View Full Version : Pioneer Kuro PDP-5020fd...AWESOME!


daltonlanny
12-24-08, 10:48 AM
:)Hello guys,
Bought a brand new Pioneer PDP-5020 from Plasma Concepts a couple of weeks ago...Thanks Bob!
Wow, this is simply the most awesome display that I have tried in my home, bar none. To say that I am bowled over by this unit is an understatement!
I put it in my 12' x 12' bedroom..! and have no regrets over its size at all.
I seriously did a ton of research, tried out friends displays, and returned a couple of displays to my local hardware store before settling on this AWESOME unit.
I went into my search absolutely, completely, neutral toward brand, or the technology used, but came out with a Kuro.
I use D-nices Movie Mode settings, and the Optimum Mode for all of my viewing, and I am impressed with both of them, according to whatever I am watching.
Out of the box, the unit was not all that impressive. But I now have over 250 hours on the unit, and it has "come to life" so to speak!
After 250 hours, the detail is better and sharper, the blacks seem better, the colors seem more accurate, and standard def has definitely improved, believe it or not.
I seriously considered, and tried out the following units: Panasonic TH-50pz800u, Samsung PN-A550 and 650 plasmas, LG 50PG60, Sony KDL-52XBR6, and the Samsung LN-A650 LCD's.
The 5020 was superior to all of them, IMHO.
The contrast, color saturation, black levels, lack of video noise, is simply superior all the way around.
There are absolutely no "dirty whites" or dimness at all, as a matter of fact, I have to turn down the brightness on certain programs!
I don't understand why some people think these displays are dim?
I have been using a Panasonic DMP-BD55 Blue Ray disc player, and Directv hi def receiver as sources.
Even standard def and dvd's are very enjoyable, for the most part, on this display.
The blacks are a true beauty to behold on this display, and they enhance all aspects of its performance, especially color saturation, and "pop", etc.
In comparison to the Samsung plasmas, the pioneers image is simply more believable, brighter, has more "pop", the black levels, and shadow detail are in a different league. The screen is also much less reflective.
Admittingly, the Samsungs do have slightly better color accuracy, but the black levels, "pop", shadow detail, better brightness, and relatively non-reflective screen on the Kuro more than makes up for it, IMHO.
Surprisingly to me, good standard def and dvd's look just as good or better as well on the Kuro.
The LG is also, surprisingly, an excellent display, but its blacks are sort of sub par, colors are so so, and the screen is too reflective.
The Panasonic is an excellent display as well, and would be my second choice, but, compared to the Kuro the Panasonic has grayer blacks, a noisier image, especially on standard def and dvd, and the colors are sometimes sort of washed out in comparison. I also don't like the flicker on blue ray discs sometimes. The Kuro has more pop, better saturation, better blacks, and a cleaner image. The shadow detail is very comparable on both. The Panasonic does have slightly more accurate colors in THX mode, but it is somewhat dim in my opinion.
The LCD's are simply way too bright and glaring for my tastes. I also don't care for the slight motion blur, soap opera effects, off axis viewing, and dark gray blacks. The LCD's do look sharper and more impressive on the show room floor, but not at home, trust me! The eye strain is unbelievable at home.
When I turned the brightness of the LCD's down to match the Kuro, the blacks and shadow detail were way too crushed for my tastes.
I still have my old trusty Sony Wega KD-36XS955 36" FD Trinitron CRT HDTV, with the Super Fine Pitch screen in my living room, but even it does not compare with the Kuro, except in black levels, IMHO.
The CRT is a bit dimmer, has a much softer image, more flicker, and has a blooming effect in light areas next to dark areas on the screen, that I don't particularly like.
The Kuro is brighter, sharper, more detailed, better shadow detail, and has much more "pop".
The blacks on the crt are slightly blacker, but the blooming at times on the crt, is very annoying. Standard Def and DVD's look alittle better on the crt, but just barely. The crt also crushes blacks to a certain degree.
The 50" widescreen on the Kuro also makes the 36" 4:3 screen on the Sony look small in comparison! The crt also weighs almost 3 times more than the Kuro!
I still think plasma technology is the way to go, even with its limitations.
I can easily live with them compared to everything else, including CRT's.
I am a KURO BELIEVER! Thanks to everyone here who helped me make the overwheming right decision!

creemail
12-24-08, 11:12 AM
Great to hear...Glad you like it.

