With price differences shrinking, all we want to know is which HDTV tech provides the best picture quality.
Home Theater Mag has tried to throw personal bias out the window in its 2008 HDTV Technology Face Off, with a blind test of DLP, LCD and plasma sets, the only requirement being a price around $3,000 and size of 50-inches or so. If you're thinking a 1365x768 resolution Pioneer
Kuro could best competition featuring
120Hz technology,
1080p resolution and all the other latest buzzwords in high definition -- you'd be right. Deep black levels made the difference, boosting the PDP-5080HD over the second place Panasonic TH-50PZ750. Those looking to purchase the winner might be in for a tough search, as rumors indicate retailers are out of stock (this goes for the PDP-4280HD as well) and not expecting new shipments anytime soon, pending new product announcements from Pioneer. Which HDTV deserves to hang on your wall? Hit the read link to get the details and let us know which one you like.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
UnnDunn @ Mar 3rd 2008 9:39AM
I can't wait for the LCD, 1080p idiots to come out spouting things like plasma burn-in and other such nonsense.
The evidence continues to mount: Plasma beats LCD and 1080p doesn't matter.
TrentD @ Mar 3rd 2008 11:09AM
Hopefully most people who read this site know better...
Matt @ Mar 3rd 2008 11:18AM
no, I dont think we will see the LCD 1080 people coming in. I dont think people are so fanatical about LCD vs Plasma, are they? Anyway, I have an LCD and thought it was "superior" but I have heard great things about the Kuro line. Its definitely going to be considered for my next TV purchase.
Mr. E @ Mar 3rd 2008 1:02PM
1080p most definitely matters, depending on your screen size and seating position. I'm at 9' away from a 70" screen, and can resolve all 1080p detail. 1080p is not going to provide any perceived detail improvement over 720p if you're sitting 10' away from a 50" set, however, which is probably what most people are doing.
AbbadonTD @ Mar 3rd 2008 10:16AM
Ahhh, why are they comparing such off models? They get a 50pz750 from panasonic, but compare it to a sony 60a3000? A discontinued model, 10" bigger, and a completely different format tv...This whole article is BS. Where did this selection come from, really? You have Panasonics flagship, Pioneers low end (I wonder where the PRO1150 would have fit, especially since its around $3000 for a 50"), JVC's top peice, Samsung's totally flawed display. Its like they knew what they wanted to happen and hand picked peices to make sure that the final came out that way.
Wait...they probably did...
andyg8180 @ Mar 3rd 2008 10:31AM
you mean they are looking for competition for the Kuro Plasma... Nothing can beat it... I dont understand why people get LCD's... Plasma's really do have the best picture overall and this whole "burn-in" issue is pretty much non-existent on my TV, and I game all day/all night on it...
Keep your ghosting, PDP for the win!! Stupid people buy stupid things
**cough blu-ray**
TrentD @ Mar 3rd 2008 10:50AM
Voted up for Blu-ray jab :)
Juggernaut @ Mar 3rd 2008 11:26AM
ditto!
milrtime83 @ Mar 3rd 2008 12:50PM
"I dont understand why people get LCD's."
One reason would be the very reflective glass screen on plasma's if they can't get a completely dark room.
servo_fan @ Mar 3rd 2008 12:59PM
I have a 42" Samsung Plasma, (HPT-4254), and it is beautiful. When I brought my wife to the store to look at sets, she chose the plasmas over LCD. "They just look better" she said. I agree.
Allen @ Mar 3rd 2008 3:55PM
120hertz is just a software program that adds a bit of blur to motion in order to make it appear smoother, in all reality the video feed is still 60hertz and all the 120hertz shenanigans do is creating color banding.
As to 1080p, I always tell customers, unless you will be sitting closer than the recommended viewing distance, or your screen is bigger than 50", you don't need 1080p. A 52 inch may not even see such a benefit from 1080p, although a 55 and 60 inch definitely will.
Or if you are purchasing a Blu-Ray disc player. If your sources are 1080p, might as well have the 1080p TV I guess. But it doesn't hurt to use a 720 screen.
One recommendation: most 720p screens are actually 1366x768 resolution, whilst anything shot in 720p will actually be in 1280x720 resolution. That means your TV would have to scale the remaining lines of resolution. Whenever you can, feed it 1080p or even 1080i. Its better to let the TV downscale the image than upscale it any, and the TV will do a pretty decent de-interlace job all by itself.
Charles @ Mar 4th 2008 10:45PM
Actually, 120 Hz panels do the exact opposite. The software/driver algorithm to add frames is called motion interpolation. The 120 Hz panel is to doubly refresh a 60 Hz image in an attempt to minimize motion blur from refresh times.
Mike @ Mar 3rd 2008 5:51PM
I have a Panny 50" plasma and before I bought it I too looked at the Pioneer. At the time the Pioneer was nearly twice as much, and the picture, though beautiful (and would have been my first choice but for the price) was not twice as beautiful as the Panny. I guess second place isn't so bad, and let me tell you, the picture on the Panny is very hard to beat. Like the review said, it just looks good!
longhairbilly @ Mar 3rd 2008 6:30PM
Have been the proud owner of a Pioneer Kuro for almost five months now. The picture is amazing. My Xbox 360 games have never looked so good. I play at LEAST six hours a day and have had ZERO "burn in" problems...
ZERO...
chrisinorlando @ Mar 3rd 2008 6:57PM
"But in the darkened test room, the black bars on letterboxed discs didn't melt into its black frame as completelyand nearly invisiblyas on the Pioneer." The key is in the cave environment, the pioneer is great, no doubt. But in a real family room environment with (gasp) windows, the pioneer just sucks with mirror reflections to boot. I just cannot even consider plasma in a bright room, your mileage may vary.
Leif @ Mar 5th 2008 11:22AM
This is an excellent tv, though becoming very hard to find since production was halted on it last month. Picked mine up back in January for about a Benjamin under two grand. I've been very pleased with it.