Getting Kuro fever

[BLindsay]

So i might be getting a nice little tax return + if we get that 2nd stimulus check im think of upgrading my Sam ln40a550 to a 50" kuro of the sorts. few questions though

Kuro's seem to be the plasma to get right? any others i should consider?

Is there really a $1000 difference (roughly) between the 50" and the 50" elite?

i heard the PC input is limited in resolution to something crappy (dont remember the exact but i remember hearting it wasnt 1920x1080), that true? but if my computer is hooked up via hdmi that wouldnt matter right

here is the big one, i use this as a computer monitor, is this gonna be an issue for a plasma, i spend ALOT of time using it as a monitor (if i had to i could keep my samsung for a computer monitor but it would be nice to have a 50" computer monitor

Any idea what actual power consumption is? my LCD draws about 150w (still living at home and my father throughs a fit about the electric bill as it is lol) and im guessing its gonna put out more heat (in the winter i like this


i like my sammy and all but i wanted something bigger and i rear ppl rave about these tvs

60" is out of my price range

[PreciseDisarray]

Kuro fever? I think I've got it! I dreamt last night that I bought a 52" Pioneer Kuro. Of course, it isn't made in that size, but it was a dream after all.

Not that that added anything helpful to your post, but I had to share that.

So I will say this: In my research and store viewings, I have consistently seen that $1000 price difference you speak of between the 50" elite plasma and the 50" pioneer plasma- $4500 and $3500, respectively.

[BLindsay]

Originally Posted by PreciseDisarray

Kuro fever? I think I've got it! I dreamt last night that I bought a 52" Pioneer Kuro. Of course, it isn't made in that size, but it was a dream after all.

Not that that added anything helpful to your post, but I had to share that.

So I will say this: In my research and store viewings, I have consistently seen that $1000 price difference you speak of between the 50" elite plasma and the 50" pioneer plasma- $4500 and $3500, respectively.

hmm i think my best buy has them on display (they got that fancy section of the store with all the uber expensive stuff lol) ill have to see if i can see the difference

if its truely worth it i can save a little longer if needed

[Bolaar]

I know plasmas use quite a bit more electricity then an LCD...though I don't have the numbers in front of me. I believe it is about twice on average for the same size.

The big question now is...

Is the current pricing going to continue or end after the superbowl?

$1950 for a 50" standard Kuro is a fantastic price. The Elite has been said to be $2800 or so at BB but no where else that I have seen.

So as you said...is it worth $800 more?

That would pay for some serious calibration, which should be much less, leaving you a good chunk for something else.


So...is a Kuro Elite better then a calibrated standard Kuro and $350 in your pocket, that is the question.

[dobyblue]

The difference in electricity is marginal at best in terms of dollars, around $30~$50 more per year.
The PDP-5020FD for $1950 is a steal, grab it while you can.

[BLindsay]

Originally Posted by dobyblue

The difference in electricity is marginal at best in terms of dollars, around $30~$50 more per year.
The PDP-5020FD for $1950 is a steal, grab it while you can.

anyone using this as a computer monitor? curious how it will fair having my task bar on it

i use it probably almost 8hrs a day

[The_Hun]

What a stupid idea if you ask me. Its like buying a Ferrari to drive around in a Parking lot. Don't waste your time abusing this display as a PC monitor seriously.

[LifeOfAPirate13]

Kuro fever is never a bad thing. Goodluck with the purchase after your returns!

[k.g.]

i would spend the money on getting your own place so you don't have to worry about your dad hounding you.

just my .02

[kpkelley]

Originally Posted by The_Hun

What a stupid idea if you ask me. Its like buying a Ferrari to drive around in a Parking lot. Don't waste your time abusing this display as a PC monitor seriously.

I have my media center pc connected to this monitor and it works just fine thanks.

OP, I don't spend a lot of time with any of the taskbars visible, either in a game or media center, so IR hasn't been an issue for me. So long as you take a minute or two for every hour or so that that you have a static image on the screen you should be fine.

[The_Hun]

Kelly... 8 Hours a Day? Cmon Dont feed me that B.S. I dont care what plasma u own 8 hrs of a PC desktop or taskbar a day will get your Burn in no matter what.

[kpkelley]

Originally Posted by The_Hun

Kelley... 8 Hours a Day? Cmon Dont feed me that B.S. I dont care what plasma u own 8 hrs of a PC desktop or taskbar a day will get your Burn in no matter what.

Like I said, if he switches off that input and goes to another if only for a few minutes at a time would reverse any Image Rentention that he might suffer. He is likely to suffer some Image Retention, but that is entirely reversible. Burn in would take weeks of neglect to set in, which could happen with an lcd monitor as well.

[Sonny]

Best Buys price is back up to $3,500! I got one there the other day for $2,200 (5020) . I know there were/are some places that have them for $2,000, but I preferred to buy it from Best Buy for multiple reasons. I feel you on the "Kuro fever" thing. I've bought 2 (151FD & 5020FD) in the last month or so. I'm re-amazed every time a watch it!

[austin126]

sonny,

everytime i look at your signature i envy you even more. whatever you do for a living, i want to do it because you have the sickest (and by that i mean awesome) rig of gear i have seen on here.

[Sonny]

Originally Posted by austina126

sonny,

everytime i look at your signature i envy you even more. whatever you do for a living, i want to do it because you have the sickest (and by that i mean awesome) rig of gear i have seen on here.

