PDP-5070HD Additional Functionalities and Remote

The PDP-5070HD comes equipped with the TV Guide channel menu system. Yep, it is a trademarked TV Guide menu system for viewing current and future shows. It only updates up to 8 days in the future but it works for most cable and over-the-air feeds. All you need to do is enter your zip code and tell it what type of connection you have hooked up to each of the inputs (cable or antenna). This doesn’t work for satellite (where’s the love?) sources. When you first turn on the unit you’ll be taken to this screen automatically, but if you want to access this setup screen later, hit the TV Guide button on the remote and click down to Setup. Once you enter the requisite data, it will start downloading the Guide information. It will only do this when the display is off so it may take a day or so to get all the updated listings. It may ask you to confirm the signal source (if you have multiple providers in your area).

When I hooked up my cable feed, I was pleasantly surprised to find a number of digital and HD channels available to me. All of my local stations plus the MTV HD channel were available along with a number of digital cable equivalents of my standard definition channels. SciFi, Comedy Central and a few others were there and the difference in picture quality was amazing. QAM tuners can be hit or miss depending on how your cable company configures their signal but in my area, I’d be tempted to drop the digital cable box and just plug in the cable. Of course, the channel numbers are all weird (104.001 for example) but I can get used to that.

The weird issue that came up is with the TV Guide interface. Because it knows that I was supposed to be receiving analogue cable, it programmed in the proper channels and left off all the unlocked digital ones. It then orders the channels in the guide in what appears to be a fairly random order. You'll see a bunch of other channels that could be available but they'll all be disabled. What I had to do was to scroll through each of the digital channels I was getting, watch it long enough to identify the channel, and then write down each channel number and description (73.001 - Discovery HD for instance). I then had to go to the menu and manually enable each channel and enter the proper channel. For channels that were duplicates of standard definition channels, I could just overwrite the channel number with the digital equivalent.

Following me so far, 'cause this next part gets confusing. I mentioned that the guide is ordered randomly (it doesn't follow the numerical order of the channels) BUT it does have a numbering system. So TV Guide 1 may be channel 8, TV Guide 2 may be channel 5, etc. But those TV Guide numbers have no function outside the TV Guide interface. If you want to get to TV Guide 1, and you aren't on the interface screen, you need to type in 8. Not really a huge deal until you remember that those digital channels all had weird numbers. So, you are left with a choice, always use the TV Guide interface, or memorize that SciFi, which has always been 66, is now 104.003… unless you go to a friend's house and then it is 66 again. But, it is free so I suppose I shouldn't complain. You can also add reminders and set recordings (if you have a VCR connected with the G-link). The display at the top right isn't actually what is playing on the current channel you're watching (like it is for every single other interfaces like this that I've used), it is what is one the channel you're scrolling past. The advertisements on the left are annoying (and can actually be selected so that you can learn more about the products) but the channel information window can be expanded from just a few lines to taking up most of the screen which pretty much eliminates scrolling.

In addition the PDP-5070HD has your standard Picture-in-Picture modes (if you have a split signal coming into both antenna inputs) so that you can switch between them. It also had what they call a G-link (not at all what I thought it was) that is essentially an IR flasher to control a VCR. What you can do is set your TV to record a show and the TV will control the VCR via the g-link. I have neither a VCR nor a desire to ever own one again so we’ll all have to take Pioneer’s word for it that it works. I'd assume it also works with DVD recorders as well though there is no mention of it in the manual.

Under the little flap at the bottom of the remote, along with the PiP functions is a little button titled “freeze”. Well, this button does exactly what it says. It freezes the action on the screen and puts up a side by side with the frozen image on one side and the live broadcast on the other. This little button gave me no end of pleasure and is the bane of my wife. It is just too much fun to wait for someone to get a stupid look on their face and hit “freeze.” Hilarity ensues.

The screen size can be selected manually and remembered by the display for each type of signal. Basically, I use 4:3 for standard definition signals in general and full for HD signals. The only real difference is when the SD show is letterboxed and then I’ll use Zoom which pretty much fills up the whole screen. Regardless, these are your options:

• 4:3 – Gives side bars so that standard definition signals are presented at the proper ratio

• Full – Stretches a standard definition signal or presents an HD signal in the proper ratio

• Zoom – Basically zooms in on a 4:3 signal. This is great if the program you are watching is a) standard definition and b) letterboxed

• Cinema – For 14:9 letterbox pictures

• Wide – Signal is stretched progressively toward each side of the screen (stretched more at the sides than it is in the center)

You’ll have to experiment with these to decide what you like best. If I have one complaint it is that the side bars on the 4:3 mode are not configurable. It wouldn’t be so bad if they weren’t grey. But they are. I’d prefer black. I know that they are grey to ensure that all areas of the display are ageing similarly so that you don’t have vibrant edges with a dull center but I don’t care. There is also an Auto aspect option that is fine for HD but seems to prefer Wide for everything else. I don't prefer Wide so I don't use it.

Last I tested the USB input with a couple of pictures of my kids on a memory stick. The Pioneer had no problems recognizing the stick or identifying the pictures. From there, it was simply a matter of choosing the configuration for the slide show and it was off to the races. All of the configuration options are self explanatory except for the normal versus full display. With normal you get the side bar with the controls on it and with full it loses the side bar and blows the picture up as much as it can. I wish you could change the background from the muted purple but you can't. I thought this was going to be pretty gimmicky (and perhaps it is) but it is so easy to use that I can totally see myself setting up a quick slideshow on a memory stick, set the display to loop with a 5 or 10 second delay between each picture, and watching my parents sit down with popcorn for hours.

Remote Control

As remotes go, the one for the PDP-5070HD isn’t very good. It has all the necessary functions and the layout is generally OK but there are some glaring flaws that just can’t be forgiven. First, no backlight - it is glow-in-the-dark but I've learned that GitD is a poor substitute for actual backlight. That’s generally a strike, though with the proper layout it can be forgiven. Which leads me to my second complaint - bad layout. My most used buttons are just not where I need them to be. Especially if I’m going to be hunting around for them in the dark. Say that I’m controlling the channels through the TV (I’m not, but say I am) the volume and channel buttons are on the bottom of the remote. The TV Guide, info, and directional buttons are near the top and the aspect button (the one that I use the most) is small and off to one side at the top surrounded by inputs and the info buttons. Not a very good layout. The remote can be used as a universal though you’ll have limited controls most of which is hidden under a little flap at the bottom of the remote. With some of the components you’ll also use the Channel buttons and with the Cable/Satellite control you’ll get to use more of the buttons on the remote but for the most part you’re confined to the itty bitty uniformly shaped buttons under the little flap. Have fun with that. On the plus side (and this is a big plus) the remote seems eerily RF. I could literally point the remote at the couch and the display would respond a good bit of the time. Oh, and either this remote shares codes with the Emotiva RSP-1 reference stereo preamp or my home theater is haunted. That’s all I’m saying about that.