Pioneer PDP-507XD 3,300 (approx) www.pioneer.co.uk

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Tried&Tested. Plasma TV
Seventh-gen plasma power unveiled
Pioneer has released an upgrade on last years best big-screen plasma and made it a little bit better. John Archer investigates

RATINGS

Highs: Picture and sound quality; connectivity; features; design Lows: No seperate media box could limit appeal to custom installers
ccording to independent research by global market research company Synovate, consumers
you really want, you can also purchase the screen sans speakers. Connectivity is on the money. Two HDMIs and a set of component video inputs satisfy high-denition needs. Whats more, the HDMIs are able to take a 1080p/24Hz high-denition signal, however, no BD player can output this yet. Other jacks of interest include a D-Sub VGA PC input, three Scarts, a subwoofer line out, a Common Interface slot, and a digital audio output. As with all Pioneers seventhgeneration TVs, the 507XD carries its connections on board, rather than using an external switching box a la some generation six offerings. When it comes to the specications, it certainly seems as if Pioneer has not been twiddling its thumbs. Almost all the various processing and construction innovations delivered for the 06XDE ranges have apparently been tweaked and improved. A souped-up version of Pioneers Intelligent DRE processing allegedly delivers improvements to sharpness, contrast and brightness. The clever Direct Colour Filter system that replaces the thick, image-ghosting glass found on normal plasma TVs with a much lighter, single layer screen has also been rened, as have the plasma chambers phosphors, with the latter tweak resulting in the delivery of a claimed nine per cent improvement in colour spectrum.
Colours supposedly benet, too, from new Intelligent Colour processing algorithms purported to produce even greater tonal subtlety than witnessed on Pioneers sixth-gen screens. The 507XD also provides loads of optional tweaks for the user to experiment with. Since most of these arent new, however, and Im eager to get into how the TV actually performs, Ill restrict myself to passing mentions of MPEG noise reduction, an enormous colour management section, and the provision for Imaging Science Foundation associates to calibrate the picture even more minutely than before.
exhibit a clear preference for plasma display screens over LCDs, when presented with both formats side by side. The Synovate study asked consumers which screen provided the best overall image quality for the following criteria: sharpness, colour, response speed, contrast, black quality and resolution. On medium- and large-screen sets, 73 per cent of respondents rated plasmas as providing the best image quality ahead of LCD. Perhaps it is unsurprising to learn that the study was commissioned by Panasonic and Pioneer, but it provides an interesting backdrop to this latest visitor to the HCC tech labs. Certainly Pioneers plasma screens have had more than their fair share of critical accolades. Last years sixthgeneration screens scored plenty of prizes, including an HCC Best Plasma of the Year gong. So expectations are obviously high for this latest iteration of the brands glass. Aesthetically, the PDP-507XD is extremely reminiscent of what Pioneer has done before; the sleek, gloss-black, ultra minimalist bezel is as glossy as ever. The screen can be rotated on the detachable desktop stand too. The display can sport speakers either side-mounted or under-screen. Talk to your dealer if you have a preference. If

Picture Sound Features OVERALL

Performance

In action, the 507XD is not an enormous step forward from the 06XDE range. Its improvements are subtle. But it is nevertheless better and since I proclaimed the brands sixth-gen screens to be the best Id ever seen, I guess its actually pretty spectacular that Pioneer has been able to improve things at all! The most notable embellishments can be seen in the 507XDs colours. Not so much in their vibrancy, perhaps; when it comes to the richness and brightness of saturations the 507XD is on a par with its predecessors. But tones seem even more natural and expressive, especially where deep greens are concerned; the white balance seems slightly more neutral; and ne

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colour blends are portrayed with even more nesse. After calibration its possible to get the screen 6500K perfect, which ensures absolute delity with what lmmakers intend you to see, at least from a colour perspective. A sense of enhanced subtlety in the picture is also evident in dark picture areas, thanks to an improvement in the 507XDs greyscaling. While blacks look as impressively free of grey or blue tones as previously, theres now slightly more shadow detail on show. One nal area where the gen-seven 507XD subtly builds on previous strengths is noise reduction. Remarkably theres even less MPEG noise, motion noise and, most of all, pixel dot crawl than with the gen-six screens, leaving HD pictures looking surely as pristine as its possible for a 50in TV to make them at least for this year. The various incremental steps forward described have not compromised other traditional strengths of Pioneers plasma picture. The screen is capable of outstanding sharpness with HD

Excellent

Pioneers PDP-507XD featured with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Hostel. Check out our BD review on page 121
Outstanding ne detail levels and sharpness with HD footage
footage, especially evident while playing crisp Xbox 360 games; remarkable freedom from onscreen reections; a picture that maintains its integrity from screen plasma panels. Its just a matter of when, not if. Sonically, the set is ne. The rather unassuming looking speakers Pioneer makes for the screen turn out to be sweethearts, combining great dialogue clarity with a welcome body of midbass.

