Plasma vs. LCD vs. LED? - Page 5

Um...huh?

Unless you can find a Pioneer Kuro I'd stay away from plasma tech until reviews on the 2010 Panasonics come out. There apparently is an issue where Panny black levels are rising after 500+ hours due to pre-programmed voltage increases. Oops. Supposedly Panasonic hasn't corrected this "error" on their 2010 models, but time will tell.

The plasma king, Pioneer, before they exited the plasma market, snuck some 2010 tech into 2 models: the 101FD and KRP-500M. Their other models all got 2009 tech. These 2010 glass panels have deeper blacks than any plasma on the market, even besting other Pioneer Kuros. These are both 50" displays without tuners or stands, made for the custom installation market. Before Christmas, the 500M was liquidated for around $1600. I've read reports of 101FDs selling for $2800 now. Point is, get one while you can if you want the best picture quality and don't want to deal with Panasonic's voltage black level BS.

I grabbed a 500M and could not be happier. It is a stunning display. Unless you're willing to wait for OLED to mature in 4 years, I highly recommend picking up one of the few remaining Pioneer plasmas. Some Best Buy Magnolia stores have the 50" 101FD Elite monitor in stock. If you need the additional size, the 60" models are the 6020, 111FD and 151FD. These are harder to find.

Pro-111FD is actually a 50" display. If anyone cares, here is the Pioneer 2009 (9th Generation) model breakdown. AFAIK production stopped in the summer of 2009. 5020FD and 6020FD - "regular" 50" and 60" Kuro TVs (with speakers, stand, Off- the-air tuner, 1 year warranty, around 4" thick). Pro-101FD and Pro 141FD - "Elite Signature" Kuro 50" and 60"monitors (no speakers, stand or tuner, 2 year warranty, 2" thick) Pro-111FD and Pro-151FD - "Elite" Kuro 50" and 60" TVs (with speakers, stand, OTA tuner, 2 year warranty, 4" thick) KRP-500M and KRP-600M - 50" and 60" Kuro Reference Panels. AFAIK designed for custom installer market and not sold in Best Buy/Magnolia. Believed to be very similar if not identical to the "Elite Signature" models above. 1 year warranty, 2 HDMI inputs instead of 4 on Elite, ISF mode disabled in software on North American models though could be re-enabled with a patch. No speakers, stand or OTA tuner. 2" thick. The whole US probably only has a few dozen models left at retail of all the models combined.

I have a plasma and love it. If you game at all I would go with a plasma.

Grats me. I wrote that very late. I meant not buy a LCD if I'm looking for anything 42' and larger.