I know - all over the place - lemme esplain a little:

Was sold on lcd as the way to go because the room has a large number of windows to one side and I was worried about reflections in plasma. Also - I've seen a lot of bad burned in plasmas (though admittedly they were older models - I take it that's not an issue with a little care).

Then, I read a review of the Kuros. I had to go see one in person to see if they were that good. No doubt, they're incredibly impressive TVs. The anti glare coating worked pretty good in the store as well. We're installing lighting, in the room, so I can custom avoid anything that would produce a reflection. While I watch some TV on the weekends during the day - 90% of my TV viewing is at night - so I began to think that the window glare might not be an issue after all.

Then to go back and look at the XBR4 - well, it just wasn't the same after that.

So all of a sudden plasma is back in the picture. But that price tag - ouch! Might have to put it off a few more months, see if the price comes down, and save up a few more bucks - oh well, I've waited this long. . .I know I can get the 1080i version for a bunch less - but I want a TV to take full advantage of all of today's technology including the best resolution (I'm fully aware that the differences will be subtle - but it'd bother me knowing there's a higher resolution available - especially in a year or two when everything will be 1080p (ce that is, not content).

Then, as I was walking out the store, Panny had a mobile display with all of their HD products including that 103" display. . .well, I had to see that for kicks. Anything, get to talking with the rep and he shows me the the 50PZ750. While not as slick a looking tv as the Elite or the XBR - it was nice enough. The picture was fully impressive (but didn't blow me away like the Pioneer). But it has this snazzy feature that will make the wife truly happy with the ability to easily display high definition photos and art through Gallery Player. I'm sure I can do something similar with the other TVs - but Panny has it down as a great easy to do feature.

So there it is, what was once a matter of timing has become the battle of the best. . .Any thoughts on the matter are welcome.

You've compared them with your own eyes and are making a decision
that is good for you and your wife. My opinion is you are really looking
at some of the best plasmas and lcds out there, and you would likely
be happy with any of those. Once it's on the wall and you're enjoying
HD content, you certainly won't be worrying about LCD vs. plasma.
Regarding "waiting", there are rumors the pios will drop substantially
this year, so spending less now is a good idea. Get the largest TV that
you liked playing content you are most likely to view and enjoy.

You've compared them with your own eyes and are making a decision
that is good for you and your wife. My opinion is you are really looking
at some of the best plasmas and lcds out there, and you would likely
be happy with any of those. Once it's on the wall and you're enjoying
HD content, you certainly won't be worrying about LCD vs. plasma.
Regarding "waiting", there are rumors the pios will drop substantially
this year, so spending less now is a good idea. Get the largest TV that
you liked playing content you are most likely to view and enjoy.

Very well said! Let your eyes be the judge!

10th St: I'm down to choosing between the XBR4 (52") and the Kuro 1080p 50", so I'm doing similar comparisons to you. I'd never have considered LCD before, but now that the black levels have improved so much on the Sony (among other picture improvements), I'm seriously checking out the picture.

One other point -- which may not matter to many people, but matters to me -- is the aesthetic of the set itself. I absolutely hate the shiny black plastic that every new plasma is encased in. The Sony floating glass design is pretty much the only alternative in the new world of "piano black".

I too have checked out the XBR4 and the Pioneer Elite. The XBR4 seems to be brighter. maybe the Pioneer has to be adjusted to be comparable.
Does anyone know if this is the case?

I too have checked out the XBR4 and the Pioneer Elite. The XBR4 seems to be brighter. maybe the Pioneer has to be adjusted to be comparable.
Does anyone know if this is the case?

LCD's are usually brighter as a whole. Also the brightness or backlight is turned all the way up in the store from factory settings.

Thanks. It just seemed that the Elite was kinda dark. Maybe it is just the settings on it and as you said the XBR4 too bright. I wish I can see how the Elite will look in my room to be sure! :)

To the OP. Both of the TV's that you are looking at are fantastic TV and are certainly two of the top choices right now. Tough call since they are around the same price. The Panasonic is a good bang for the buck TV, but it doesn't compare to the Pioneer in my opinion. The blacks on the Pioneer are so much better compared to the Panasonic. Night and day difference to my eyes (when compared right next to each other). I also notice double images on the Panasonic at wider viewing angles, not on the Pioneer though. There is a significant price difference and it is your money so you have to justify it to yourself that the Sony or Pioneer is x amount of dollars better.

Thanks. It just seemed that the Elite was kinda dark. Maybe it is just the settings on it and as you said the XBR4 too bright. I wish I can see how the Elite will look in my room to be sure! :)

The Pioneer will look better in a darker environment as will most plasmas. As far as seeing what it looks like in your room, most dealers or retailers will have a return policy within 30 days. If you don't like if, return it.

The only real question you need to ask yourself is this:

If I ever have guests over and any of them are viewing any of the sets from an angle would I want to be one of those guests?

Plasma wins--case closed!

The next thing you need to do is just view any horror film that has dark scenes in the movie at home with most of the lights out--I mean isn't that the way you'd want to watch a horror film?

The blacks of the Kuro will put the washed out grays of the Panasonic down the toilet!

This isn't rocket science people. Kuros really are better!

And I own a Panasonic--when I bought it Kuro didn't exist--but I've got eyes and can tell it's superior now.

If something is better tomorrow I'll be the first one to tell you about it.

If you don't buy a Kuro you're just trying to decide what looks less inferior.

The only real question you need to ask yourself is this:

If I ever have guests over and any of them are viewing any of the sets from an angle would I want to be one of those guests?

Plasma wins--case closed!

The next thing you need to do is just view any horror film that has dark scenes in the movie at home with most of the lights out--I mean isn't that the way you'd want to watch a horror film?

The blacks of the Kuro will put the washed out grays of the Panasonic down the toilet!

This isn't rocket science people. Kuros really are better!

And I own a Panasonic--when I bought it Kuro didn't exist--but I've got eyes and can tell it's superior now.

If something is better tomorrow I'll be the first one to tell you about it.

If you don't buy a Kuro you're just trying to decide what looks less inferior.

If he does buy a Bravia, he won't have a Kuro right next to it to see how much better the black levels could be. The Bravia black levels are already great, and I do'nt think that he has had an Elite kuro before, so he won't ever think about how worse his black levels are because they are already a huge step ahead of his current TV(maybe not for CRT's black levels, but the PQ overall is great).

I am in the same boat on the 57"/60" and I would also add the new Samsung LED series to the list
I like brightness and sharpness of LCD and my room has big windows that could be a factor. I also can't stand motion blur, artifacts and plasma should be better in this aspect.
Another factor that confuses me is the 1080p handling. I believe I read the Panasonic does not accept 1080p signal. I will have a HD-DVD a Bluray and a XBox360 hooked up.

I returned an XBR2, and i dont miss it or the brightness, they are TOO bright, and once you tone down the brightness (in my case it made my eyes sting during gaming sessions where i had to focus and keep them open, and really hurt while watching stuff in the dark with those crisp whites) it just gets sad.

My thoughts are once you get it home and put the brightness correctly you may not notice much of a difference, i mean, do you really think that a Pioneer at max brightness still couldnt mean an LCD that has its brightness at a realistic level?

Either way though, i got very turned off of LCD when i could barely survive an hour or two long gaming sessions without my eyes getting stung something fierce (something that usually wouldnt happen on a phosphor based CRT nearly as quickly, which emits light similar to Plasmas i beleive).