Looking for a new 50" Plasma. I've narrowed my search to these two... any suggestions? I can get the Panny for about $2300 and the Pio for $2800.

Looking for a new 50" Plasma. I've narrowed my search to these two... any suggestions? I can get the Panny for about $2300 and the Pio for $2800.

With only $500 difference go with the 5010. I have one and love it and yes I have looked at the Panasonic. The 5010 has a better picture.

this should be interesting.

5010.

eg1100, go to the store and look at them both. See which one looks better to you and make a decision based on what you see. It's easy to say which one's we would choose, but you ought to see them for yourself just to know how they compare and if the Pioneer is more worth it to you.

i haven't found a store that carries both - so it is hard to really compare them side by side. that would be ideal.... i also want to check out the pio 5020 also, to see if that is worth the extra money ($300 more than the 5010).

anyhow, i'm still interested in everyone else's feedback:)

thanks...

well if i could accomodate a 50" i'd go for the 5010 in a hearbeet (be wary of the buzzing issue though)....sadly as someone who would need a 42", i dont have the great choice you have.

800U is a great set, you will be very happy with it.

The 5010FD is an amazing piece. Although the 800U is great display as well. For me, my money goes to the 800U and save the rest of the money for a brighter day.

Chris

800 is a great choice. Also consider the brand new 5020FD

Could get the Panny and a nice $500 PS3 package if you were in need of some Blu-Ray and a great TV.
If you have the extra 500 to spare, I say 5010 for the excellent TV.

Ive been waiting for reviews on the new 5020 to roll in but im close to getting the 800u. Ive heard nothing but positive things for the Panny but Im curious as to whether thenew 5020 would be worth the extra scratch. Once I decide ill be posting some final qustions Ill have for both sets depending on which one I choose respectively.

If the extra $500 isn't an issue the 5010 has a great pic. If $500 isn't an issue why not $800 extra for the 5020? I would go so far as to say be very careful of your ability to hear the pioneer's buzz. It could happen to you also. Buy one from BB to test out and then return and buy from a forum sponsor or Amazon. If you don't hear any buzzing from one set you probably won't hear any buzzing from another. JMO!!!

As an owner of the 800u I can tell you it is an excellent PDP. THX mode is awesome. D-nice's review of the 6020 states it only really has one watchable mode (cinema).

Consider this:

If you buy from Amazon you get a 30 day price match (Amazon only), 30 day return/exchange policy or (and the kicker is) a gianormous additional 20% off if you call and complain about dead pixels/loud fans/buzzing etc. even if your set is fine!

I'm morally flexible when it comes to corporations. I would never pull something like that on a forum sponsor (not that they would go for it). I did get a 800u from Amazon for an absurdly low price.

Just trying to give you some info to help you make an informed consumer purchase. Good luck! BTW-you can't really go wrong-they're all great PDP's.

I'm in a similar situation, trying to decide between the 800u and the 5020. I actually finally saw both of them this week (although not in the same store, unfortunately). I think both of them have excellent PQ, but it's very hard to say which one is best when they are not side by side, or at least in the same store. Aside from PQ, however, I would say the 5020 is a better looking set, IMHO. I know looks are very subjective, and don't matter nearly as much as PQ to some people, but I think the Panasonic bezel is not nearly as attractive as the 5020, and the Panasonic name on the "chin" (that's what it looks like to me, anyway) at the bottom center of the 800u looks incredibly cheesy for a $3K (msrp) set. It just looks like they stamped the name into the plastic and put some silvery or gold paint on it.

The biggest issue I have with the 800 series, is the lack of a "usable" 24p mode. For reasons we AVSers will probably never understand, Panasonic chose to use a refresh rate of 48hz for 1080p/24 signals (you can still watch it at 60hz, but what's the point in that?), which causes serious flicker, and is pretty much unwatchable (Pioneer plasmas, on the other hand, refresh 1080p/24 at 72hz (no flicker at all)). Hopefully, Panasonic will correct this with the 58" & 65" models, because other than that, the (relatively) deep blacks and accurate colors on these plasmas make them a solid choice.

I saw the Viera pZ800 and the Elite Kuro side by side. I actually brought in my Playstation 3 to the store and played a few games on it to see if there was any blur issues with either. The Kuro definitely has a better picture. The deeper blacks highlight the colours in the screen. The Panasonic looked too grey when you compare it to the Kuro. Also, if you like to watch movies in 1080p/24 mode on your blue ray, Panasonic apparently has an unwatchable flicker issue. Whereas the Kuro does not.

Also consider that $500 is a lot of money but you'll potentially own this set for another 5 years at least which is peanuts when you consider the length of time you'll have it for.

Don't get me wrong. They are both great TVs but the Kuro is better in my books.