I saw the 50" pioneer elite plasma today (1 Viewer)

[Mark R. Ososkie]

I saw it at a local hi-fi shop today on a very good HD source..
It was the sharpest, clearest picture i've ever seen in my life.
There's not much more to say about this TV, but i'm going to go sit in a corner and cry now because i cant afford it. I wish i would have never even seen it :frowning:
..drool

 

[Rich H]

Yep,

That's what I thought when I saw the Panasonic plasma last year.

I saved for a year and bought one. Couldn't be happier with the picture; it amazes me (and guests) every single time I turn it on. In fact, I'd rate it as the best electronics purchase I've ever made (and that's saying a lot, if'n you knew me).

Rich H.

 

[Chris AD]

Is your plasma an SD or HD type? Thanks.

 

[Chris PC]

So far the Plasma screens that I have seen look noisy, fuzzy, have low contrast, low brightness and generally don't look as good as a good HD RPTV or LCD or CRT front projector. The ones I have seen are Panasonic and Pioneer. I haven't seen the latest stuff, however.

 

[Gabriel_Lam]

If they seem low brightness to you, there's definitely something wrong, whether it's the calibration or panel itself. Whatever else you may say about plasma panels, they're BRIGHT. In fact, current ones hit over 200 ft-lamberts. A normal CRT TV cannot hit 1/2 of that, and a RPTV is about 1/2 of the CRT TV.

 

[Rich H]

Chris AD:
It's the SD. It looks incredible on HD though. It's likely you wouldn't know you weren't seeing true HD resolution unless you were told. I haven't seen the new HD 42" Panasonic, but the HD 50" looks awesome.
Chris PC:
Wow. Your experience couldn't be more at odds with mine and, heck, everyone else who has seen the Panasonic. You must have seen some bad set-ups (what else is new in store set-ups?), or you were standing too close (re the "noise" issue).
The contrast is outstanding (measurably and subjectively).
The picture on mine is the sharpest I've ever seen, notwithstanding the HD plasmas (actually, it can look even sharper than them on some material). Every single person who has seen my Panny plasma has commented that the sharpness and clarity is like nothing they've seen before.
And the colors, that's one of my major attractions to this panel (and other good plasmas). They bring out a realism and nuance in color that I've rarely experienced (again, so say guests to my house as well).
My brother-in-law, who lives in Japan, has a great wide-screen CRT, is very picky about picture quality.
He held the same opinion as Chris PC, and had tried to convince me out of buying plasma because he hadn't seen any that impressed him. When he visited a couple of weeks ago he finally got a good plasma demo in my home. He was stunned. Completely reversed his opinion and felt I couldn't have made a better choice when it came to picture quality (and size of room).
So...my advice: try and see the new plasmas in a good set-up!
Rich H.

 

[Chris PC]

Well, if I see one that looks good, I'll know. I just don't like displays that make me walk closer and closer until I see fuzzy pixels that confirm my dislike. RPTV's look stunning to me, followed almost right on top by good front projectors. The Plasma's I've seen are neat, but there is something I don't like about them. I'll revisit them but its kinda hard to take them seriously as they are sooo expensive. I like the idea of the compactness though.

 

[Rich H]

Chris PC,

Yeah, this is pretty subjective stuff. I was frankly put off by the previous generation of plasmas too (and there are still enough crappy ones kicking around).

If you like RPTV's, maybe plasmas wouldn't be your cup of tea. My tastes are the reverse; I find RPTV's - every single one - to be very annoying to watch. That whole "sweet spot" thing. I can never find a seating position from which the screen appears evenly illuminated.
Also, I find RPTVs irritate my eyes. There is the uncomfortable impression I'm looking into a projector light...which...er...I suppose I am.

To each his own. My plasma would be unlikely to satisfy someone who is used to a bigger screen.

Rich H.

