Hi, a little advice would be much appreciated....I am absolutely brand new to the HD world. I was originally going to get a Panasonic, but have been able to get a killer deal on either the 1140 or 5070 (Panasonic to 5070 to 1140 within 10% of each other) and am wondering if the premium over panasonic is worth it, and that being said, if the jump to the 1140 from the 5070 is worth it. I am really just a TV watcher (sports, movies and history channel 90% of the time.) But want the best picture, and the most longevity technology wise.

Any advice on whether the step up is worth the added expense would be really great. Thanks

I'm doing a similar comparison.

There is a thread that goes into detail about a problem on the Pioneers. The title of the thread:

Official Pioneer 5070/71 Flashing Blue Light Shut-Down Thread

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=764225

They are all good HD sets, but it sounds like you plan to watch a lot of SD. If so, the internal processing will make a difference, and, as cliched as it may sound, in this case it is true that you will get what you pay for. Each model is a step up in video processing from the one that precedes it.

I'm a very happy Panasonic owner, but I'd get the Elite in a heartbeat for "only" a 20% premium (it's usually more). To my eye, it's the best currently available. Even Consumer Reports, which has a tendency to downgrade premium priced gear, ranks the 1140 at the top of it's class. On the other hand, some people say they can't see much difference between the 5070 and 1140, so you should look at them both to see if you can. Try looking at SD, if the store will let you.

The Elite also offers many adjustments not available on other sets, which help users get the best picture. This may not be of interest to you, but it is part of the reason it commands a premium price. It has a 24 month warranty, too. (Most brands offer 12.)

As I said, though, they are all good choices, so go with where your comfort level leads you. You are not going to make a huge mistake with any of them.

Thanks for the input! I am going tomorrow to see the sets in SD and make a final decision. I'll post back with which I went with and initial impressions. Thanks again

or wait a couple weeks and get a 5080. although the street price probably will stay high for awile.

or wait a couple weeks and get a 5080. although the street price probably will stay high for awile.

I'm hoping that the prescence of the 5080 on the market pushes down the pricing of the 7th gen Pio's as well as the new Panny's & Samsung's.

It probably won't have too great of an impact given that Pioneer only holds about 8% market share, but along with a lot of the newer 1080p models coming to market, prices for name-brand 720p plasmas are destined to keep falling.

Thanks for the input! I am going tomorrow to see the sets in SD and make a final decision. I'll post back with which I went with and initial impressions.One thing that i can't stand about the Pioneer is that the black sidebars on 4:3 content will be either gray or a black&white duplicate of the show that you're watching - you cannot make the bars black. When i watch SD on my Panny i like to set it so the bars are black but the Pioneer doesn't give you this ability and would pretty much be a deal-breaker for me. But i'm picky about how i watch my 4:3 content (mostly Speedchannel).

But the Pioneer's WIDE mode is a better non-linear stretch than Panasonic's rediculous JUST mode, and the Pioneer's CINEMA mode is also very good even though it clips a little off the top and bottom of the image. The Panasonic's JUST mode is almost the same as FULL mode, it's not very non-linear in the center.

I agree on all counts, Randy, except the black/gray bar issue wouldn't be a deal breaker for me, since -- unlike my Panasonic -- Pioneer actually has a couple of usable stretch modes, and I have a couple of workarounds I might be able to employ if need be. I do think Pioneer should include the black option, but to me the Elites are still the best overall sets on the market today, even if less than perfect.

If cost isn't a concern, it would be worth waiting for the new Pioneers as dssturbo1 suggested, but their street prices are likely to be well above the Panasonics, putting them in a different category than PeteRose was discussing.

Does anyone have any info on which of these sets has the least gaming lag? I'm looking at the 4270 and the PX75/77 myself, and though I prefer the Pio's picture from what I've seen, I've heard that the Panasonic's are a bit faster for things like gaming and avoiding lip sync issues.

I don't own Guitar Hero 2 unfortunately, so I can't just drag that to BB and test them directly... Thanks for any info!

Ok....
I figured for marginal jump in price, and what it sounds like from everyone (except for the gray lines on the side) the Elite Pro1140HD was the way to go. Not sure if we are allowed to post price on the forum, but it was under 2500.00. Just got it home and set up with Comcast HD. Looks great out of the box.... have you guys gotten your sets calibrated, I know there are D-Nice settings out there.... are there real advantages to calibration (processing, SD enhancements) or is it personal preference?

Thanks for the input! Big help in making my decision!

Wow! Great deal! (Sign me up! ;) )

Anyway, calibration is a matter of personal preference, although I think most people here believe it was worth their effort to get a calibration disc and adjust their specific set to its environment. I use DVE (Digital Video Essentials), others prefer Avia which reputedly is easier to use. DVE can be had for under $20, Avia is generally around $30. Good investment, IMO.

On the other hand, the factory presets seem to be underrated around here. (Out of the box, most sets are set on an overly bright mode, designed to attract attention on the showroom floor. Panasonic calls it Vivid, I think Dynamic is Pioneer's term. In any case, I'm not talking about that, but rather the less bright, standard and cinema/movie settings, which are designed for home use.) The engineers designed the factory settings to give a generally pleasing viewing experience to a wide variety of people.

The only "problem" is that it's "pleasing" which is not the same as "accurate." A calibration disc will have you achieve something closer to "accurate." Accurate means trying to reproduce what the director and video engineer had in mind when they produced the program material and viewed it on a calibrated studio monitor. That is what most of us here want to achieve, but it remains an individual preference. People on this forum are more demanding than most. I suspect 90% of all plasma owners are content with the factory presets, and Elite's "Pure" preset is much more accurate than most.

ISF Professional calibration is even better, but that service is expensive. The Elites are designed to take maximum advantage of it, though. I've never had my Panasonic professionally calibrated, but if I had an Elite I'd seriously consider it.

Thanks MacFan. I am going to give one of the DVDs you mentioned a shot. Figure I can always go back to the setting I have am using now(Standard). Looks like this panel has "tweakability" for true videophiles, so maybe as I get more sophisticated, I will evolve into being able to take advantage (I hope). Again appreciate the input.

Ok....
I figured for marginal jump in price, and what it sounds like from everyone (except for the gray lines on the side) the Elite Pro1140HD was the way to go. Not sure if we are allowed to post price on the forum, but it was under 2500.00. Just got it home and set up with Comcast HD. Looks great out of the box.... have you guys gotten your sets calibrated, I know there are D-Nice settings out there.... are there real advantages to calibration (processing, SD enhancements) or is it personal preference?

Thanks for the input! Big help in making my decision!
Wow great deal, I am in the market for one, it would be helpful to know where I can get such good price.

Thanks in advance.

-E

Hi....for a few of you who have asked. I was able to get Tweeter (in Delaware) to match the Pro1140 price to Best Buy's sale price for the PDP5071 (Tweeter doesn't carry 5070/1). I believe the new models are coming out soon, so they may have been trying to clear out some inventory. Either way, love the TV (although I don't know how to use much of the functionality)