From my own experience, none of the Pioneer consumer models I have seen, and there have been a few, have ever looked like 'best on the market'.
In all honesty, I always thought Fujitsu were considered the best. Only now (within the last 12 months), from what I have seen with my own eyes - and I am forever looking at as many of the different models as I possibly can (I want to be able to provide honest advice
) - I now think of Samsung as a good 2nd place. And considering they are amongst the lesser priced units, I reckon that makes for a great product.
That said, I don't get to lay my eyes on many NEC plasmas and they are supposed to be quite good as well.
P.S. when ever we install any A/V gear we always do a full setup, calibration and test of the whole system.
We use a lot of industry recognised tuning tools and discs including test patterns etc. by renown producers of said, like Joe Kane.
P.S. If you know who to speak to you can get a brand new current model 42" Samsung for less than $1800... (HD tuner, 2 HDMI inputs, 15,000:1 contrast...).
We use a lot of industry recognised tuning tools and discs including test patterns etc. by renown producers of said, like Joe Kane.
other than digital video essentials, what calibration tools are you using?
oh, and I agree with your comments on the consumer grade pioneer panels. The pro grade panels are something else though.