Pioneer PDP-607XD Review

60in Plasma TV

Picture
Sound
Features
Usability
Value

A hugely impressive leviathan of a screen especially with High Definition sources.

93%

1365 x 768 pixels

HD Ready

Reviewed: 30 May 2007

Design

At a full 60in, the Pioneer PDP-607XD is an imposing screen and one which you would imagine would overwhelm the average living room. However, with its ultra glossy black minimalist design the Pioneer is as discrete a unit as plasmas a full 10in smaller.

You pay a little bit more for a Pioneer, but some of this premium has obviously been directed towards quality materials and this screen just oozes quality. Rest assured, the PDP-607XD will bring gasps of admiration from any that gaze upon it.

Features

The PDP-607XD arrives as standard without any speakers. Pioneer are anticipating that the majority of these screens will form the basis of a home cinema system, although they will sell you a pair of optional speakers for the PDP-607XD at around £250.

Details

Screen size & shape: 60in 16:9

Tuner: Digital

Sound system: Stereo

Resolution: 1365x768 pixels

HD Ready: Yes

Contrast Ratio: 4000:1

Brightness: 1000cd/m2

OTHER FEATURES: PureBlack 2 screen system, PureDrive II, Direct Colour Filter.

SOCKETS: 2 HDMI, 3 SCART, Component Video, Composite Video, S-Video, PC input.

Connectivity is good rather than outstanding on the PDP-607XD with 2 HDMI, 3 Scarts, Composite Video, Component Video, S-Video and a PC input. In addition, there is a built-in digital tuner and a Common Interface (CI) slot.

The PDP-607XD retains all of the technological wizardry of its predecessors. Pioneer has once again deployed its 'Deep Waffle Rib' structure designed to reduce cross-pixel light and colour contamination.

Pioneer’s 'Direct Colour Filter 2' replaces the dense glass layer in a plasma screen with a much thinner panel, displacing the secondary offset image you can sometimes see while watching normal plasma glass from an angle.

Picture processing on the PDP-607XD comes in the shape of Pioneer's PURE Drive 2HD along with 'I-Clear Drive' system which has been designed to improve the panel's range of gradation levels.

You can tweak the PDP-607XD to your hearts content with amongst other things, MPEG noise reduction, digital noise reduction, an extensive colour management system and the option to switch between 75/100Hz screen refresh.

Performance

Can Pioneer hope to achieve the same outstanding results with a panel fully 10in larger than anything they have produced before simply by packing it to the gills with their existing technological wizardry. Well, the answer is a resounding yes.

The black levels on the PDP-607XD are approaching the best Pioneer has produced to date, which is remarkable for such a large screen. Equally as impressive are the greyscale graduations this screen manages to produce, displaying a subtlety which belies the panel's size.

High Definition (HD) of course is where the Pioneer PDP-607XD shines. The clarity and sharpness of pictures on such a large screen brings as authentic a home cinema experience this side of a high end projector we have seen. The impressive black levels, and high brightness output of the PDP-607XD combine to produce superbly rich and vibrant colours. These colours manage to produce subtle graduations of colour which make skin tones look nothing less than realistic in all situations.

There is almost a complete absence of any kind of video noise interference, and fast sporting action or movie scenes translate incredibly well to the screen. There is no visible 'motion blur' or loss of significant resolution with fast action scenes.

Inevitably with Standard Definition (SD) sources, the picture does deteriorate to a degree. Pioneer's image processing wizardry does well to produce a watchable SD picture, but there is visible 'noise' especially with terrestrial Freeview and the occasional unnatural hue to greens. The Pioneer PDP-607XD will probably see very little SD material, but when it does, the picture processing technology will make it a reasonably enjoyable experience.

Lastly, the optional speakers deliver exceptional levels of clarity for the price. The bass levels, power and frequency put many a built-in acoustic system to shame.

Conclusion

The PDP-607XD is notable in that it takes the best of what Pioneer has achieved with the rest of its plasma range and translated it into a unit which is fully 10in bigger. Apart from the popcorn, Pioneer has given us everything we need to enjoy a true cinematic experience in our homes.