although it didn't score quite as high overall because the competition has improved: Panasonic's TH-42PHD7UY is just that good. That said, if you don't like the Panasonic's minimalist styling and feature set, this swanky, full-featured plasma is a good alternative.The design of the PDP-4350HD is simplistic yet elegant. A high-gloss black finish surrounds the screen, and the supplied swivel stand is silver. Other than the Pioneer logo, and the green power light on the left side of the screen, there is nothing much else to see on the front of the panel.

Pioneer includes a pair of matching black speakers with the 4350HD that can be mounted vertically on the sides of the panel or left detached. The unit also comes with an outboard A/V controller, which is finished in silver with a mirrored faceplate. The controller houses all of the 4350HD's connectivity, and connects to the panel itself via a single 10-foot umbilical.

The remote is very well designed and laid out. It is long and slender, and--lo and behold--completely backlit for use in darkened home theaters. There are direct access keys for all inputs, which makes switching sources a snap. The internal menu system is also simple and intuitive to navigate.

As we mentioned at the outset, the PDP-4350HD's native resolution of 1,024x768, while higher than that of similarly sized EDTV plasmas (more info), does not qualify for true HD status. Naturally, the set can display high-def and just about anything else you throw at it, including computer sources up to 1,280x768; it just converts the incoming signal to match its native resolution.
Despite its place in Pioneer's lineup as the least-expensive consumer 2005 plasma, the PDP-4350HD has a fully loaded feature package. It includes both types of digital tuner: a digital cable ready tuner that works with the CableCard slot, and an ATSC terrestrial tuner for off-air HDTV reception. For

your convenience, dual-tuner PIP (picture-in-picture) with split-screen is on tap along with independent input memories. Several different preset picture modes are also available, and selectable color temperatures include Low, Mid, and High, with Low being the closest to the broadcast standard of D6500.

The 4350HD has a number of other picture-enhancing features worth mentioning. It is one of the few plasmas with a 72-hertz refresh rate or 3:3 pull-down, which is designed to

eliminate the jerky motion (film jutter) normally preserved in the 2:3 pull-down process. Other advanced picture adjustments include video noise reduction, CTI (a mode said to provide clearer color contours) and DRE (an autocontrast circuit). For more on the effects of these settings, see the Performance page.

At first glance, connectivity appeared to be awesome, but we quickly realized that there are really only four A/V input slots available (in addition to dedicated slots for PC VGA, antenna, and FireWire). In other words, regardless of the number of physical jacks, you can select from only four different inputs (AV1 to AV4) in the menu system. This should be enough for most folks, especially those who use an A/V receiver for switching, but will limit some systems.

The input labeled AV1 offers a choice of HDMI, component, S-Video, or composite video. AV2 offers S-Video or composite video. AV3 offers HDMI or component video. AV4 covers the front-panel input, which, to our pleasant surprise, offers a choice of component, S-Video, or composite video. Also out front is a VGA-style analog RBG input with a minijack audio input for computers. Around back again, we counted two FireWire ports, an optical digital audio output, a monitor A/V output with composite and S-Video, a CableCard slot, and a VCR controller port. This last item works with the included IR blaster to command a VCR or DVD recorder to make timed recordings.

Overall, we were happy with the PDP-4350HD's performance, although its image quality isn't up to that of Panasonic's latest models, such as the TH-42PHD7UY. An inability to produce deep blacks, along with the presence of visible low-level noise, are the Pioneer's biggest weaknesses.
Color, on the other hand, is this plasma's strongest suit. Nearly perfect color decoding, combined with good grayscale tracking, gives the panel extremely accurate color reproduction if set up properly. Even without any professional calibration, the color performance of the PDP-4350HD straight out of the box is quite good compared to most other plasmas we've reviewed. The grayscale in the Low color temperature setting was actually somewhat minus blue rather than way too blue, which is the norm from most plasma panels (see geek box below for more).

Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of this panel's performance is its inability to produce dark-enough blacks. Black areas of the picture appeared dark gray rather than inky black, robbing the image of much impact, especially when viewed in a darkened home theater.

The panel's video processing is good, but the aforementioned Advanced setting under Pure Cinema in the Pro Adjust menu (the so-called 3:3 pull-down setting, said to reduce jutter) actually introduced more artifacts than did the Standard

setting (which engages standard 2:3 pull-down). We compared the two settings during the difficult opening of Star Trek: Insurrection and saw more jagged lines and image instability with Advanced engaged; we definitely prefer the look of standard 2:3 pull-down. We also preferred to leave the other picture settings, including noise reduction, DRE, and CTI, turned off for critical viewing.

