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The local electronics house has its floor model Pioneer Elite Pro530HDI on sale for $1699 about half price. Reviews on this CRT RP model seem consistently to be raves. I'm not clear on difference between a normal CRT TV and a CRT rear projector. Its been 20 years since I've heard of a CRT burning out, so it seems (to me) not a big risk, especially with the factory 2 year warranty. Am I wrong?
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I very much agree with the other replies in this thread, watch out buying a crt based floor models. Left in torch mode on the floor you could be looking at problems. That said, crt rear projectors are an excellent choice right now. The fixed pixel sets are still catching up to crt quality. Hitachi makes several high quality crt based sets that can be found in the same price range as the Pioneer your looking at. Look at their Ultravision line. An Ultravision set will have an S in the model number. Bought one brand new off ebay for 1699, has HDMI input, ATSC tuner. The only thing on the set Im not wild about is the reflective screen. Might not be a good thing in a bright room.
were plagued with a red/green line streaking problem that Pioneer had a heck of a time getting a handle on. But they have recently sent emails to owners of the sets an upgrade notification, which amounts to a repair recall, which to me shows they are confident of the new "fix". Had something to do with bad parts from a vendor. Too bad it took them almost two years to get it straight.As the owner of a Pioneer Pro730 HD, which is the model that had the DVI inputs instead of HMDI, (year prior to the one you are interested in) I love my set. Yes, It's a giant black box in my Living room, which played havoc with the soundstage of my Thiels, but not only does it do HD and DVDs well, it also has one of the best stretch modes for playback of standard def material. It was repaired twice for the above mentioned problem, the last repair seemed to do the trick (done last July)
I do agree with everyone else about caution buying a floor model, also remember you have to watch out for burn-in. I think Pioneer recommends no more than 20% viewing with the “black bars”. Find out whether the set you are interested in has had the upgrade done, if not, contact Pioneer.
If you want the best info for the Pioneers RPTV, only one place to go:
Both times my set was worked on; they did it in my living room, without even having to move the set out from the wall. If you do have problems with your set, you can call your service company and ask if they do in-house work. They usually don't want to haul that monster out anymore then you do.
One would think. But I had a problem with the S-Video input on my Toshiba 36" direct view set which required them to haul the interior of the set to the shop. They left the shell at the house. But I purchased the extended warranty specifically so I would not have to deliver the set in the event of a problem. The regular warranty did not cover the move. I think it is akin to life insurance: you probably will not need it, but if you do, you'll be glad you have it (well, your loved ones will).
Check the warranty. With large sets such as the one you are talking about, there is always the issue of who will be responsible for hauling the set to the shop if it cannot be fixed inside your home. As has been referenced elsewhere, there may have been damage to the interior of the set from long periods of displaying the "hot" picture, which could certainly lead to premature service. While the warranty may protect you in terms of having the set repaired, for two years, who is going to be responsible for lugging the set to the shop? An extended warranty may be offered which may take care of the transportation issues, but then that adds to the cost of the set, possibly rendering it less of a good deal.
I'm pretty game. I bought a factory refurb CRT direct view HDTV for myself - I love it. I bought my dad a 27" direct view CRT that was a floor model and it's great. I have almost entirely used and demo gear in my 2 channel system. I bought a low miles "used" car.But I would hesitate to buy a floor model CRT RP. That set - as Rico noted, probably left in torch mode - has been "on" for many (MANY)more hours a day than would be normal in regular home viewing. The wear and tear isn't on the outside, it's on the inside.
A direct view CRT floor model would be fine - it's picture tube based and has a long life. But a RP, with three color guns, is a very different animal. Even with a 2 year warranty, I wouldn't be comfortable. Year 3 and 4 and 5 could be killers. Those guns are expensive to replace, and in the coming age of thin, fixed pixel displays, hardly worth doing...if replacement guns will still be available.
As good as the Pioneers are (and the Elites are very good indeed), all CTR RPs are basically dinosaurs. No sense spending 3-4k for one. OTOH, they do offer the the best bang for the buck currently available. I think Rico's suggestion about the Sonys is a good one. I'd try to find a new RP.
The problem is that these sets are shipped factory set in "torch" mode to stand out in a showroom. By now the set probably has many hours in this over bright setting so despite the savings you would end up with t much dimmer picture in a short time, even if you had the ISF calibrate it for you.
SONY makes four CRT RPTV's that retail for under and over $2000. I have one and the ISF calibrator said it had a "great" picture.
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