Finally got a Kuro!

I'd been dreaming of getting a Pioneer Kuro plasma since early Springtime. Here in Canada, they were quite pricey. The PDP 4280 retailed for $2800 at Best Buy locally.
I would watch the weekly sales and almost bit at $2000 last May, but with the extended warranty, an extra $500, it was too pricey.
Well, yesterday I was at East Hamilton Radio, in Southern Ontario, and spotted 2 Kuro demo models on sale. The 4280 for $1300 and the 5080 for $1800. No where else could I find these sets locally. Long gone.
I went back today and got the 4280. $1300 plus $300 to extend the warranty to five years. I'm watching it right now in Cinema mode. Watching the blu-ray version of Pursuit of Happyness.
I'm very happy with the picture. Black levels are better than I antcipated.
My main tv has been the Sony 34HS420. Nice tube set but really not big enough or high resolution enough for watching hi def movies.
I've finally joined the Kuro club and I am STOKED!
Thanks to all the AVS members who have posted a plethora of info. It was due to many hours of reading out here, that I decided to buy the Kuro, not just the good price!

To be honest I really don't know how many hours are on it. The guy told me it was hooked up for about 6 months. The set was manufactured in Dec.07. I could discern no dead pixels or burn-in or image retention.
I have watched one blu-ray film and right now I'm watching a standard dvd- Disturbing Behavior.
Picture really seems stellar. One thing is the manual... it's a bit confusing. I tried to put the set in Pure Cinema Mode and select Advance to view 24 frames per second movies. NO luck. The setting defaults to OFF and the other settings are blanked out. I tried switching my Sony blu-ray to 1080p and 24 frame output, still no dice.
Whoops! 2/3rds of the way through the second movie, I noticed some burn-in or image retention(hopefully) in the lower right corner. Tv show logo. They had the set on vivid.
To be sure, I put the set in 4:3 mode and sure enough, you could see the shadow of a logo in the gray side bar clearly.
Shame I didn't notice this in the store, I might have negotiated a better deal.
I'm still thrilled with the set. Hopefully, as I won't be keeping the set tuned to a tv station all the time, it might fade after awhile.

Unfortunately, the 80 series has not been available in my area for many months now...
I'll see what I can do tomorrow when I complain to the salesman who sold me this set.
I know one thing for sure...having seen a Kuro I can't go back to what I had been watching.

Okay, I ran the Video Pattern sweep twice. So that's 2 full hours. The logo ghost is alive and well. So, it's definitely burn-in.
Here's my dilema. Otherwise the set is perfect. I don't realistically expect to be able to find a new 42" Kuro anywhere within a reasonable driving distance. Plus, by very local standards at least, I got the set cheap.
I don't really want another size as I'll only be sitting 8 feet from the set. 42" is fine for me.
What would you guys do? Get used to the little logo ghost that you can only see sometimes, or return the set?
I'm kind of torn which way to go...

No Futureshops or Best Buys in my local area, Niagara Falls/St.Catharines, have any 80 series Kuro's and haven't had any 42" models since the summer. I should have bit at $2000 last May.
I'm going to call the store right now to complain. Problem is, this isn't a big box store. They have a very strict policy of 30 days RETURN only. They never give cash refunds.
I'll see how it goes.
Thanks for the replies!

I'm going to return it this weekend. I just got off the phone with the salesman. It's actually shocking how uninformed he is.
His first response was "Plasma tvs can't get burn-in anymore." He tried to tell me they kept the tv with the Orbiter mode turned on. I told him when I went into the Options menu to turn on the Video Pattern... Orbiter was turned off!
Then he said, "well we are just clearing these out at below wholesale you know!"
Finally he said that the tv should clear itself up after 48 hours of use. The burn-in will "fill in." If it doesn't I can bring the set back for a refund.I went through the whole torch-mode/static image spiel but he wasn't having any of it.
I'll take it back Saturday. He has no new 42" Kuro's.
At least I can say I've seen the Kuro in action and I know it's the display for me! Aside from this major pain in my ass, it's been a good experience.
Now I've got to do some searching and see if there are any new 42" Kuro's in the surrounding areas. I'll start doing some phone calling...

I'm having no luck in finding a new 42" Kuro anywhere locally. I called Futureshop in a city about 50 miles from me and the guy laughed, saying they were cleared out 4 months ago.
From what I hear Pioneer has no plans for another 42" model. I can't afford their 50" 1080p sets as they cost $4000 in my immediate area.
I'm thinking now of getting the top 42" Panasonic. They have that set for $1800, new, at East Hamilton Radio. It did look good in the store, but you could see the blacks were a shade or two lighter on the Panasonic.
For a 42" size, which is what I would like and can afford, it's either keep the burned plasma or return it for the Panny 800 model.
It pains me to give up on this set, but everyone agrees it's a bad deal.
I do notice when watching a 2.35:1 film, the logo ghost is hidden by the lower black bar and you'd never know that the set has burn-in. Maybe I should use it strictly as a display vehicle for 2.35:1 films? LOL!
Do you guys think the top 42" Panny would be a good or at least a close substitute for black levels?

Unfortunately, there are NO 50 series, or 8 gen Pioneers locally. East Hamilton Radio does have a 5080, but it's a demo model just like the one I have. Set to Vivid and blasting away the Oasis HD channel all day long.
I'm sure it will have the same burn-in logo that mine has.
For me to get a Pioneer it will have to be the new 5020 series and they are charging a small fortune here in Southern Ontario Canada. The hotbed of high prices for North America in general.
Also, from what I've read the 5020 has lost some of the versatility of the 5080, in regards to gamma control. I like to be able to match gamma to my various dvd players.
I guess I should just take it back and get the refund and call it a day. I really want another Pioneer. Settling for the Panasonic would be as bad, in a completely different way, as settling for the burn-in, I guess.

Well, I got a tip on a store that does have a few 5080's. They are clearing them out at $1999 which is still good by Canadian standards.
He mentioned that these are not NIB but recent out-of-the-box demos. I told him about my issues. He told me to try leaving video snow running on the set overnight to see if that helps.
Unfortunately, I hooked some rabbit ears to the set and it just goes to a blue screen! So, I hooked up a vcr. Blue screen. Hooked the rabbit ears to the vcr and I find I can only get a somewhat snowy channel and hold the signal. Once it's too snowy, the vcr itself kicks in a blue screen.
I'll see how the "somewhat" snowy channel does. I'll leave like this for a day or so. I zoomed the picture to remove the logo of course.
I have another line on a demo 4280 in a nearby city. Problem is the guy wants $2000 for an "Out of the Door" deal. As is, out of the door, no return.
I'm going to go there now and bring my receipt for the $1300 tv with me. If the set is perfect with no burn-in, I'll see if I can get him to budge.
In the meantime, does anyone know how to bypass the Pioneer's blu-screen and display pure video snow on the screen??

I've actually got 30 days to return this set. It was a pain in my little Honda to handle this so, two Saturdays from now, my friend with a van is going to help me out. I'll wrap everything up then. The return, and hopefully another tv the same day.
I got into the service menu and the set has been plugged in for 6123 hours and has been on for 2170 hours. That works out to 8.5 hours per day, for 8.5 months, in the Vivid mode with the Orbiter off.
I have it set to Cinema now, watching the blu-ray version of Dark City. The ghost logo isn't visible in the lower black bar. The picture quality is amazing. Clear, no noise, and great black levels.
I'll just have to be patient and watch the weekly sales. Maybe a miracle will happen and Futureshop will drop the 5020 from $4000 to $2500! LOL