Buying a new house and I have a choice between the Panasonic 50-600U or the Pioneer 5071. Consumer reports rates the Panny hands down over the Pioneer, but CNET swears by the Pio and didnt rate the Panny.

From overall volume and thread count, looks like more people OWN the Panny, but the forum users all seem to say the Pio is better.

Any guidance? Is the Pio really better overall? Can you see a difference?

I've tried to compare them in the stores, but normally one is really bad and the other is hooked up to HD. Just dont know but really need an answer!!!

Help!!!

either are good choices for a plasma. most here would probably give the edge to the pioneer for picture quality.
you can find some great deals on the 5070 from some of the forum sponsors like plasma concepts, visual apex and invision displays just click on their links at the top of the page, probably save you $600++ over best buy model 5071.

Go with the Pioneer, I did, and have absolutely no regrets.

Those were my two end choices as well. I went with the pioneer and have not regretted it for one second. AWESOME set.

Also, there's no shame in taking the syling into consideration, and for my money the Pio is way prettier.

Also, there's no shame in taking the syling into consideration, and for my money the Pio is way prettier.


I agree; on styling alone the Pioneer beats the Panny. We have the Pio 5071 and the 42" Panny. Both are great sets but the Pioneer is the clear winner IMO. Worth the extra money at the end of the day.

FYI, with a little effort you can talk BB down quite a bit on the 5071 and it gets pretty close in price to those selling on the net. There are pros and cons to going with brick and mortar like BB or through one of the forum sponsors. For ease of pickup and if necessary, return with a 30 day no questions asked policy, I like going local if the price gets close enough...especially on big ticket $ items.

I would pick the Pioneer, but that comes from personal preference rather than technical specs - I've spent time standing in front of them and figuring out which one I liked better.

Awesome! I finally saw a head to head comparison tonight and the Pioneer won hands down on image quality, especially SD. Combine that with the styling and I think I have a clear winner.

A Pioneer it is for me!

Awesome! I finally saw a head to head comparison tonight and the Pioneer won hands down on image quality, especially SD. Combine that with the styling and I think I have a clear winner.

A Pioneer it is for me!

where did you do this(store or home)? were they both calibrated? i only ask because i have been to 6 different stores and i have yet to see good pq for the panny. i'm not sure why but the 5070/1 always looks good. this supports your findings, but i just wonder why i can't find a store with a decent feed or settings on their panny's?

where did you do this(store or home)? were they both calibrated? i only ask because i have been to 6 different stores and i have yet to see good pq for the panny. i'm not sure why but the 5070/1 always looks good. this supports your findings, but i just wonder why i can't find a store with a decent feed or settings on their panny's?The PX60U is shipped from the factory in VIVID Mode and the stores typically just hang the TV and leave it in Vivid mode. Vivid on last year's PX50U/500U didn't look that bad ( i use it on one of my inputs ) but on the newer PX60U/600U the Vivid mode makes the image look like crap. Definitely worse than last years model. The Magnolia/BB stores near me have their Pannys set up in STANDARD mode and they look great, almost as good as the Pioneers nearby. If you weren't able to see them practically side by side, most people probably wouldn't realize that the Pioneer looks a tad better - the Panasonic is that close.

I would also go with the Pioneer, although I think the Panasonics have a very good picture. I have two older Pioneers, and I have been very happy with them. As soon as the new models come out, I will be upgrading my oldest plasma to a larger Pioneer..