 

[Bill Lucas]

Chris,
I'll agree that plasmas don't look as good as a very good RPTV (like a Pioneer Elite) and certainly not as good as a CRT front projector. But the previous poster is correct. If you think they are lacking in brightness you were looking at a) a defective set or b) a very poorly setup display. It's a fact that plasmas are very, very bright displays.
BTW, a well setup CRT front projector will blow away ANY RPTV, no contest.

 

[EricHaas]

Mark:

That Pioneer Elite plasma you saw is the equivalent of the Pioneer 503cmx. Same model with a different frame basically. And the Elite has a longer warranty.

The 503cmx just took a major nose dive in price, over $1000 drop over the last week. It is available for just under $6K at the moment. That may sound like a lot, but the Elite is typically $12-$15K retail. Just wanted to let you know since you were lamenting your inability to afford it...

Oh, and there's an upgrade card coming out from Key Digital for this plasma that will likely make the picture much better still (particularly for SD and DVD sources).

BTW, I don't agree AT ALL about RPTV's having better PQ than plasmas. It's subjective I guess, but to my eyes the better current generation plasmas blow away RPTV's. As for CRT front projectors, I can't really comment because I haven't done enough side by side comparisons. I will say though that I have never seen an HD picture quite like that of the better plasmas. For other sources, I do agree that good CRT's CAN be better.

 

[Tony Meconiates]

What exactly are the differences between the

Pioneer 503CMX
Pioneer 5030HD
Pionner Elite

anyone know?

 

[EricHaas]

The 503cmx is the basic model. It comes with no video card which is required to have your basic inputs (e.g. component, s-video, composite, DVI). Without the video card, it functions only as a monitor. You can get the basic card from Pioneer for about $275 online. The panel itself is about $6200 online right now.

The 5030HD is the same glass and electronics as the 503cmx, but it comes with built in inputs. You need not buy a video card, but the unit is also non-upgradeable. In addition, it comes packaged with a set top box, detachable side speakers, and a stand. Some say the picture quality is not up to par because it requires a proprietary connection with the set top box it comes with. The 5030HD runs about $8000 online.

The Elite 1000HD is the 503cmx but with a fancy lacquer urishi frame, the Pioneer video card included, and a 2 year warranty instead of one. Runs $9500 best online price.

A new card is coming out from Key Digital around Christmas for the 503cmx, 1000HD, and probably the 433cmx, which will add a Key Digital Leeza scaler to the display and some additional inputs, plus promised HDCP via firmware. The Leeza cost over $4K as an external device, but this card will probably street around $1500.

 

[Robert McClanahan]

My A/V dealer told me to wait a couple of more years before I buy a plasma.The reasons are:Cost,it will go way down,and reliability.The picture quality will improve too.It is still fairly new technology and needs to mature just like progressive scan DVD players have.I do want a plasma now though.

 

[Gabriel_Lam]

I think this is true with any technology, however, in general, you buy when you need. I've gone through 3-4 projectors in the last year and have yet to lose money on even one. I used each for a few months until I got bored of it and then sold it for a few hundred dollars more than I bought it for. Am I sad I did not wait for prices to fall or quality to improve? Not so much.

 

[Jeff Bamberger]

I work part time on the weekends at a high end full-service home theater store. This weekend, we did a "booth"/display at a mall that was having a "home show".

We set up our 50inch NEC HD Plasma and fed it 1080i signals from a new JVC D-VHS deck (Springsteen concert, Chicken Run, Shrek, Smart Travles, Glass Blowing). Most people's jaws just dropped onto the floor when they saw how good it looked. And to think it could look better, but we chose not to bring in the Faroudja Native Rate Series Scaler which would do an even better job of upconverting to the Native resolution of the panel than its internal doubler.

Nonetheless, it is pretty spectacular looking. If I had 10k I'd have one of them right now. I don't, so I am stuck with my 27inch Sony. At least I get to work/play with the really good stuff on the weekends.