I think we will be saying this for the 5030FD as well..

Chris

Duds72
12-24-08, 11:16 AM
when will the 5030 be available?

Great to hear...Glad you like it.

I think we will be saying this for the 5030FD as well..

Chris

HuskerHarley
12-24-08, 11:34 AM
So, do you work for Pioneer...;)

Great bit of information you just laid on us ( still trying to decide folks)..

HH

creemail
12-24-08, 11:52 AM
when will the 5030 be available?

Just speculation...;)

Chris

daltonlanny
12-24-08, 11:53 AM
Nope, I do not work for Pioneer...LOL!
As I said I went into the search for a flat panel with absolutely no bias toward any brand or technology. I came EXTREMELY close to getting a Samsung LN-52A650 LCD, until I tried one out in my home. It impressed me more than any display at Circuit City or Best Buy by a WIDE margin.
I am glad I tried one out in my home, or I would have had severe buyers remorse.
I do not post much on AVS, but, I was just so impressed with my 5020 that I could not contain my enthusiasm.
I was not that impressed with it straight out of the box.

ChicagoPhil
12-24-08, 02:31 PM
Thanks for posting your impressions. Regarding your comment about being somewhat "less than impressed" with the tv out of the box, is this just relative to what you were expecting based on reviews here? How far into the 250 hrs did you start to see noticeable improvements? Did you use the solid color images via usb drive or dvd for break-in, or just watch programming?


I just ordered a 5020 this week that I will hopefully be enjoying next week (how dare freight carriers take long holiday breaks! how many days should it take from a distribution center in Ohio to IL? lol)

I too am replacing a 36" Sony Wega (though just SD). I must say that the current SD cable feed of network shows in 16:9 format (say L&O) actually looks pretty good on my set, though I have noticed the "bloom" of white text on black backgrounds more lately since I've been frequenting these forums... I really can't wait to see all these shows in HD, let alone movies on Blu Ray.

I had been waiting to upgrade to HD until I was comfortable with the maturity of current display technology to the point that I didn't think I would have buyer's remorse shortly thereafter, as well as having sufficient HD programming available via cable.

The non-elite 9G Kuro seems to be that technology plateau I was waiting for (near absolute blacks, great video processing with support of 24fps film w/o flicker, and fantastic, though not "measurably perfect," color). While I'm sure advancements will continue to be made, the diminishing returns are less of a concern to me (don't care about panel thickness, which seems to be the next big advance, and how much lower can black levels get?)

The current street pricing that allowed me to pick up the 5020 for not a whole lot more than I spent on the 36" Sony eight or so years ago gave comfort of a price/performance plateau as well. I don't believe an Elite will drop to such a price point for quite some time, if ever, so no point waiting even longer, given that almost every channel I watch with any regularity has recently become available in HD through my cable provider.

I look forward to posting impressions of my new set when it arrives.

Cheers,
Phil

daltonlanny
12-24-08, 06:29 PM
Thanks for posting your impressions. Regarding your comment about being somewhat "less than impressed" with the tv out of the box, is this just relative to what you were expecting based on reviews here? How far into the 250 hrs did you start to see noticeable improvements? Did you use the solid color images via usb drive or dvd for break-in, or just watch programming?


I just ordered a 5020 this week that I will hopefully be enjoying next week (how dare freight carriers take long holiday breaks! how many days should it take from a distribution center in Ohio to IL? lol)

I too am replacing a 36" Sony Wega (though just SD). I must say that the current SD cable feed of network shows in 16:9 format (say L&O) actually looks pretty good on my set, though I have noticed the "bloom" of white text on black backgrounds more lately since I've been frequenting these forums... I really can't wait to see all these shows in HD, let alone movies on Blu Ray.

