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"Stellar Picture" on by ACLeftGuard76
Pros: Best contrast ever, 4 HDMI inputs all v.1.3
Cons: No X.V Color support, and no 120hz side scanning
Summary: Let me first start by saying, WOW! What a GORGEOUS picture. As picture quality goes, there truely is no better anywhere. Best contrast on any plasma or LCD (no brainer there) that has been seen to date. And of course, Pioneer always brags about the amount of gradation in color in their picture, well it is absolutely apparent in this set. Pioneer offers a new Optimum video setting on these TVs which is an ever changing adjustment in the picture so that every image is a beautiful as the next. Very similar to the way the Advanced Iris settings work in the Sony SXRD projection systems. My ONLY concerns are as follows: There is no X.V. Color support. As major BluRay advocates like Sony and Mitsubishi have demonstrated, X.V. Color Gamut technology is going to be the future of BluRay and for Pioneer not to include that capability in any of their new sets or their new BluRay Disc Players is more than disappointing to myself. And in a time where almost all major TV manufacturers are introducing the 120hz side scanning for smoother motion, Pioneer has introduced the 60hz side scanning...? Well, before they had 72hz (also called 3:3 pulldown, which they still have). I havent yet seen anything with this feature, but Sony and Panasonic sure are high on it. All in all, Pioneer, even with their disappointments this year, continue to lead the pack as far as quality of picture go. If you are looking for a picture that is head and shoulders above the rest, welcome to Pioneer.
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"Pioneer Cust. Service is just AWFUL so stay away" on by knagdev
Pros: Sorry, nothing good to say because Customer Service is so bad
Cons: The pixels are "misfiring" and they can't seem to fix it and refuse to replace it - even under warranty
Summary: TV is still under warranty, the pixels are misfiring a pink or orange color when they are supposed to be blue. The repair service has been to my house 3 times an is unable to fix it - even though they replaced the video board. Now they want to take it to their shop for a couple weeks to replace some of the internal components, but they are guessing. Meanwhile, Pioneer Customer Service flatly refuses to replace the unit - they apparently don't do that. Panasonic has tv's with comparable picture quality and lower prices, and they would have given me a new tv by now and taken the old one to fix on their own time. I wish I had bought Panasonic rather than Pioneer. I read all the reviews - this is typically a great tv so I realize I probably got a lemon, but they should replace it. Save yourself the grief and go with Panasonic.
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"Simply the best TV you can buy today" on by astrobuf
Pros: Picture quality is unmatched
Cons: Price is a bit extreme
Summary: I've been following the PDP & LCD wars for some years. I work in the business in R&D and know what I'm looking at. Quite simply, this is the best TV you can by right now. There soon will be a new Pioneer 1080p model that might eclipse this one (at a hefty price premium I expect), but for now it's the king of the hill.
I've had occasion to do very close comparisons between the new 120HZ LCD's, the Pioneer 5080HD and the new Panasonic FHD models. The Pioneer is by far the best of the lot.
The often mentioned black level is unique in the industry and I am confident that Pioneer will maintain that edge due to their superior technology. Perhaps even more impressive is this sets ability to avoid all manner of dynamic false countours and sustain very high resolution for fast screen action. Using the NHK method of evaluating resolution loss, this set scores the highest of all flat panel TV's on the market today, sustaining ~ 900-1000 lines fo resolution for typical fast action. Even the best 1080p LCD's (120Hz)by comparison display less than half the resolution for moderate motion speeds. Figures reported are typically in the 400-500 line range!
Also a feature is Pioneer's luminous efficiency. This set spec's out at 2.2lm/W, an industry best for HD sets. This is in part what allows the set to achieve the very high contrast ratio and low power consumption.
Fianlly, I really like the anti-reflective screen technology that Pioneer is using here. The Panasonic sets resort to a matte screen which badly distorts the image quality. When compared side-by-side to the Panasonic 1080p set family, the Pioneer 5080HD set looks better hands down. For the time being, the Panasonic sets lack the luminous efficiency to achieve the contrast ratio needed to best Pioneer. The Panasonic screen looks more like an LCD's due to the lousy AR treatment. Panasonic may get it better next gen, but for now Pioneer is best. -
"Sealed the Deal" on by TimHawk0
Pros: Amazing blacks; awesome shadow detail
Cons: Not 1080P, but at this size it doesn't really matter
Summary: This is the one! It came down to the 5080 and the Panasonic 50PZ700U, and although the Panasonic is 1080P, I can honestly say that the 5080 offers the most stunning picture I have yet to see from a plasma. I also like that the bottom speaker attaches from the bottom of this set. For those who are still on the fence about this particular unit..don't be...it's picture is excellent.
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"Forget the numbers, forget the reviews & the editors this and the awards just look at that picture!" on by thegreenmenace
Pros: Black is darker than anythign I have ever seen on a screen!
Cons: expensive, dusty, 720p just makes me feel funny
Summary: I went to Best Buy to purchase the new Sony DLP 60a2020 but out of the corner of my eye I saw this beast, the picture quality on this 720p set is better than any other 1080p set under $3000, you don't need numbers, and editors, and awards to tell you that, just look at the picture, in HD, 720/1080 and SD it just looks better. Period.
I have had it now for 3 weeks and no complaints yet, I have Comcast cable and my XBOX360 running on it all the time and the picture is amazing! I attribute my Madden ranking to this TV.
The only reason I gave it a 9 is because it is expensive and the speakers should come separately as an optional add-on so I don't have to pay for them, who buys a 3000 TV and uses the TV speakers?
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