Conclusion

Pioneer has not had the best of years nancially, and I approached this new generation of glass worried that costcutting measures may have undermined the performance of its plasma range. But I neednt have been concerned. For while the 507XD may only be an evolution rather than a revolution, Pioneer has nonetheless succeeded in polishing what is widely regarded as one of the best largescreen plasmas around

LAB REPORT

Colour Black Level Contrast Resolution Colour temperature (pre-calibration) (post-calibration) Luminance (pre-calibration) (post-calibration) Contrast ratio (pre-calibration) (post-calibration)

Average

even very acute viewing angles; and standard-def pictures, which provided theyre of a fair broadcast quality, at least survive the trip up to an HD Ready 50in at TV. Of course, one might have been forgiven for thinking that the move to
9,000K 6,500K 20fL 20fL 925:1 630:1

SPECIFICATIONS

ITEM HD Ready Progressive Scan Digital TV Tuner Composite video S-video Scart Component video HDMI/DVI PC input Headphone SUPPORT DETAILS Everything necessary, plus 1080p/24 NTSC and PAL formats both work Plus CI slot 1 phono input 1 4-pin input 3 connections (2 RGB) 1 input 2 HDMI 1 VGA input 1 output
seventh-generation glass would herald a new era of Full HD 1920 x 1080 panels for the brand. Unfortunately its not to be; ultra-high resolution remains the province of the companys PDP-5000EX monitor. Theres no doubt that the lack of Full HD will soon begin to be a factor on large-
As well as three Scarts, the 507 has two HDMI inputs (hidden from view)
Easy-access side connections make game hookups straightforward
Sound: Nicam stereo (speakers detachable) Resolution: 1365 x 768 Brightness: 1100cd/m2; Contrast: 4000:1 (claimed) Dimensions: 1224(w) x 717(h) x 115(d)mm; Weight: 34.7kg Also featuring 75/100Hz switchable; 7-day EPG; PureBlack 2; PureDrive II processing suite; Direct Colour Filter 2 design; teletext; picture in picture facilities; picture presets; extensive colour management; Intelligent DRE; PIP/PAP; PAL 32 Y/C separation; Dynamic HD converter; Digital and MPEG noise reduction; ISF Day & Night calibration mode

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HEAD-TO-HEAD / 50IN PLASMA TV
Verdict Approx price 1,500

Hitachi P50T01U

Hitachi plays the price-cutting game with its latest 50in plasma
BFair price, natural colours, no motion blur, plenty of features EDotting noise over motion, black level issues
YOU MIGHT THINK that a 50in plasma TV costing just 1,500 would be a seriously bare-bones affair. But apparently not. For fresh out of our test rooms today is Hitachis P50T01U: a 50in gas atscreen thats anything but basic. For starters its a neat looking set that manages to combine a pleasingly svelte form with a serious black nish available in matt or gloss black. The Samsung model (see the previous three pages) its up against in this issue is still way prettier. But dedicated couch potatoes will doubtless appreciate the fact that you can rotate the P50T01U on its stand simply by using the remote control.

Features:

The P50T01Us connections are good for the money, including as they do twin HDMIs (for PC and video use), a component video input, three Scarts, a digital audio output for shipping on multichannel audio tracks received via the HDMIs, plus an SD card slot and, for your digital photos, a USB port. HD ultra-enthusiasts (normal people may want to skip a couple of paragraphs here) may rue the fact that the HDMIs only take 1080p in

The rivals

/ Pioneer PDP-507XD
Far more expensive, but the nest 50in performer in town. Reviewed (42in version): Issue 314

/ Panasonic TH-50PX600

Now that its coming to the end of its shelf life, this excellent Panasonic offering can be found for some seriously good prices. Reviewed: Issue 312
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Want more plasma know-how? See the Jargon Buster on p88
its 50 and 60Hz congurations, not the movie-friendly 24fps rate now offered by some high-end Blu-ray and HD DVD players. But 1080p/24 support is still rare in general, and Hitachi argues that even screens that take 1080p/24fps have to process it in some way, as the image would look unwatchably jerky otherwise. While were mired in 1080p technicalities, we might as well add that the screen shows images in 1080i, not 1080p, even converting the latter to the former. But since most UK HD sources are actually 1080i not 1080p, the P50T01Us approach is arguably better suited to the majority of HD viewing. Moving on to something thankfully a little bit more
to use thanks to their almost bizarre sluggishness. Not good.