I had been waiting to upgrade to HD until I was comfortable with the maturity of current display technology to the point that I didn't think I would have buyer's remorse shortly thereafter, as well as having sufficient HD programming available via cable.

The non-elite 9G Kuro seems to be that technology plateau I was waiting for (near absolute blacks, great video processing with support of 24fps film w/o flicker, and fantastic, though not "measurably perfect," color). While I'm sure advancements will continue to be made, the diminishing returns are less of a concern to me (don't care about panel thickness, which seems to be the next big advance, and how much lower can black levels get?)

The current street pricing that allowed me to pick up the 5020 for not a whole lot more than I spent on the 36" Sony eight or so years ago gave comfort of a price/performance plateau as well. I don't believe an Elite will drop to such a price point for quite some time, if ever, so no point waiting even longer, given that almost every channel I watch with any regularity has recently become available in HD through my cable provider.

I look forward to posting impressions of my new set when it arrives.

Cheers,
Phil

Hi Phil,
Please do post your impressions.
Well I do guess that my expectations were a little too high from everything that I read.
I just turned the TV to Discovery HD Theater, used the D-Nice break-in settings, and let the tv run virtually straight for almost 10 days on HD Theater.
The picture started improving after about 175 hours, and still seems to be slightly improving. I now have about 300 hrs. hours on it.
I accidently left it on one of my video games in pause mode for 24 hours with the static images on it the other day. OOPS! But guess what...There was NO IMAGE RETENTION OR BURN-IN!
The blacks are simply outstanding.
The only time that I can tell that they are not perfect is on a totally black screen in a totally dark room. There is a very faint glow to the screen in this situation. On regular programming or movies it is virtually NON-EXISTANT.
On the Samsung plasmas, LCD's, the Panasonic and LG plasmas, the faint glow can be seen during dark scenes in actual program material and movies, although it is very faint on the Panasonic plasma.
Only my CRT is blacker, but again, blooming in dark areas near bright scenes can be very annoying on the CRT.
Again, IMHO, the Kuro is superior to my Sony HD CRT in such areas as brightness, detail resolution, clarity, shadow detail, etc., and has a much bigger and involving image.
I never dreamed that a flat panel tv could equal or even surpass, my 3 year old Sony CRT HDTV in most all areas, but my Pioneer 5020 does.
I was initially worried about it...but no more.
I am very surprised indeed and very happy!

nunzp
01-26-09, 03:12 PM
Hi all,

does anyone have any setup settings for break in hours
for a pioneer 5020fd..thanks

RandyWalters
01-26-09, 03:16 PM
Hi all,

does anyone have any setup settings for break in hours
for a pioneer 5020fd..thanksThey're posted in the Owners thread.

cubbiechris
01-26-09, 03:19 PM
I'm surprised that "out of the box" it didn't impress you? I was blown away as soon as I turned it on.

nunzp
01-26-09, 04:02 PM
Sorry i meant the tuning setup for color,contrast, for the break in hours.thanks for any info.

jpgearjammer
01-26-11, 03:33 AM
What would be a good price for a used 5020 ???

vinnie97
01-26-11, 04:06 AM
depends how used...I wouldn't pay more than a grand.

jpgearjammer
01-26-11, 04:18 AM
2 years old, 1" minor scratch on the screen that can only been seen about a foot away when it's turned off.
Picture looks great. Claims it is a one owner.

vinnie97
01-26-11, 04:23 AM
Yea, by how used I meant # of hours. ;) If no more than 5000 hours, I'd go no higher than $950 with the scratch.

jpgearjammer
02-07-11, 10:34 PM
Picked it up for 1k
The scratch can only be seen from about a foot away and even then you have to have a light right up to the screen. Even in the daylight you can not see the scratch. As well no trace when turned on even if you get with in a foot of it. Picture is great like everyone says. And the blacks are very close to my 34XBR960:D