I went to my local BB and was comparing the two and found the picture on the W3000 to be much brighter and more crisp. Is this indicative of the settings BB choses to run these two TVs at or is this the differnece between LCD and plasma?

I actually purchased the 5080, because of all the great things I've read about it on here and the reviews in the trade magazines, but now I'm having second thoughts. They were both priced the same and with the 12% coupon it got even better. I actually can't pick up the TV for a week because I'm going to Vegas ( I know poor me).

My living room has four windows, so it's relatively bright. My viewing distance is about 11'. I watch primarily HD cable, and mostly sports. Planning on purchasing a HD DVD or Blu-Ray sometime in the next 6 months. I have a Xbox 360 and a Wii (I know either set will make a difference with the Wii) and use them probably about 15% of my TV time. I currently have 52" rear projection and was looking for something that will obviously save space and produce better PQ.

Anyone have any opinions?

LCD looked brighter because it was brighter.. it was in torch mode. Your eyes are drawn in store to a bright picture. If you brought that LCD home and tried to watch it with the same brightness, you'd burn your retinas.

i prefer the plasma over the lcd. as do everyone else here. if you prefer the lcd, get it. for me, i do not like the grey background in dark scenes. i do not like the lcd white clouds and flashlights around the sides in a dark scene. i do not like the motion blur that can happens from time to time. i dont like how bad the sd content looks on it. (and you will be watching sd) but i do like how crisp it can look in a bright room.

i do not like the lcd white clouds and flashlights around the sides in a dark scene.
I have the Sony KDL-52W3000 and it doesn't have any clouding or flashlights. A few owners have reported having them with this set, but it is not the norm. "Torch" mode (Vivid) is the default setting for this TV and while it may look nice in the store, almost every owner finds it looks really terrible at home. I changed the settings using calibration numbers someone posted in a thread here and it looks 100% better.

I went through a very thorough decision process choosing a new TV. I already have a 37" LCD in the bedroom and was looking for a 50"+ for our living room. I was sure that I wanted a plasma, until I did more thinking about what my actual needs were.

Reasons why I wanted Plasma first:
- deep black levels
- vibrant colours
- wide viewing angle
- cheaper than flat panel LCD

Reasons why I changed my mind about Plasma:
- 50" was too small, 58" was too big--nothing in between
- potential reflections on screen (lots of lights in our great room/kitchen)
- going to connect Wii: possible burn-in risk (minimal, but don't want any risk)
- not as bright as LCD (lots of windows in the room)

Reasons why I finally chose flat-panel LCD:
- larger screen sizes available
- brighter screen than Plasma--good for daylight viewing
- less reflections on screen
- viewing angle very good
- many more 1080p models available to choose from
- no burn-in risk for Wii
- sale price cheaper than 1080p plasma

I don't know what to do....

I've been convinced through reviews that the Pioneer was superior but now I'm starting to think the Sony might be the way to go.

What to do, what to do....

I don't know what to do....

I've been convinced through reviews that the Pioneer was superior but now I'm starting to think the Sony might be the way to go.

What to do, what to do....

You already made the purchase. Just take the TV home and set it up. If you don't like the picture then take it back. You bought one of the most highly reviewed televisions around. Somehow, I doubt you'll be disappointed.

MellDog,
I bought the lcd you mention about 2 weeks ago. I bought it for the reason you mention..it seemed to be brighter than plasmas. I am wondering if I should have got a plasma. So far I only have rabbit ears connected and my signal is about 30% on a 100% scale when I go into diagnostics.

Anyway, when I watch football games in HD over the air broadcast, fast action seems to leave something to be desired. After doing a little more research, I find plasma overall is better for sports. When there is not much movement, the picture looks good.

I bought into the old wise tail that plasmas have burn in and burn out after a period of time. Not really true on todays models.

I will keep it, but definately having second thoughts. I will update when I get it connected to HD satellite, but I don't expect the slow response to improve.

Thanks for the thread.

I went to my local BB and was comparing the two and found the picture on the W3000 to be much brighter and more crisp. Is this indicative of the settings BB choses to run these two TVs at or is this the differnece between LCD and plasma?

I actually purchased the 5080, because of all the great things I've read about it on here and the reviews in the trade magazines, but now I'm having second thoughts. They were both priced the same and with the 12% coupon it got even better. I actually can't pick up the TV for a week because I'm going to Vegas ( I know poor me).

My living room has four windows, so it's relatively bright. My viewing distance is about 11'. I watch primarily HD cable, and mostly sports. Planning on purchasing a HD DVD or Blu-Ray sometime in the next 6 months. I have a Xbox 360 and a Wii (I know either set will make a difference with the Wii) and use them probably about 15% of my TV time. I currently have 52" rear projection and was looking for something that will obviously save space and produce better PQ.

Anyone have any opinions?
Today the Pio 5080's new pricing made me go take a look at it. I've followed these flat panel threads and pretty much know what I'm looking for.

I just can't take the dimness of plasmas. When I had my plasma a few years ago I used to try to brighten it up to make some movies acceptable. It doesn't bother me for everything but when I looked at the Pio today I just can't force myself to by any plasma. I know the Pio is in another plasma league over the rest of the contenders also.

I just prefer the LCD white level "POP"! The black level just doesn't draw me any closer to getting the Pio.