Kuro Kuestion!

[ForceMd]

O.K. I am confused now,

I have been doing research on a HDTV, and I think I want a Pioneer Kuro! This will be my first HDTV. I did attempt the HDTV plunge before (about two years ago) but was not satisfied. I wanted a decent sized 1080p HDTV with excellent picture quality at a decent price.(don't we all).

I did a ridiculous amount of research and learned that Plasma was the king of black levels, but at the time, there were not many available in full 1080p (the ones that were available were rediculously huge and expensive; minimum 60" at a price tag above $7000). On top of that were the constant talks about screen burn in. Also, the colors evidently were not as "rich" as comparable LCD TVs.

LCD TVs on the other hand were considered king in picture brightness and rich colors, and 1080p models were plentiful in almost any size from 60" down to 32" ranging in prices starting at $1500. LCDs however were horrendous at black levels.

(Oh, forgot to mention I was relying on internet sites such as this one and AVS at the time as I was stationed overseas and did not actually have the means to go out and view specific models on the showroom floor.)

Anyhow, with this knowledge and my $3000 budget (at the time) I decided that I had to compromise. Either I get a decent LCD and sacrifice the black levels, or I get a decent plasma and settle for 720p. Since I had just received my playstation 3 and was eager to see it in full HD glory, I opted for the first compromise and got a Sony XRB3 for about $4000 (yep, above my price range). I was disappointed with the Sony. Don't get me wrong, It was an excellent set with outstanding picture quality, but I just could not get over staring at the gray screen in my dark room before a movie started to play. I mean, this was a $4000 television and it is supposed to be THE BEST LCD on the market, but my old 37" standard def CRT looked better in a dark room. (albeit without the hidef picture). I took the Sony back and decided to wait for technology to improve/prices to come down.


I am headed back to the U.S. and am back in the market for an HDTV with a slightly bigger budget ($4000; so that probably means a $5000 set ). I know now I want a Kuro. I read lots of good things about the black levels AND picture quality (vibrant colors, brightness) of this set.

Oh, yeah, the Kuro Kuestion part. sorry for the rant, but here's my question. I am particularly interested in the new Kuro reviewed here;

http://www.trustedreviews.com/tvs/re...n-Plasma-TV/p1

but I can't seem to find it in any U.S. stores. and it is not on Pioneer's website. What is the U.S. model equivalent of this new generation Kuro?

I tried to find it on the U.S. panasonic site, but I don't know if the Kuros on the site are the new ones or if the new models aren't scheduled to ship to the U.S. until later (therefore the one's on the site would be the older one).