Pioneer KURO PDP-5020FD 50-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV | 
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| Brand: Pioneer
List Price: $3,999.99 Buy New: $2,863.99 You Save: $1136.00 (28%)
Rating: 19 reviews
Color: Black Media: Electronics Display Size: 50 Shipping Weight (lbs): 86 Dimensions (in): 48.5 x 3.7 x 34.2
MPN: PDP-5020FD Model: PDP-5020FD UPC: 012562887098 EAN: 0012562887098
Release Date: June 12, 2008 Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | High Definition 1080p Resolution (1920 x 1080p) | | • | 50-Inch Diagonal Class / 16:9 Widescreen Aspect Ratio | | • | New Deeper Intense Blacks for Unmatched Contrast (5x the Previous Generation) | | • | New Thinner Cosmetic Design | | • | 4 Independent HDMI 1.3 Inputs |
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| Customer Reviews: Read 14 more reviews...
Awesome TV but.... September 1, 2008 After doing countless hours of research on the best TVs, LCD or Plasma, Pioneer or Panasonic, I came to the conclusion that Pioneer Plasmas are the best. And then after reading countless reviews on how amazing this TV is I finally decided to get one. It was definitely a hefty price tag, but from what I read, it was well worth it. After watching a couple blu-ray movies from my PS3 and playing Oblivion it simply did not meet my expectations. Granted my expectations were extremely high after reading the reviews. I had upgraded from a 42" LG LCD and the difference was just not worth the price tag. It is definitely better. I love this TV but I guess i was just setting my expectations too high. I guess I simply wanted the images to pop out of the TV. And I don't know, maybe I'm doing something wrong. Maybe my settings are wrong, or the calibration, but it's just not what I thought it was gonne be. If you have the $3k-$4k to drop on a TV, by all means, drop it on this one. But if you don't, believe me when i say there are worthy alternatives for a much smaller price tag.
What kind of guy are you? August 30, 2008 1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I typed a huge review and I ran out of space. This really pissed me off - but I like this TV enough that I'm rewriting a shorter and different kind of review.
WHAT KIND OF GUY ARE YOU? I'm a guy that wants things done right! "Right" being the way I think it should be done, because I'm a guy that thinks I'm smarter than most other guys, even if I'm not. I'm a guy that's pissed off at Amazon because I wasn't allowed enough space to write my original massive super detailed review. I'm a guy that is irritated when I have to ask a waitress more than once for the same thing. I'm a guy that's pissed off when airlines charge for a second bag or for a beverage. I'm a guy that wants an iPhone more than anything but doesn't have one because I hate the way Apple is trying to force AT&T on me. I'm a guy that is planning to drop Comcast because they are planning to cap users internet usage even though I'll never come close to 250GB a month. I'm a guy that researches 20 different websites to find out every little detail about products I'm interested in. I'm a guy that will go into a store and ask employees a bunch of questions that I already know the answer to, just to see if they really know the product and are worth my time and money. I'm a guy that knows the difference between lossy and lossless. I'm a guy that will wait and wait for a new product so I have the newest thing on the block even though it's killing me. I'm a guy that will buy the best piece of gear that I know about and can afford. I'm a guy that will never buy Bose speakers. I'm a guy that will trade in a component XBOX360 to get one with HDMI, then feel stupid because it's only HDMI 1.2 instead 1.3. I'm a guy that researches whether the Farajouda chip or the Reon chip is better or if the Realta is really all that. I'm a guy that will buy 5 different HDMI cables and 3 different indoor antennae to see if the .99 Monoprice is as good as the Monster cable and then return whatever didn't make the cut. I'm a guy that will sit for hours and hours until I'm zombie at 3 am trying to figure out which of my AV components deinterlaces the best. I'm a guy that spent the cash on a Denon 4308CI AVR instead of the 3808CI because I wanted the wireless feature, but never use it because it would force me to run my wireless network at 802.11b/g instead of 802.11n. I'm a guy that believes in my heart that I can see a difference between 1080i and 1080p!
Are YOU the same as ME? If so, then this next line will help should help you choose a Television:
I'm a guy that bought a Pioneer Kuro. And it's awesome.
Pull the trigger and get the best. August 29, 2008 This a great set, forget the rest, this is what you want. I have owned the PDP-5020FD for almost 6 weeks now, and I am glad I did my research and pulled the trigger on the purchase when I did. I had been holding off on buying a flat panel / HD set for years as it seemed the prices kept falling and technology kept improving, at such a rate that every set I looked at was much cheaper and much better in less than a year. I simply couldn't justify a large outlay of cash for a TV that would be replaced in the market by a better and less expensive set in a matter of months. Nevertheless, I kept looking.
This year, the ninth generation (9G) Pioneers were released, on the 5020, the MSRP is a full $1000 LESS THAN LAST YEAR'S MODEL! And, while some of the picture fine tuning capability has been limited, unless you are a videophile, or have the visual accuity to discerne discrete differences in color hue / temperture, you will never miss it. In fact, the number of settings this set has is more than enough to create the perfect picture you want. That being said, the closest competition is probably the Panasonic 800 series, which was on my short list along with the Samsung 550/650 series, both of which have additional picture / color settings compared to the 9G Pioneerand are less expensive (MSRP).
