Pioneer SD-P5795-W 57 in. TV

I bought this product in December 1999, wanting to complete my home theatre system that I had begun to build some two years before. I started with building the sound system, under the belief that sound conveys more of the home theater experience than the picture. Anyway, I was ready for the step up in picture size.

This TV was referred to me by a business associate who is similarly into movies and the home theatre experience. When I asked him about my reservations about buying anything other than an HDTV, he said I was nuts and that HDTV wont be pervasive for another several years. He also pointed out to me that the specs on this set were identical to Pioneer's Elite series (HDTV) but was selling for nearly $3000 less than that model. Sure enough, when I checked and compared the specs, they WERE identical: 16:9 aspect ration (with options for various other displays), superb resolution, capable of over 1000 lines, bright, clear image, visible from any angle in the room, and a sound system that is pretty damned good, even without using an integrated digital Dolby receiver.

When I play DVDs on this set, the effect is astounding. The experience is more like looking through a window, than watching tv. With regular broadcast tv, the image is also fine -- some network channels are a bit grainy, but thats in the transmission. Digitally transmitted channels look better.

The ONLY shortcoming of this set is its remote control. I have a high end universal remote that came with my Marantz receiver, capable of handling any device with infrared RC command set. I use it for all of my components: recevier, DVD, CD jukebox, VCR, etc. I also plan on hooking it up to the lighting system in the room in order to dim lights remotely. Sounds pretty godd, huh? Well, the remote system on this set is disappointing proprietary -- thats right! IT WONT WORK WITH THE UNIVERSAL MARANTZ REMOTE CONTROL!!! Instead, it offers a cumbersome, convoluted way to act as the central control for your home theatre system. Problem is, I dont care for the remote nearly as much as the Marantz. So.....Ive resigned myself to settling for a two remote system -- something I thought Id be able to avoid, given a total of a $7000 investment for the whole shooting match.

Oh well......next time, I suppose, but I expect that I will get many years of use out of this set. I cant think of any reason I'd replace it, and I'm generally delighted with its performance.

I highly recommend this product for anyone interested in getting an extremely high quality TV to complete a home theatre system. It is outstanding for watching DVDs and sporting events (the Superbowl was a hoot and a half, as was the World Series).

I believe that owners will get many years of pleasure from this investment, even as the HDTV rage begins to heat up.