Thanks friend. The reason I can buy new TV's, BD players & whatever else as soon as they come out is because my wife & I don't have any kids (we want kids ) So this is a hobby that I love & am very lucky to be able to "play".

I do lots of things job wise. Mainly my money comes from my other hobbies.

[wozman]

Love all the great feedback here on the KURO. Its what led me towards the purchase of one, yesterday. (I had Kuro fever all weekend ) Funny thing is I was about to purchase the Samsung 52LNA630 about two weeks ago. And Passed.....

I decided to look at plasma's and viola my local Futureshop had a $1000 price drop on the 5020FD. Got him (sales rep) down to $2499 (CAN) converts to $2069 (US) I guess I didnt do to bad then. Can't wait to get it.

Only problem is since they were sold out of them, (so quickly) so now I am waiting tell February 10th for the delivery

I have been hearing rumors up here, that they are being discontinued? TRUE or FALSE?

[fdm]

Not discontinued so much as changing the manufacturer of the glass. Pioneer is transitioning from making their own to having Panasonic produce it. Whether the Kuros will be as near perfection with Panasonic glass as they are now remains to be seen.

(Edit: when this is actually occuring, dunno.)

[bda4life]

Originally Posted by BLindsay

So i might be getting a nice little tax return + if we get that 2nd stimulus check im think of upgrading my Sam ln40a550 to a 50" kuro of the sorts. few questions though

Kuro's seem to be the plasma to get right? any others i should consider?

Is there really a $1000 difference (roughly) between the 50" and the 50" elite?

i heard the PC input is limited in resolution to something crappy (dont remember the exact but i remember hearting it wasnt 1920x1080), that true? but if my computer is hooked up via hdmi that wouldnt matter right

here is the big one, i use this as a computer monitor, is this gonna be an issue for a plasma, i spend ALOT of time using it as a monitor (if i had to i could keep my samsung for a computer monitor but it would be nice to have a 50" computer monitor

Any idea what actual power consumption is? my LCD draws about 150w (still living at home and my father throughs a fit about the electric bill as it is lol) and im guessing its gonna put out more heat (in the winter i like this


i like my sammy and all but i wanted something bigger and i rear ppl rave about these tvs

60" is out of my price range

As a proud owner of a 111FD (the 50" Elite model), let me try to answer some of your questions. I will start out with the obvious, I am very, very happy with my Kuro.

I was able to get my Kuro in early December 2008 for $3799 plus tax. I though that was a great deal until I saw the ad for Ken Crane's (a specialty AV store in Southern CA) this past week selling the 111FD for $2998 plus tax. Too bad for me.

I use my Kuro as my computer monitor. I have a video card that outputs via HDMI and that is how it is hooked up. Actually I have my Directv, BD player and computer (all HDMI) hooked up to my AVR and then one cable to the Kuro. I don't spend anywhere near 8 hours on my computer, so I cannot tell you for sure about IR. I can say that when I use my mine, I have not noticed IR. Oh, I can output 1920X1080 on the Kuro if I like. I normally would, but the text gets too small to read. Normally I use 1280X768.

As far as power consumption, yes the Kuro (and I think all plasmas) use more power than LCD's. As DobyBlue said, it is negligible. What I do notice is that the front of the Kuro (screen) is warmer than my LCD was.

As for the price difference, you have to make that decision for yourself. The 5020 model is great too. The 111FD will allow you more tweaks on the picture if you want. The difference for me was the knowledge that with the 111FD I had the newest Kuro model. I know I can't really quantify this response with anything tangible, but at the end of the day it's my money.

I think you would be very happy with the 5020. Use the extra money to buy new speakers, a new BD player, more BD's or just stick it in the bank.

Good luck.

[Sonny]

Originally Posted by fdm

Not discontinued so much as changing the manufacturer of the glass. Pioneer is transitioning from making their own to having Panasonic produce it. Whether the Kuros will be as near perfection with Panasonic glass as they are now remains to be seen.

(Edit: when this is actually occuring, dunno.)

Ya the current 9G Kuro are the "last", "all" Pioneer Kuro to be made, but nowhere NEAR being the last EVER. I think that Panasonic with Pioneer will be a good thing. I'm happy to have a couple 9G Kuro's! There stunning to see in action. I can't wait for there new BD players! I have my eyes set on the 320. I'd get the $250 120 model , but I'm confused to if it will bitstream DTS-HD MA? Its been said that all the players will bit stream & internally decode TrueHD & DTS-HD MA, however in the description of the 120 it states that it will internally decode TrueHD & DTS-HD MA & also bitstream TrueHD & DTS-HD.....Was this a miss print, or....What? See my confusion? Where is the 'MA' in the DTS-HD MA?!?!?!?!

I love that Pioneer's are assembled in the USA!

[coolmilo]

I had the Kuro fever last November when Best Buy/Magnolia had a sale on the Pro-111FD. I must say that I have no regrets with getting over the fever because I am very happy with the display.

Now that my Kuro is broke in, I've added DNICE's ISF settings and the result is an even more stunning picture. I have also added back lighting and this has helped with eye strain and it seems that the backs are even more black (if that is possible).

I now have the calibration fever and I am arranging to have one of the top calibrators make a visit to my house during his next tour (April/May). This should be fun.

I told all my friends about the Best Buy sale last week (was it $2800 for the Pro-111FD???). The was the best bargain going (IMO).