Pioneer PDP-4340HD

Price: $ - $

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Pioneer Plasma Display 434011/13/03

Pros:

Plenty bright, lots of contrast, deep blacks, easy to use

Cons:

Perhaps OTA HD sensitivity could be better and price lower

The 4340 is the next step up from the 4330 and includes a HDMI connector on the media box. The 43 inch diagonal screen unit comes with a 30 lb swivel stand, loudspeakers that can attach either to the sides or bottom of the screen and a 12 lb media box which can sit on a shelf or stand vertically by attaching the included stand.

I connected it to a Channel Master 3021 4 bow tie UHF antenna to receive the local San Diego digital stations. The major network stations and PBS came in reading from 62 to 90 on the built in signal strength meter. If any signal drops below 61, it breaks up or goes away completely. Make sure you get a good antenna with lots of gain. I have a hunch the media box, made by Sharp, may not have as much gain as the Sony unit I have on order. There is a thermostatically controlled fan in the media box that usually runs at a low slow inaudible speed.

There are plenty of inputs, including optical, S-vid, and component. On the front behind a pull down door there are also inputs for your computer or Video camera. I used a Sony 825 DVD player with optical audio cables and S video. The DVD, Finding Nemo was mind boggling incredible! The colors never bled or looked mushy. It was made in a 16:9 format and fit perfectly. When watching 4:3 signals, I could choose from 4 diffent expansions. The Cinema mode seemed to fill the scren with just a bit of overscan on the bottom and top and the least noticible distortion.

The 100 page manual is well laid out and easy to follow. I found only one mistake that showed how to go into power saving mode in which the picture is reduced in brightness. When I switched to that, the picture actually got brighter instead of dimmer. The switch is reversed. The manual also contains the directions in several languages.

When my son and wife saw the picture coming in from a PBS desert documentary in HD, their jaws dropped and the comment my wife made was that she felt that she was looking out a window. When watching an HD football game, there were no motion artifacts or disturbing edges that I have seen on other Plasma screens. The pictures on standard analog over the air channels were excellent and directv looked very good depending on the channel you were watching and how much bandwidth was being given to the signal. I don't have my HD Directv receiver yet to see what HD from them looks like.

This set, although still over 5 grand, was worth waiting for. Bring on
the Rose Parade and bowl games.