But when it came down to looking at the images on the screen, the Pioneer was the hands down winner. It is not the brightest screen out there, but don't be fooled into thinking brighter equals better, it doesn't. It just means it is brighter. In some circumstances a very bright screen is what you need (example: a good sized room with light colored walls and lots of uncovered windows, in other words, a VERY bright room). This is not usually the case, but if it is, you may want to be looking at LCDs and not plasmas. The Pioneer's big selling point is the blackest blacks available. What this means to the viewer is vibrant colors, and more importantly, when that scene in your favorite movie is shot in a darkened room or night-shot, you will be able to see what is actually happening instead of just a dark mess. As an example, watch the night scenes from Batman Begins (especially on Blue-Ray) and be amazed at what you have been missing!
Another selling point for Pioneer is the conectivity of the set...4 HDMI, component and composite inputs, RF/coax, the list goes on. Also, the processer is top-notch. If you are like me and were waiting for the HD-DVD/Blue-Ray war to end before investing is a 1080p player, and were planning on using an upscaling DVD for now, don't bother. The 9G processor upscales SD DVDs to 1080 beautifully, so don't waste money on that upscaling player, just go for the Blue Ray player and keep using your old DVD player (you can connect them both), the set will do the upscaling for you!
Anyway, I was able to find a store that had all of my choices on display, I asked the salesperson to cover the names of the sets so I wouldn't be biased, and then had him show a variety of programming. One set was clearly superior to my eyes on all of the viewing, and while I secretly hoped it would be the Panasonic, it was the PIONEER!
Now, while everyone's opinions will vary as to what looks good to them, I think in an objective test, without regard for name or price, the answer to the question will be evident. As for the time to buy, with the economy in a hole, gas prices climbing and the dollar still losing ground to overseas manufacturers, the chances of seeing continued huge drops in prices for these sets are not very good, in my opinion. This is why I decided to buy now and not wait for another year.
Pioneer prices are higher than their compeitor's, but when you start crunching numbers, the difference is about $500. At that point, unless you are on a drop-dead budget, the price difference doesn't have to be justified, you ARE getting what you pay for. If you still are not certain, look into the "AVS Forum", there are LOTS of threads of discussion on the Pioneers as well as all other brands, with all kinds of advice and recommendations from owners, retailers and even some experts. Personally, I think the 5020 is fantastic, I have never been happier with a major purchase, no regrets at all, and even my wife is pleased that we spent the money.
I will refer you to all of the other posts regareding the picture quality, I agree with them in spades and really have nothing to add. Do ignore the negative comments in some of these reviews, they have nothing to do with the set or whether you should buy the 5020. As for Amazon, I am so happy with the price and service, I can't believe I even thought about buying elsewhere. You may find the set cheaper, but you may have to pay for shipping, and/or tax, and most likely they won't have free white glove delivery or a 30 day no-questions free-return / price guarantee!
If you have been on the fence about buying now or which set to buy, just do it now and get the Pioneer PDP-5020FD. You will not be sorry!
Superb television August 29, 2008 I didn't know much about televisions when I bought this on the recommendation of a friend who has one. As somebody who doesn't know much about televisions I can't tell you much about the color saturation, refresh rates, black levels, contrast, or indeed many other technical topics. I can tell you, though, that the TV is a joy to watch. Super-clear picture, great color (once you take it out of "dynamic" mode and put it into "movie" mode), and even switched off it's very attractive in a black minimalistic kind of way.
Amazon delivered early, a pleasant surprise. The delivery firm was helpful and careful, and did everything I'd hope for in terms of getting the thing out of the box and mounting it on the stand.
Two small disappointments, neither a big deal: 1. The remote is pretty lame. The one with this TV is altogether fully-featured but otherwise dull and unimaginative. No attention to ergonomics or usability whatsoever. I know, I know, just like most remotes... but I'm a TiVo user so have high standards. They could have done much better, but I guess it wasn't their focus. 2. No way to disable inputs. This TV has a huge number of inputs (which is great) but there's no way to tell it "hey, there's nothing on inputs 1,2, and 6". That means that when you cycle through them you have to go via all the ones you're not using as well as the ones you are. I have a Sony LCD where you can disable certain inputs in the settings; works much better.
All in all, though: very happy indeed with this thing.
Awesome picture August 29, 2008 I was shopping for a bigscreen HDTV to watch olympics'08.The shortlist narrowed down to Sony bravia and Pioneer Kuro and i am glad i chose Kuro. The opening ceremony is unbelievably vivid and life like. On contrary to some reviews i have read, the picture is good even in daylight, i think from very efficient antiglare filter. I keep tapping myself on my shoulder every night when i watch the TV programs for making a smart choice. My only disappointment is lack of internet connectivity and retriction of media players to Windows media player only. Wireless connectivity to computer should be included in the next upgrade to this model. Having said that, This TV is for viewing pleasure of HDTV programs and does this job second to NONE. The only thing that could beat this TV's picture quality is perhaps a 3D picture!
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