Fact le

/ 50in plasma TV / 1,280 x 1,080 pixels / Picture Master HD processing / Digital tuner / 1080p support

Picture:

Hitachis Picture Master HD processing immediately makes its presence felt in a couple of key areas. HD pictures, for instance, look terrically sharp and detailed. However, the P50T01Us appreciation of the smaller things in life can be seen, too, in its shadow detailing, as it shows up unusually subtle levels of background detail during dark scenes. Colour tones are generally pleasingly natural, too, especially where skin tones are concerned. And as usual when coming back to plasma after seeing a few LCD screens its impossible not to be struck by how crisp moving objects look on the P50T01U. But the P50T01U isnt all sweetness and light, with a quartet of problems rather denting our overall enthusiasm. First and possibly most surprising, the sets black level response is rather limited when compared to the best plasmas around these days, as dark scenes suffer a denite residual greyness. Second, while HD images look pristine, standard-denition images look slightly noisy a surprise given the presence of the Picture Master processing, but there you go. Third, were disappointed to note that as people move across the screen their faces are often affected by the sort of zzing dot noise that was common on plasmas a while back, but which we really dont like to see so obviously these days. Finally the picture just doesnt look particularly vibrant compared to some other plasma screens including, in fact, the Samsung rival reviewed on the previous pages.

/ Time in Lab: 8 days / Serial No: 6163935700054 128mm

1,240mm

Couch potatoes will appreciate the fact you can rotate the P50T01U using the remote///
straightforward, we nd a native resolution of 1,280 x 1,080 pixels. Which, um, is actually anything but straightforward, since it corresponds to a squarish aspect ratio unlike anything weve seen before, even though the TV is denitely widescreen. The solution to this apparent conundrum is that the TVs pixels have been stretched horizontally. So now you know. The Hitachis count of 1,080 lines is unusually high for a plasma TV, and perfectly suits the UKs dominant 1,920 x 1,080 HD format. The screen cant call itself full HD, though, since its vertical rows of pixels only number 1,280, not 1,920. Denitely easier to get your head round is the P50T01Us Picture Master HD processing. This has impressed us in previous incarnations with its work on improving colour saturations/tones, ne detailing and reducing noise, so were certainly pleased to nd it on a TV as affordable as this one. Wrapping the key features up are a digital tuner, and an unusually long list of quite subtle, and arguably unnecessary tweaks tucked away in the onscreen menus.
Playback Test Colour temperature Contrast ratio Luminance Colour Frequency response

Rating 6,100K 200:1 25fL

Power consumption 1W (standby) 415W (in use) Lab notes: Solid but uninspiring results which match our subjective view of the screen

Spec check

Screen size & shape: 50in, 16:9 Tuner: Digital and analogue Sound system: Nicam stereo Resolution (pixels): 1,280 x 1,080 HD Ready: Yes Quoted contrast ratio: 10,000:1 Quoted brightness: 1,300cd/m2 Processing: Picture Master Full HD Screen dimensions: 1,240(w) x 821(h) x 128(d)mm Weight: 41kg / Other features: transient improvement; colour transient improvement; MPEG NR; YNR; CNR; digital tuner with 7-day EPG support; lm mode; Black enhancement; colour temp adjust; TruBass; SRS; Focus and BBE audio adjustments; ECO mode / Sockets: 2 HDMI inputs; (PC and video); 3 Scarts (2 RGB); component video input; composite video input; S-Video input; D-Sub PC input; Stereo audio output; headphone jack; stereo audio inputs; CAM slot; RF input; SD card reader; USB socket; digital audio output / Contact: www.hitachidigitalmedia.com

Sound:

The P50T01Us unusually slender speakers arent bad performers at all, producing an open mid-range and lots of engaging and natural trebles. A bit more bass would have been nice, but that can be said of 90 per cent of the at TV world.

Ease of use:

Things start solidly enough here with an ergonomic if rather unglamorous remote control. But the onscreen menus are a royal pain

Value:

On any other day the P50T01U might have scored a ve here. But the impact of the Samsung rival just cant be ignored Z
This 50in set is solid enough, but Hitachi isnt moving its plasma performance on as fast as some rivals
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