[Damnation]

Sorry to dig up an old thread, but I have a couple 7000s and have noticed this "bright" black screen upon first turning on the player on my 27" Panasonic CRT via Component. Although I actually see the same thing with my Motorola cable box via S-Video when the box is (supposedly) turned off.

When the 7000 gets to the DVD content I don't see this phenomenon. The black bars on widescreen DVDs always blend properly into the surrounding darkness when watching at night. This player is indeed set to 7.5 IRE with no menu option to switch between 7.5 and 0 like some players. It passes "blacker-than-black" info unlike other players, even Sony's DVP-S7700 successor. I have a 7700 too and find the 7000's image quality better, shadow detail is definitely improved. The 7000 also doesn't have the chroma bug unlike the 7700 (not as noticeable as some players though). The 7700's picture might be a little sharper, but this is probably just edge enhancement "baked" into the video processing. The 7000 has a few picture adjustments (Contrast, Brightness, Color, Sharpness) that the 7700 totally got rid off.

One thing I've noticed with the Pioneers I have is that when set to 7.5 IRE, the black level always looks far too inky. Even with their DV-59AVi, often regarded as one of their best DVD players with regard to picture quality.