Pioneer PDP427XD Replacement

[stub101]

Looking for help/suggestions on replacing my Pioneer 42” Plasma PDP427XD which I’ve had since new in 2007.

For a 13yr old TV I have to say it is still fantastic and I’d argue the picture quality still seems as good if not better than many friends/family with their fancy OLED/QLED 4K tv’s.

The TV is still working fine but we’re having a living room refresh and it would be nice to get rid of the bulky Plasma design, but I really don’t want to compromise on PQ and sound quality.

TV is exclusively used for Sky Q and no other sources because Netflix watched through that, and no interest in buying blu-rays etc.

With me only using Sky Q is the various levels of HDR on O/QLED just wasted? I honestly think Sky Q looks worse on friends recent £1-2k O/QLEDs than my ancient plasma.

Am I just delusional or has TV quality not actually improved in 13 years???

[Mutts]

We've got the TX-P42G20 plasma, had it gawd knows how many years old it is but the HD picture is still brilliant. We're in the same boat looking for a replacement and struggling to find similar picture quality.

[Chilly for June]

Way back in 2007 I went for a Sony W series LCD. As a bit of a Sony fan boy I went with what I knew but I still always wish I had just went for the Pioneer plasma as I really thought it was a great TV back in the day.

Do you maybe need to look at OLED to get that next step in quality that your looking for?

Biggest change for me when I upgraded last year was the reduction in bezel size which makes for a better experience. Do you watch anything in ultra HD on sky? That moves the game on "slightly"

[stub101]

I haven’t done anywhere near my 100-1000 hrs research yet but all my initial digging brought up countless problems with OLED plus many people saying main benefit can only be seen through UHD and Blu-ray which I’ll rarely use as 99% through Sky Q.

This then led me to Samsung QLED but have to say I’m not generally a Samsung Fan. Find them a bit like Audi’s with the internal components made out of chocolate...

[Chilly for June]

stub101 said:

I haven’t done anywhere near my 100-1000 hrs research yet but all my initial digging brought up countless problems with OLED plus many people saying main benefit can only be seen through UHD and Blu-ray which I’ll rarely use as 99% through Sky Q.

This then led me to Samsung QLED but have to say I’m not generally a Samsung Fan. Find them a bit like Audi’s with the internal components made out of chocolate...

I'm also not a massive Samsung fan, never have been. Have seen on here plenty of people having issues with Samsung / LG TV's. Obviously the Sony fan boy caveat applies to my opinion.

I think the QLED is marketing hype to keep sales of LED's going against OLED. I would love an OLED TV but like you from what I read I can't put the news on for an extended period of time and if my wife pauses something while on her phone for a period of time then it will be ruined....

[tonyg58]

A properly set up OLED will look miles better than your Pioneer.
The problem is most people leave them on their out of box settings which look terrible at home ( they look OK in a bright shop).
Get one of the better ones. Turn all the " picture improvement" rubbish off and set the contrast , colour balance and brightness properly and you should have a really good tv.

[Sandy59]

I found this Panasonic OLED video review quite interesting, quite in depth and lengthy, although it is last years model.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpQc8qjw84w

[stub101]

I’ve also got the issue that my living room is used more as a snug so the current 42” can prob only be increased to 50” max as it’s on a stand in an alcove.

Extension/family room that will house the new 65” unfortunately delayed due to Covid and builders now “too busy” with other work.

[anonymous-user]

You might be conflating the screen technology (OLED) with resolution.

My experience of a 4k (a 55" LG OLED), is that it is much less forgiving of low definition 'SD' content than an old plasma built when it was the defacto resolution. The screens on new TVs are typically larger than they were in 2007, meaning the effect is exaggerated if the viewing distance remains the same.

[stub101]

I could quite well be but see there’s very few 50” OLEDs available. Do I just need to wait for more to come to market?

[Evolved]

I had/have a VT65 which is the last of the proper Plasma panels, like yours, it is an amazing set for HD content, it was calibrated once run in and performed superb.

Due to a full tv room upgrade I went for a 65” Sony OLED and have spent a bit of time setting it up. I have to be honest, it blows the VT out of the water. The clarity, brightness and black levels are on another level.

[legzr1]

Evolved said:

I had/have a VT65 which is the last of the proper Plasma panels, like yours, it is an amazing set for HD content, it was calibrated once run in and performed superb.

Due to a full tv room upgrade I went for a 65” Sony OLED and have spent a bit of time setting it up. I have to be honest, it blows the VT out of the water. The clarity, brightness and black levels are on another level.

Another ex-VT owner here. It currently sits in a spare room after jumping on the OLED bandwagon with an early 65” LG.
Last year I went for the Panasonic GZ OLED. I’m not sure if this is relevant for the OP as there isn’t a 50” version but I echo your comments on the improvements over what were really good p,asmas. But, things move on - even SkyQ with HD looks better. Move onto 4K HDR and it’s a different world.

4K on BR discs are spectacular with a depth and reality I’ve seen nowhere else - streamed HDR from Netflix/Amazon isn’t far off.

Sound - budget for a decent soundbar as a minimum - the quality from large flat screens is their weak spot.

[tonyg58]

stub101 said:

I could quite well be but see there’s very few 50” OLEDs available. Do I just need to wait for more to come to market?

I think you might find that even a 55" OLED is not much bigger (physically) than your old plasma.

You can buy 48" OLEDs from LG just now and remember no matter which make of OLED you buy, the panel was made by LG.
So the only differences are sound components etc.

[tdm34]

Just bought a Sony 55A8H OLED, I can't fault its SD picture and its HD/UHD picture quality is amazing.

[stub101]

Just checked the physical dimensions of a few different 55”s and they look to all be 120-125cm wide in comparison to 104cm for my 42” Pioneer Plasma.

Unfortunately my alcove is only 120cm wide so looks like a 55” is a definite no go and I’m waiting until more 50”s are available :-(

Edited by stub101 on Tuesday 27th October 08:34

Edited by stub101 on Tuesday 27th October 08:35

[tonyg58]

Sounds good.
As I said 48 inch OLED now available.
I wouldn't expect to see any other sizes for quite a while.
Expect to see serious discounts soon - 2021 LGs will be announced early January.

[tdm34]

stub101 said:

Just checked the physical dimensions of a few different 55”s and they look to all be 120-125cm wide in comparison to 104cm for my 42” Pioneer Plasma.

Unfortunately my alcove is only 120cm wide so looks like a 55” is a definite no go and I’m waiting until more 50”s are available :-(

Edited by stub101 on Tuesday 27th October 08:34

Edited by stub101 on Tuesday 27th October 08:35

That's a pity the Sony's only 123cm couldn't a little of the screen edge overhang as it's only 5mm thick at the edges...