I've got a 43" Pio 4345 from Costco and am looking to upsize.

I was all set to go with the Pio 5070 - well reviewed, I already have and love a Pio, etc.

Then I see the Panny 50PX6U in Costco...for $1100 LESS than what seems to me to be the "equivalent" Pio.

Are these two the "flagship" 50-inchers from each company? And if so, why is the Panny being blown out by Costco, both in the store and online?

If you are seeing the Pioneer for $1100 more than the Panasonic, you aren't looking in the right places. Check out the forum sponsors -- Plasma Concepts and Invision Displays -- linked at the top right of this forum. The difference between is in the range of $300-$500 for the past two months.

That said, the Panasonic is being cleared out for well under $2k because it is being replaced with the 2007 model (TH-50PX75U) the week of March 12. The new TH-50PX75U has a MSRP of $2500; the known differences include a an all-black bezel (like the Pioneers) and updated firmware for its video processor. It will probably sell for $2k or less from the forum sponsors after the initial rush.

waltaz - Don't you already have a thread going? This makes it hard to answer you when you ask the same questions in several places.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9941059&&#post9941059

That said, the Panasonic is being cleared out for well under $2k because it is being replaced with the 2007 model (TH-50PX75U) the week of March 12. The new TH-50PX75U has a MSRP of $2500;

Where are you getting this info? I haven't seen anything on the Panasonic web page about it's new models as to pricing or availability.

waltaz - Don't you already have a thread going? This makes it hard to answer you when you ask the same questions in several places.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9941059&&#post9941059
I might as well answer this as the thread got bumped up.

My bad, sorry for opening this new thread. I just didn't want my question to get buried. I've got some good feedback and answers in that other thread and will let that one run with it, and this one die...

Thanks.

Where are you getting this info? I haven't seen anything on the Panasonic web page about it's new models as to pricing or availability.See the 2007 Panasonic thread for more information.

As of about a week ago, you can order the 75U from Best Buy at full MSRP of $2500 for delivery the week of March 12. On March 15, Panasonic officially announces pricing information and availability on the new models.

I've got a 43" Pio 4345 from Costco and am looking to upsize.

I was all set to go with the Pio 5070 - well reviewed, I already have and love a Pio, etc.

Then I see the Panny 50PX6U in Costco...for $1100 LESS than what seems to me to be the "equivalent" Pio.

Are these two the "flagship" 50-inchers from each company? And if so, why is the Panny being blown out by Costco, both in the store and online?


I was doing the same debate over the 5070 and 50PX60U, keep in mind that the "Panny PX6U" your talking about is pannys no frills model only available at your depot stores like costco. Picture wise the 6U is the same as 60U however the 6U is minus some specific features like video card inputs and I also belive the internal speakers are cheaper in the 6U. The bottom line is I went with the 60U over the 5070, and saved close to $1,000 bucks about 5 months ago. The 5070 is a very nice panel, but the quality is just not $1000, or even $500 more than the Panny. IMO.

As stated above by bfdtv you can get the Pio 5070 for about $300 more than the Panny 60U. IMO it is worth the extra $ if for nothing else than just so I don't have to have a silver bezel for the next 15+ years.

As stated above by bfdtv you can get the Pio 5070 for about $300 more than the Panny 60U. IMO it is worth the extra $ if for nothing else than just so I don't have to have a silver bezel for the next 15+ years.


I can't help but point out again that the O.P. isn't even talking about the 60U, he's looking at the 6U at Costco, it's a striped down version of the 60U. I've checked their price on the web and I hope the O.P. understands that the web price for the "6U" is no deal to begin with. Anyone can very easily find the Panny 60U for the same or similar price Costco is selling the 6U.

I need some advice. Right now Plasma Concepts has the Pio 5070 for $195 more than the Panny 50PH9UK plus $225 shipping (shipping is free on the Panny plus a free 5 year extended warranty). I've read that these sets are comparable with varying features. I'm upgrading from a 42" 7th gen ED Panny plasma. Is the Pio worth the extra $420 plus whatever the comparable extended warranty would cost? Any opinions would be greatly appreciated.

The first thing I would note is that the your comparing a consumer model Pioneer v.s a commercial model panny. Many here belive that commercial models are generally better products than their consumer marketed counterparts. I really can't speak to that point having never owned a commercial panel, however I can say that most commercial units generally do not include many of the features that models sold to the general public do. Things like internal tuners and connectivity options are all things commonly withheld from commercial units to reduce cost. As far as which is a better panel, all I can really tell you is that both pioneer and Panny produce a quality product. I've purcased three plasmas over the last 5 or so years and each search has ended between a Pioneer or Panasinic. I never actualy went with a pioneer because the cost was always $500-$1000 more for comparable sets, and I just never found a difference between them that was worth the extra $$. In any case you really can't go wrong with either brand, but make sure you understand how the two compare feature for feature. Good luck.

As stated above by bfdtv you can get the Pio 5070 for about $300 more than the Panny 60U. IMO it is worth the extra $ if for nothing else than just so I don't have to have a silver bezel for the next 15+ years.

I have been looking at both the 60U & the 5070. Even with the Forum's sponsors aggressive pricing on the Pio, the difference between the two is over $700 as the Panasonic is dropping in price rapidly at many well known online vendors. Even though I prefer the Pio overall, it's hard to justify that kind of $ difference.:confused:

Haven't pulled the trigger yet - hoping that Pio starts dropping in price too as it gets closer to the new model release date.

I have been looking at both the 60U & the 5070. Even with the Forum's sponsors aggressive pricing on the Pio, the difference between the two is over $700 as the Panasonic is dropping in price rapidly at many well known online vendors. Even though I prefer the Pio overall, it's hard to justify that kind of $ difference.:confused:

Haven't pulled the trigger yet - hoping that Pio starts dropping in price too as it gets closer to the new model release date.

Where are you seeing this kind of pricing for the Panasonic as most are $500.00 or less differential and during my decision making the difference was worth it to me. Both sets are very nice but I just found the Pioneer more to my liking in both picture quality and looks. Good luck with your choice as you can't go wrong either way and it has to satisfy you in the end.

I can't help but point out again that the O.P. isn't even talking about the 60U, he's looking at the 6U at Costco, it's a striped down version of the 60U.You brought up the 60U. My reply was to point out that the difference in $ for the Pio has been narrowed to around $300 - and sometimes up to $500.

This is a reply I got in my other thread about the difference between the two...and why the Pio might be worth a bit more:
"IMO, they (new Panny models) are a catch up to the Pioneer models, as the Pioneer models have superior processing power compared to the 60u/600u models."

This is a reply I got in my other thread about the difference between the two...and why the Pio might be worth a bit more:
"IMO, they (new Panny models) are a catch up to the Pioneer models, as the Pioneer models have superior processing power compared to the 60u/600u models."Not to mention additional features that the Panasonics do not have.