Pioneer PDP-4270HD Plasma TV Review

Out of the box the Pioneer PDP-4270HD is ready to deliver lifelike images with the built-in ATSC digital tuner that is capable of picking up high-def signals out of the air. For those with subscriptions to digital cable the included HDMI cable or satellite box allow subscribers to watch high standard video and audio with one connection.

Picture quality comes from a variety of technologies. The first is Pioneer's exclusive Crystal Emissive Layer (CEL). This layer sits between the glass of the plasma screen and the light cells. This layer enables the Pioneer PDP-4270HD to better conduct energy, which causes each cell to charge and discharge up to three times faster than before.

In addition to CEL Pioneer employs an Advanced Continuous Emission IV (ACE IV) that works alongside the CEL to cut down the visual steps between color levels. This causes the transition from one color to another to be smoother with less artifacts. Horizontal and vertical ribs keeps light from the Pioneer PDP-4270HD focused and concentrated to prevent bleeding from on cell to another. This cell structure is a major factor in picture quality because it produces a much brighter and sharper picture than other models on the market.

Making the picture quality of the Pioneer PDP-4270HD even better is the inclusion of Pure Drive II 10-bit all-digital processing that ensures a constant digital path through signal processing. The Pure Drive process makes sure that the set's 1024 X 768 pixels of resolution contain virtually no noise or loss of signal quality. The Pioneer PDP-4270HD also makes use of Dynamic Range Expansion (DRE), which works in conjunction with the Pure Drive to further reduce video noise. Film content is reproduced smoothly and naturally with the Advanced Pure Cinema 3:3 pulldown.

Pioneer is well known for including a lot of features for price and the PDP-4270HD comes standard with: TV Guide On-Screen interactive program guide, split screen and picture-in-picture (PIP) capability, AV memory selection presets (standard, dynamic, movie, game, and user configurable), aspect ratio control, and V-Chip parental controls. And those who take a lot of pictures with their digital camera can view the photos right on the TV screen thanks to the inclusion of the Home Gallery feature, which allows integration with USB storage devices.

Sound quality is always important when considering purchasing a TV for a home theater setup and the Pioneer PDP-4270HD comes with bottom mounted speakers that put out 10 watts of power per channel for a total of 20 watts. In addition, Pioneer uses SRS TruSurround XT technology, which combines three different audio technologies in order to deliver impressive sound performance.

The first is Dialog Clarity, which helps to bring spoken parts of a movie into focus making it much easier to hear and understand. The second is TruBass. TruBass gives the impression of much deeper bass response without the use of a subwoofer. What you get are incredibly low tones without any additional equipment cluttering up the living room. The last is the SRS WOW feature that widens the soundstage by processing both two-channel stereo sound as well as multi-channel encoded material, which results in a more dramatic sound over a two-speaker system.

Plasma televisions are not only judged on their picture and sound quality, but on the connection options they come with. The Pioneer PDP-4270HD includes the following options:

* Composite AV (RCA): 4 in (1 side), 1 out

* S-Video: 3 in (1 side)

* Component Video: 3 in (1 side)

* HDMI: 2 in

* RF: 2 in

* PC VGA: 1

* Digital audio output: 1 optical

* Subwoofer out

Conclusion

Best DVD Recorder Reviews Rating

8/10

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Pioneer PDP-4270HD Plasma TV Review
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