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Picture Control & Backlight Settings
Scott Wilkinson  |  May 24, 2011  |  0 comments
I've always used the Spears and Munsil High Definition Benchmark Blu-ray disc to set up my TVs, and I find that there are many ways to skin a cat as far as settings are concerned. For example, I get the same result if I set contrast to 87 and backlight to 33 or brightness to 67 and backlight to 22. Is there any real difference as long as the result on screen meets the suggested result on the Spears and Munsil disc?

In a related question, does it make a difference in the cadence tests to use the deinterlacing of the TV versus the AVR ?

Kevin Cochran

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Picture Presets, AVR Shopping, Soundbar Center
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 28, 2010  |  5 comments
Black Hole Mode
You often talk about the advantages of professional calibration, but why couldn't TV makers include a mode for a blacked-out room? Or am I missing something? I have a ninth-gen, 50-inch Pioneer Kuro and a PS3. I set the TV's picture mode to Movie for standard-def TV and Standard for Blu-ray (with film mode set to Advance).
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Pioneer AVR with B&W Speakers
Scott Wilkinson  |  Mar 30, 2012  |  6 comments
I have the following system:
  • Pioneer VSX-1021 A/V receiver
  • B&W 600-series speakers (683 front L/R, HTM61 center, 685 bookshelf surrounds, ASW610 subwoofer)
  • Oppo BDP-93 Blu-ray player
  • Sonos wireless audio system
  • Sony 55-inch XBR TV
All in all, the sound is outstanding, and the image of Blu-ray discs is also amazing. However, a friend says the overall setup is not balanced—in particular, the receiver is cheap compared to the other elements. I do not have much space for a higher-end receiver, so is there any other solution? Is this setup really unbalanced, since it sounds great to me?

Ricardo Monnerat

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Pioneer Speakers with Marantz SR7005 AVR
Scott Wilkinson  |  Apr 06, 2012  |  9 comments
Can you advise me on the choice between the Pioneer S-31B-LR-K, SP-BS41-LR, and SP-BS21-LR bookshelf speakers? The 41 and 21 have the Andrew Jones design going for them, but by proxy, so does the 31, being derived from the EX range. However the 31 is slightly smaller and more expensive!

Reading your review of the SP-BS41-LR system prompted me to finally replace an old Bose Lifestyle 28 system (something I regretted buying shortly after getting it). I already got the Panasonic DMP-BDT210 Blu-ray player (awesome!); next, the speakers, then the Marantz SR7005 AVR as the heart of the system. The sub will be last; don’t know which one yet.

Declan McGlinchey

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Pioneer vs. Elite AVRs, DVD Recorders, 1440p
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jun 15, 2011  |  4 comments
Should I get a Pioneer or Elite brand AVR? Are there DVD recorders with an HDMI input? Is 1440p real?
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Pioneer, Artifacts, Screens
Scott Wilkinson  |  Mar 02, 2009  |  6 comments
To Buy or Not to Buy
I have been saving to buy a new 50-inch Pioneer plasma this summer. Now Pioneer is getting out of the plasma business completely. Should I still buy? I'm worried about the possible warranty issues and getting repairs in the future.
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PIP No More
Scott Wilkinson  |  Apr 16, 2012  |  2 comments
Are there any current or upcoming LCD, plasma, or OLED flat-panel TVs with a two-tuner picture-in-picture feature? Several years ago, many manufacturers offered this feature, but it seems to have disappeared. I do not choose to purchase another tuner device to obtain a PIP image.

A. Craigson

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PIP, Bi-Amping, Burn-In
Scott Wilkinson  |  Oct 27, 2009  |  15 comments
PIP, PIP, Cheerio!
Why is it difficult to find new TVs with PIP (picture-in-picture). I'm looking for a new set to watch multiple sports channels on, so motion blur is also an issue.
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Plasma Break In
Scott Wilkinson  |  Nov 21, 2011  |  7 comments
You've convinced me not to worry about future 3D technology and to just get a 3D TV now. I'm finally about to go to the store, but instead of getting the Samsung UA46D7000 LED LCD, I'm going to get the Samsung PS51D8000 plasma, a cheaper yet larger and higher-end model. My one concern is that, since the PS51D8000 is a plasma, do I need to break it in? I know you do it all the time for reviews, but I've read that Samsung has said that it's unnecessary anymore. So should I break it in, just be careful for the first 100 hours, or not worry at all?

Nik in Gladstone, Queensland, Australia

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Plasma Break-In, AVR Upgrade, Frame Interpolation
Scott Wilkinson  |  Oct 20, 2009  |  16 comments
Breaking In Is Hard To Do
I recently purchased a Panasonic TC-P54V10 plasma TV along with a Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray player. I was thinking of getting a professional ISF calibration on the plasma, but my sales rep said that I should wait about 200 hours before having it done since the gas needs to settle (or something like that). Do you agree?
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Plasma Buzz
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 06, 2011  |  4 comments
I bought a Panasonic TC-P50ST30 plasma TV (seen here), and I hear a slight buzz from where I sit if there is no sound playing. I read that this is normal for plasma technology. Is that true? Should I call Panasonic for a replacement?

Hunter Cvetko

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Plasma in a Sun Room
Scott Wilkinson  |  Feb 22, 2012  |  4 comments
I am looking to buy a TV for my sun room, which is 18x20 and has two 6x4 windows on three of the four walls, with the fourth wall facing the inside of my home. The TV would be located on this fourth wall. The room does get a lot of sun, but all the windows have blinds that can be closed fully to block out all meaningful direct sunlight, although some indirect sunlight does seep through.

I'm thinking about getting the Panasonic TC-P55VT30, but I'm concerned about any plasma TV's ability to deal with the brightness of this room during the day. On the other hand, also important is off-axis viewing, which is a plasma strength and an LCD weakness. Will the plasma wash out during the day even with the blinds closed due to the seeping/indirect sunlight? If so, what LED-LCD would you recommend, since I assume all plasmas would have the same issue? If there is a plasma that would not suffer this issue, I would welcome that name also.

Steven Lawless

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Plasma Screens Bigger Than 65 Inches?
Al Griffin  |  Nov 25, 2013  |  1 comments
Q Why at this time of near-perfect plasma TVs are there no sets available in the 65-to-85-inch range? I would like to consider one of the new Panasonic or Samsung models for my home theater but require a set with a screen size larger than 65 inches.—Steve Stolte / Cedar Rapids, IA
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Plasmas, Bi-Amping, Lossless Audio
Scott Wilkinson  |  Mar 02, 2011  |  1 comments
Should I stay away from plasma TVs? Will bi-amping my speakers sound significantly better? Does lossless audio sound significantly better than lossy?
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Primary Colors, Bi-Amping, DVRs
Scott Wilkinson  |  May 18, 2010  |  First Published: May 19, 2010  |  11 comments
Little Blue & Little Yellow
I've heard you talk about Sharp's new RGBY color system, and it started me thinking about something. I have always thought that red, blue, and yellow are the primary colors, and these colors can create any color there is. So why do TVs use RGB?
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