Honestly? I've been researching Plasma's and LCD's for about a solid year now. 1: LCD's are about 5 years behind Plasma TV's so if your local salesman tries telling you otherwise just compare pictures. The fact you notice Plasma's are VISIBLY deeper in color and crisper should give you a real good clue. Where as Plasma TV's are about a year from reaching true black levels, LCD's are easily 3 to 5 years away still. So I've fully decided on a Plasma. Not to mention overall, prices are now much more competitive with Plasma's.

Secondly, In comparing Plasma TV's two brands consistently rate among the top 2. The Pioneer Kuro and the Panasonic Viera. The lates Kuro Elite 50 inch (Soon to put out a 46 and 42 inch model which is more preferrable to me.) is rated as having almost near black level. The JUST receently released Panny alledgedly is even SLIGHTLY better by all color testing measures. I think it was released like last week and isn't even on the U.S Market yet. So anyway, I read this as I was about to buy the Panny 46 inch 800u NOT 80u. The Panny 800u is extremely highly rated and at a much more reasonable price than the entirely over priced Pioneer which caters to the upper income bracket. Silly if you ask me. Same technowledgy just high priced by a mile. So that narrowed my search to a Panny.

3: So I'm about to buy it when I read a just released report on next years models. It appears to be rumored both Panny and Pioneer intend to or have reached ACTUAL TRUE black levels. So that stopped me in my tracks. Why pay over 2 grand when next years Models will be far superior. The argument is they will always be better but from my research, with Digital the new standard in Feb and many needing new TV's, there will be an even bigger push to get out the most improved model possible next year to attract the new consumer. (Which is sorta bogus cause all you need is a cable box and wallah digital) but many will be completely duped into thinking they need a new TV. So with that new push for the latest tech, recent rumors and money conerns, I personally recommend waiting a year.

BUT, if you buy a TV? I myself recommend the 46 to 50 inch Panny Viera 800u. It's been consistently rated higher than the newer 850u and visually, I myself see no real difference to the Pioneer which is at least 1200 more.

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This is the best Plasma out there by far (and I reviewed them all for the last 2 years before buying one). I read reviews that spoke of the inability to make detailed picture adjustments but have found this to be a false statement. It has plenty of picture options for any format you would want to watch from movies to sports. Keep in mind that you will need to purchase HD reception to really get a quality picture. Once you do this you will never regret the money you spent. I hooked it up to an HD DVR and it is better than going to an IMAX theatre! The Home Media Gallery is feature that influenced my choice and I am totally satisfied that I paid for this. I have my entire home wired with CAT5 and the network is ran by 2 Home Servers. With this TV hooked up to the network I can play music like it's cool along with photo slide shows and movies. HMG makes this plasma not only a TV but a full entertainment center. Final thoughts...The setup was a breeze and the TV was ready 15 minutes after it was delivered. This plasma has more options for viewing and sound than the reviews on any website reveal. BUY IT!!!

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I have owned this TV for almost a year now. I have yet to see something better. Expensive, but worth every penny. No regrets.

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I have been in awe of this television since I got it a month ago from Best Buy. I bought the four year service plan and unfortunately I believe I will need to use it. The panel has the best picture I've seen yet except for the Kuro Elite panel. The only flaw is a buzzing sound that changes pitch depending on what the panel displays. When I switch to power mode 2 it fades a little but it is still there and annoying. I hope that when the panel gets calibrated it will fix it but if not I will be throwing a fit to Best Buy to repair or replace the TV. Other than that the TV is great!

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I have been in awe of this television since I got it a month ago from Best Buy. I bought the four year service plan and unfortunately I believe I will need to use it. The panel has the best picture I've seen yet except for the Kuro Elite panel. The only flaw is a buzzing sound that changes pitch depending on what the panel displays. When I switch to power mode 2 it fades a little but it is still there and annoying. I hope that when the panel gets calibrated it will fix it but if not I will be throwing a fit to Best Buy to repair or replace the TV. Other than that the TV is great!

