Digital Trends

Pioneer PDP-5070HD November 14th, 2006 | by Ian Bell

Setup and Testing

Getting the PDP-5070HD up and running is very simple. The on-screen menu is simple to use, and the channel scan is relatively quick. If you are like us, you might prefer to keep your HDTV channels on one coaxial connection and your analog channels on the other. The Philips 42PF9831D for example, shares the coaxial connection between the NTSC and ATSC tuners, and therefore mixes your HDTV channels in with the other non-HDTV stations. This drove us nuts because we like to have all of our HDTV stations lumped together instead of being mixed in with other non-HDTV channels. Thankfully with the Pioneer PDP-5070HD you can do that thanks to the separate coaxial jack. The integrated ATSC tuner on the PDP-5070HD also did a better job picking up the HDTV stations in the Portland area, and reception was more reliable than the Philips.

According to Pioneer, the PDP-5070HD uses a redesigned Deep Encased Cell Structure to elevate brightness and improve image accuracy. The set also features a filter that is supposed to reduce screen glare and improve the contrast and color. We have always been impressed with Pioneer’s plasma TV’s and the PDP-5070HD did not disappoint. We have never been a big fan of picture presets so we were pleased to see that Pioneer lets you manually adjust the color temperature. You can then save the settings for each input. You can also do this for the preset picture modes of Movie, Standard, Gamer and User.

Using our trusty Oppo Digital OPDV971H which uses the DCDi chip by Faroudja, we fired up the system for testing. On the DVD input, we set the color temperature on the PDP-5070HD to low which we feel is the most accurate, and manually adjusted the picture from there.

The PDP-5070HD’s video processing does a great job, but we noticed a little bit of jitter during Kingdom of Heaven on some scenes, otherwise it was smooth throughout the movie. Adam Sandler’s Click just came out on DVD, so we decided to try that out on the new TV. We were impressed with the sharpness of the PDP-5070HD, especially during the close-ups. Color rendition is convincing and accuracy appeared to be spot-on.

We did not experience a lot of screen glare in a well-lit room and picture color looked very good at a 45-degree viewing angle. Plasmas are not as bright as LCD TV’s in general, but we feel the PDP-5070HD holds its own in an environment where there is a lot of sunlight.

The remote control is intuitive to use and has your basic controls. It is not as pretty to look at as the Philips 42PF9831D remote, but it also will not show finger print smudges either. The bottom flips open to reveal more controls for the TV as well as basic controls for your DVD player, satellite/cable box, or DVR.

Pioneer PDP-5070HD Remote

Conclusion

There really is not a lot of negative things to say about the PDP-5070HD. While the MRSP of around $4000 seems rather high, you should be able to find it for under $3000 at most retailers. If 1080P is something that’s important to you, then you might want to opt for the Elite (model ) instead, just be ready to spend more money of course. The PDP-5070HD might not have a ton of fancy features, but it definitely gets the job done and puts your money where it’s important – in the picture.


Pros:

• Good picture color and accuracy
• Plenty of inputs
• HDTV tuner gets great reception
• Customizable user settings



Cons:

• Lackluster design
• Boring stand included