-4280XD Review - I decided to switch to a plasma, when the new top-of-the-line Philips LCD I bought was a real disappointment in terms of its black levels, i.e. the perennial backlight issues! So I returned the Philips (although I really liked it, especially the Ambilight) and set out to find the best plasma I could get within my budget (just over a £1,000).

Within in a very short space of search time it was quite obvious that the current top of the tree are either the Panasonic PZ85B, or any of the Pioneer Kuros. Most of the online reviews & opinions, whilst complimentary to both, have a notable slant to the Kuro, so with this in mind I went to the shops to have a look. I like many don't rate the in store set up of big TV's, as a shopper you've really no idea how they've adjusted (or not) the picture, and with these big boys having more settings than an enthusiastic troop of boy scouts shaking their combined sticks at, I simply took in the general appearance of each set. At this end of the market most plasmas have a similarly stylish but slightly bland look, with only the odd manufacturer poking its head over the parapet of quirk see B&O, Loewe and the odd Philips. The thing that swung me away from the Panasonic finally was the awful under screen speakers, which are low slung in a silver dirigible shaped module; it completely ruins the overall appearance of the PZ85B, and something which needs to be redesigned immediately.

Taking into account all of the online reviews & technoinsania it was an obvious choice to go for the Kuro. I have the base model 4280XD (50" would not fit my house) and the only benefit of the next model up seems to be the light sensor, something I've had on a Philips LCD, and which I think offers very little in terms of the price increase (I know you can also get the higher models professionally calibrated, but who the hell does that). On a side note it did feel strange buying a base model Kuro when I could get the top-of-the-line Panasonic for the same price, but fear ye not, the Kuro won't let you down.

Once I'd followed some online picture setup instructions I sat back and enjoyed the stunning picture. It really is the best picture I've ever seen on a TV, and I'm only talking standard def, as I've yet to buy a Blu-Ray player, and my TV comes via an external freeview box. I'd read that the Kuro is possibly the best at dealing with standard def pictures, and from what I've seen I'd agree. I love sci-fi and have always been cross with the black levels of space scenes on my previous LCD's, even the recent £3k (bought on sale) Philips I'd had still was very poor in this respect, but the Kuro blows you away in dark scenes as there's very little to interfere with the deep inky blacks one needs to get the best from this type of media. The overall image is also quite striking in its sheer clarity and crispness, it will depend upon how you've set up the image processing, but most settings will provide you with true cinematic grandeur; the sound's not bad either, with just enough settings to satisfy the home user, but with no extended graphic equaliser some tech heads may feel cheated, a home cinema system beckons me thinks!

Overall the Kuro from Pioneer is probably the best all round plasma a 'normal' budget can buy, and for those worried that most models aren't 1080p, don't, by the time most content is broadcast in that format you'll probably be ready for a new TV, and 1080p will probably be old hat itself; so it seems black really is the new black!

Any bad points, well there are some...

As I'd read in reviews the deep black levels do seem to come at the price of shadow detail; you can't really appreciate this until you see it, but when you do you'll get it, the Panasonic apparently excels in this regard. As a simple example, if someone is wearing a black coat in a dark scene, you'll know they're wearing a black coat, but you probably won't be able to see the buttons, collar or any texture - shame!

The base model remote is not as nice as the higher models - cheeky!

The sound is OK, not bad in any way, but only good, not great.

If you don't refer to specialist online tech forums, I've no idea how you'd know how to configure all the picture settings; even then you may prefer your own taste over the professionals' opinions.

I've had trouble with the aspect ratio setting when combined with my freeview box (Humax 9200T). The picture, in what should be the standard/ normal mode, is over stretched vertically. The only way I finally got to a solution was to set the Humax to a 4:3 viewing mode but with a 16:9 cut out, not ideal as you can imagine, then setting the Kuro to standard cinema mode, this then achieves the most natural aspect ratio, with no vertical stretch, you know when it's in this mode as you have small black bars top & bottom. I've also turned off the auto switch picture mode, so that I'm in control of the aspect ratio, which can be annoying. The only widescreen TV I've had that always get's the aspect ratio right is a Sony CRT, whether their LCD are the same may be worth a look if you're considering a new LCD, and are similarly bothered by perfect/ natural aspect ratios.

The thing I wish I could change most about all the Kuros is the frame design, and I know I'm not alone. It is obviously a high quality item, with superior materials and finish, but it's just not what I like. I prefer minimal and balanced - minimal in that I prefer the frame to be as small as possible, which the Kuro certainly is not; and balanced in that I like the frame the same size all the way around, the Kuros frame being inexplicably thicker at the sides than the top, also it's an enormous dust magnet; use any other duster other than the one supplied at your own risk!!