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I relied on other reviews here to make my decision. I thought I was committed to 1080p for a TV, but the Pioneer 720p is so good I can't imagine a better quality picture, also glad I went for plasma. Needed help from more tech saavy neighbor, there is no such thing as out of the box and plug it in with these TVs. Delivery was excellent, called ahead, box has device that turns red if any rough handling! But basically curbside delivery, will not take it up any stairs, so be prepared to have your own musclemen.

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The TV is superior to any other 60''+ tv i reviewed. The picture is flawless and leave your guests speechless when they watch their first HD football game! It comes with 3 HDMI connections, more than its competitors. Set up was EASY. MY only complaint was that the factory presets for color/brightness were poor. This was easily fixed by getting settings online. Although I received this TV from Amazon in a timely manner, it was extremely difficult contacting a live person at Amazon to address shipping and delivery concerns. After 2 days of emails and aggravation I was able to obtain the Amazon phone number. The price was excellent, although I see the price has increased significantly from when I purchased it in June 08.

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I did a lot of research before plunking down the cash for HD technology. I first saw this set in a Best Buy and was blown away by both the picture and the price (I hadn't checked Amazon's prices at the time); I did not think this would be the set I would eventually purchase because it was out of my budget.

I wanted to stay away from Sony because of their prohibitive prices and because of some negative experiences I've had with some Sony products of late. This Pioneer was highly rated by CNET and Consumer Reports and other Amazon users. I was concerned about the shipping, but Amazon's White glove service was exceptional as well as FREE! Best Buy charges for delivery and the set was over a thousand dollars more.

One year later the set suffers no burn in and this is significant because there is an XBOX 360 connected to it AND we watch some standard TV, but I stretch the screen to avoid the "Gray Bars" and therefore also avoid the burn in problems as well. It does run warm, so in the summer you will notice it, even in a large room (14 X 26). If I had to do it all over again, Pioneer would still be my choice and so would Amazon, this model has been replaced by the PDP-5080HD and is $1400.00 more at Box Stores.


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I did a lot of research before plunking down the cash for HD technology. I first saw this set in a Best Buy and was blown away by both the picture and the price (I hadn't checked Amazon's prices at the time); I did not think this would be the set I would eventually purchase because it was out of my budget.

I wanted to stay away from Sony because of their prohibitive prices and because of some negative experiences I've had with some Sony products of late. This Pioneer was highly rated by CNET and Consumer Reports and other Amazon users. I was concerned about the shipping, but Amazon's White glove service was exceptional as well as FREE! Best Buy charges for delivery and the set was over a thousand dollars more.

One year later the set suffers no burn in and this is significant because there is an XBOX 360 connected to it AND we watch some standard TV, but I stretch the screen to avoid the "Gray Bars" and therefore also avoid the burn in problems as well. It does run warm, so in the summer you will notice it, even in a large room (14 X 26). If I had to do it all over again, Pioneer would still be my choice and so would Amazon, this model has been replaced by the PDP-5080HD and is $1400.00 more at Box Stores.


Want the Best TV? Then Don't Miss Our:
Flat Panel Plasma & Lcd Tv Reviews & Buying Guide Section

I did a lot of research before plunking down the cash for HD technology. I first saw this set in a Best Buy and was blown away by both the picture and the price (I hadn't checked Amazon's prices at the time); I did not think this would be the set I would eventually purchase because it was out of my budget.

I wanted to stay away from Sony because of their prohibitive prices and because of some negative experiences I've had with some Sony products of late. This Pioneer was highly rated by CNET and Consumer Reports and other Amazon users. I was concerned about the shipping, but Amazon's White glove service was exceptional as well as FREE! Best Buy charges for delivery and the set was over a thousand dollars more.

One year later the set suffers no burn in and this is significant because there is an XBOX 360 connected to it AND we watch some standard TV, but I stretch the screen to avoid the "Gray Bars" and therefore also avoid the burn in problems as well. It does run warm, so in the summer you will notice it, even in a large room (14 X 26). If I had to do it all over again, Pioneer would still be my choice and so would Amazon, this model has been replaced by the PDP-5080HD and is $1400.00 more at Box Stores.


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