After an ISF-style calibration, we spun up some of our favorite DVD movie titles. The opening scenes of Alien revealed muddy gray-looking blacks, along with a significant amount of visible low-level noise (it looked like roiling motes in the black areas). The opening scenes of Pirates of the Caribbean looked quite good, with awesome color saturation, but even in these relatively bright scenes, there was some visible noise. Skin tones looked really natural, a benefit of accurate color decoding and linear grayscale tracking.

Turning to high-def, Behind Enemy Lines from our JVC HM-DH3000U D-VHS deck looked mostly excellent. Again color saturation and skin tone rendition were exceptional. There was some visible noise though, even in brighter scenes with the HD content.

Shenmue Online facing trouble?

Reports from Korea say Sega's anticipated title is facing development issues, with possibly another studio working on the game.
According to Japanese PC game site 4Gamer.net, Sega and its codevelopers have encountered problems with Shenmue Online. The site is reporting sources who claim Shenmue Online's development has stopped at JC Entertainment, a seasoned Korea-based online game maker that has been

working on the project since last year. Reportedly, Sega stopped checking on JC Entertainment's development around March, and two months later the project had dissolved. The report goes on to say that Shenmue Online's staff received a statement from Sega saying that the project had been transferred to another unnamed development studio located in Taiwan.

One former employee of Shenmue Online confirmed to 4Gamer that JC Entertainment had not touched the project since the middle of the year. "Shenmue Online's project was canceled in our company by May or June. Most of the staff that had previously worked on the project is now working on JCE's online Basketball game FreeStyle, or to other new development teams," said the unidentified source.

Another JC Entertainment staffer said the project had been canceled and that an official announcement could come as early as next week.

Sega commented to 4Gamer that Shenmue Online's development is being entirely managed by its Asian subsidiary Sega Shanghai Software, and the Japanese office has not received detailed information regarding its current status. While Sega of Japan hasn't officially stated that the game's development has been transferred, it has acknowledged that production has been halted at JC Entertainment.

Shenmue Online made its public debut at last year's KAMEX (Korea amuse world game expo) in December. The game was available in playable form at the show, and it featured a similar atmosphere to the original console installments and contained various minigames, including Space Harrier, Hang On, Afterburner, and Casino. JC Entertainment president Yang Shin Kim stated at the time that Sega has been consistently checking every detail on the project to make sure the game played true to the original single-player world of Shenmue.

By Staff -- GameSpot

does any1 have a HD tv or is getin a HD tv?.

who cares look how much you have put no one will read all that. Try and shorten it to about 10 lines then ill consider it :-P

**** off then and leave.

Edited at 21:32 Sun 7/08/05 (BST)

Hulk smashes into factory

Green goliath gone gold; The Incredible Hulk ready to unleash Ultimate Destruction on hapless retailers.
Marvel Comics' not-so-jolly green giant is ready to return to the small screen, as VU Games announced today that The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction has gone gold. PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube versions of the game will ship to North American retailers on August 23. As reported earlier this week, customers who preorder the game at major retailers can land a limited edition reprint of The Incredible Hulk #1.

Destruction really is the name of the game here, as players can engage in free-roaming havoc through a metropolitan playground where nearly anything can be pummeled, smashed, blown up, or otherwise rendered broken. By the numbers, the game features more than 30 story missions and 40 side missions, 150 moves and combos, eight chapters, and six boss battles against foes including The Abomination, Mercy, and Devil Hulk.

Ultimate Destruction was developed by Radical Games, whose previous efforts include the game based on Ang Lee's film The Hulk, The Simpsons: Hit & Run, and Dark Summit.

The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction is rated T for Teen and will retail for $49.99. For more information, check out GameSpot's previous hands-on coverage.

Michigan pols reheat Hot Coffee

Dems take online petition live; Governor adds voice to movement that seeks greater authority in game sales.
Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle in Michigan this week stepped up an ongoing debate concerning who should police the sale of M-rated games: retailers, as is the case now, or state authorities. Also at stake are penalties that could be imposed on retailers who violate the letter of the law--if laws were to be passed.

Michigan Democrats are taking the lead in that effort, as well as tangentially related efforts to ensure that the "recall" of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is complete.