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- Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 81 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
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17 out of 17 people found this review helpful
4.5 stars
"Great Pio Colors with Near Panny Blacks"
Pros: 1)Looks great, on or off. 2) Color saturation. 3)Shadow detail. 4) Tweakability, especially the capability to stretch/fill screen in all source modes.
Cons: Tuner may be weak; I can't compare as I must use Comcast, but PQ is actually better on SD when processed thru cable box as opposed to cable direct (bypassing box) to the tuner.
Summary: My second Pio plasma, 1st was the Costco 4303/4314.
Loved the Pio colors but the lack of black level/shadow detail was not great in the 4303.
Just gave my 50" Panny 50x (last years model) to my daughter. The 5070 is great for my viewing, HD Football/Sports, network and cable HD, some DVD's. Black levels/shadow detail much improved, but it's the color processing that really "wows" me.
Example: On the Panny, the Minn. Vikings colors looked blue; on the Pio they are "PURPLE".
I performed basic calibration on both using Avia/DVE and INHD's tune up.
I do not like viewing in a totally dark room, thus the brightness of the Pio is better for my HD sports etc.
If your prime viewing is movies/dark sceens, while viewing in a dark room, the Panny 9UK might better serve your needs.
Someone wrote that the Panny 9UK is "friendly" to watch, gives you great PQ and does not command your attention to the set itself.
The Pio 5070 is kind of like the "king", which expects and commands your attention to both the set and the picture.
Both are great plasma's at reasonable prices; the Pio just better suits my viewing needs.Updated
Mr. K's "User Settings" really help the PQ.
Not sure if these are pre or post calibration but they are good enough for me and may have saved me $300+ on a grayscale calibration.
Pioneer PDP-5070HD:
