Help me replace my Kuro............

Better isn't available, though comparable has possibly been reached depending on whom you ask. Small correction to your second sentence: "Panny" didn't make the Kuro.

I'm sure you knew betta'. Long live Pioneer for their innovations over the years (though I think like many Japanese consumer tech companies, they are on the rocks)!

VT50 or the Sharp Elite 80" are looking to be the best performers in 2012 so far.

From what I could read, the Sharp ELITE does better than the Kuro.

Deeper black levels when viewing the picture dead-on, yes, but still not completely free of LED/LCD artifacts (blooming, some slight PQ degradation on off-angle viewing), and that pesky color coding issue. None of that would be acceptable to me as a Kuro owner...OLED or bust is how I'm feeling.

Some Panasonic sets perform pretty well, however I doubt at the same level as your Kuro. So you might be deceived on some aspects.

Or you might just hang on, save money, and wait until OLED pops up later this year.

Which KURO do you have?

Which puts you at even more of a disadvantage in the market for new sets, since that's the best Kuro ever.

I'd ask what PQ inferiorities/blemishes do you suppose you'll actually be able to call out when it's just the VGT50 in your living room?

Not to say that there are not indeed shortcomings of the VT50 compared to the Kuro, just which one(s) will stand out?

Black levels perhaps in the darkest scenes?

I'm sure others could point out glaring differences between the two, lol, but my bet is you're gonna be pretty damn happy with your new 65" set and be hard-pressed to (discern remotely sig differences) without a side-by-side going on.

Your friendly Kuro owner,

James

The Kuro is not calibrated, I got it for a steal 3 years ago when they were blowing them out down the street.

In fact, I'll probably sell it before the year is out.

You should have just asked what plasma is better than the Kuro.

You're in a situation where something has to be sacrifised - If we are comparing your Kuro against a Panasonic 65VT50, it would be pretty much like this:

For Panasonic:
- a tad sharper picture, increased sense of depth and generally less noticeable PWM/Panel noise. (Different drive method)

Against Panasonic
- black level is higher than on Kuro, so the contrast ratio (in a dark room) is lower.
- More PWM/Panel noise in the darkest shades (Different drive method)
- Grayscale tracking is little weaker, not necessarily by much, but still
- You may notice flickering

I do not have much first hand experience with a KRP-series Kuro, but I just sold my non-KRP 9G Kuro because I actually prefer the new Panasonics. The listing above is based on my own observations and also some other reviews online.

you do know there is another thread on this site called flat panel shootout which occurred saturday and several experts weighed in with their opinions?

the panny vt50 was found to be the best by the participating experts so if i were in the market for a set, i'd probably follow their recommendations.

Here's what D-Nice said.

"MLL, grayscale tracking, dynamic range (Contrast). The VT50 has reached a level where it is very satisfying. However, it is still not the equal of the 2nd Gen Kuro... on paper and with real world content."

If you trust what D-Nice said, the VT50 is not really much of upgrade of your Kuro, if it is at all.

PDP technology remains stagnant since 2008 when Pioneer left the market.

no argument here as i own a kuro. but he wants to replace his kuro so based on the shootout.....

of course he can wait till fall when the 2 new oleds will be reviewed.

This thread is heartbreaking. I have a Pioneer Kuro KRP-500M and it is shockingly disappointing that no one has matched or beat it in picture quality yet. Not only that, but Pioneer Kuro's styling (the minimalistic glossy black frame) was absolutely perfect. It really was, all-around, the perfect TV/display.

As far as GT50 vs. VT50, if you have the money, the VT50 is a superior television, though obviously not by leaps and bounds. If I were spending 3K, i'd put the extra 600 dollars for the top of the line VT50, which has better design and picture quality. Though if you DO want to save some money, you can get the 65 inch ST50 for around 2300, which should have relatively the same picture quality as the GT50 for less money.