Panasonic 58" or Pioneer Elite 60"

[Sonny]

Sure Pio's are good , but I'll take a Panny any day, & have alot of $$$$ left over I have a 60" Kuro Elite & my 800u Panny's make that Pio look like a richboy toy & thats it. Smart people know "the way of HDTV" DON'T PAY FOR A NAME!!!!! I'll put a bullet in my Kuro over any 8's Panny!

[Entertainment72]

Originally Posted by werewuf

120HZ is motion control for LCD TV's. LCD has an unusual disadvantage in that it takes longer to change from light to dark (or from dark to light) or from one color to another compared with the other kinds of displays. This is sometimes seen as additional motion blur.
Pioneer Plasma TV's uses what they call Advanced PureCinema with 3:3 Pulldown (72Hz) instead.

That's incorrect, my TV is not LCD and it has 120.

[PLASMA-1080P-FULLHD]

Originally Posted by mjbethancourt

Brand versus brand, I will always recommend Pioneer over Panasonic. I'm actually kinda befuddled by the whole Panasonic plasma fad. I've been skeptical of Panasonic as a brand for anything for well over a decade.

lol are in insane or u need help?

[werewuf]

Originally Posted by Entertainment72

That's incorrect, my TV is not LCD and it has 120.

Okay, but it is not plasma now is it? The question was about why doesn't Pioneer Plasma have this feature. LCD's and apparently projection TV's need this motion control and Plasma does not.

[al210]

Originally Posted by jpthomas27

I finally went with Crutchfield.com. I got the TH-58PZ750U for $3500, no tax and free shipping. On top of that, they were offering a Panasonic 26" LCD HDTV for free with the purchase. MSRP on it is $800, most retailers had it for $600-$700. I sold it cheap for $500 and put that towards my purchase. So ultimately I got my new 58" Panasonic plasma for an even $3000 delivered. You can't beat that price anywhere, and the money I saved by going with the Panasonic instead of the Pioneer was huge!!!

You could have purchased the next gen Panasonic 58PZ800U from Cleveland Plasma for 3,350.00 shipped. I think the $350 addtional for next gen plasma is worth it. The 800 & 850U are getting some great praise!

[sokrman14]

Originally Posted by Blu Kreme

Your comments are the ones that stand out. Honest opinion - what I like.

Not that I don't appreciate everyones comments, I do. However it seems like everyone is saying Pioneer period, the end.

I have read, compared and read some more until I am blue in the face. I know the Pioneer is the best. We all already know that.

The thing is - is the best really worth it considering the following -

Cost vs Size ratio
Cost vs Features
Cost vs Actual Image quality
Cost vs When you are going to replace it

I have Panasonic LCD and Plasmas. They look superb. I think the Pioneer thing is a trend - "fad" at this point. Yes, they might be the best, but do they really garner an extra grand or two or three? Not sure it does.


Panasonic - Model: TH-58PZ850U - $3,999.98

Pioneer - Model: PRO-141FD - $6,999.99

Panasonic - Model: TH-65PZ850U $6,999.98

It seems that when you hit the 60" and above mark - the price jumps a whopping $3,000.00 dollars. That's a big increase for only 2" extra from a 58". Or 7" to a 65". If the 65" drops substantially before Christmas, I MAY consider it. However, I don't think it will.

At this point - the Panasonic 58" is looking like the winner. Best price/feature ratio. I don't think I can justify spending another 3 grand on a TV that shows negligible improvement compared to it's competitors.

This is coming from someone that does A LOT of movie watching too. You also have to remember, how often does a person actually keep a TV these days? 2, 3, 5 years? before it's changed out/upgraded to something newer and better?

If prices fall in the next few months - my choice may change.

I dont know if you ignored my post but I have had vendor training from Pioneer vs Elite for this years models...Same picture, just a few less features, and nothing of importance to most people. It costs $1000 dollars less, retail is 60" for $5500, and the model is PDP6020. Look into it. You can have the Elite picture, at a less price. And I am sure if you look on the internet enough you will find better prices. Onecall.com has it for $4500 right now

[David Craig]

I also have the Panasonic TH-58P750U. That is the 2007 model.

I absolutely love it. It's "like heaven on earth" I tell my friends.

Never really considered the Pioneer but the Panasonic is stunning.

I've heard that the Panasonic 2008 models are even better.

Regarding size. Yes if I had the money I'd go for a 65 inch set. That's the maximum size that could fit comfortably into our room. 58 inch seemed big only for two months, now it seems the "minimum" size I ever want to watch. People who visit are always shocked at how big our 58 inch set is.

[moviefan]

Originally Posted by mjbethancourt

I don't think that anybody who owns the Pioneer is unhappy with their purchase. Dude, if you can buy the biggest Pioneer without getting clobbered by your wife, do it.

I agree! The newest Pioneer 60" is the Kuro Elite Pro 151 FD.
It has detachible side speakers for home theater, and a raft of user settable picture features.
See a glowing review in the September issue of Home Entertainment magazine.
Pioneer TVs are only warrantied thru authorized dealers. They cannot be sold on the internet except at list price by an authorized dealer.
To save $1,000 off list, go to abt.com and PHONE the order. They wil sell you at their STORE PRICE of $5,460, with free shipping and no sales tax. They are a very reputable dealer, and are authorized by Pioneer.
That's what I'm going to do!

[TENSE]

well people to me $7,500 dollars is a lot of money just for a hd tv. with that much money i could buy me a lcd and a nice 7.1 klipsch set up with a pioneer elite 94! well thats just my 10 cents.

[Blu Kreme]

Originally Posted by sokrman14

I dont know if you ignored my post but I have had vendor training from Pioneer vs Elite for this years models...Same picture, just a few less features, and nothing of importance to most people. It costs $1000 dollars less, retail is 60" for $5500, and the model is PDP6020. Look into it. You can have the Elite picture, at a less price. And I am sure if you look on the internet enough you will find better prices. Onecall.com has it for $4500 right now

Not purposely. One of the issues is finding reputable dealers online that are AUTHORIZED so I don't get a null warranty. If I knew of places where I can price shop, it probably would not be that bad.

I just don't know. $5500 is still a bit pricey for a Pioneer. Let alone plasma tv. Need to see if prices fall.

[dobyblue]

Not worth it to me over the $2,899 you can currently get the TH-58PZ800U for!

[DezNutz]

I am looking at a similiar situation, and the cost difference is so huge I have yet to see the cost actually make the difference in cost worth it. Been looking at HDTVs for awhile now, and although Pioneer may be the best, this years Panosonics do not seem to be that far behind, and again the difference in cost is hard to justify at least for me.

[Blu Kreme]

Originally Posted by DezNutz

I am looking at a similiar situation, and the cost difference is so huge I have yet to see the cost actually make the difference in cost worth it. Been looking at HDTVs for awhile now, and although Pioneer may be the best, this years Panosonics do not seem to be that far behind, and again the difference in cost is hard to justify at least for me.

Same way here. Everyone keeps saying Pioneer. I know they are "THE BEST" but the price just does not seem to justify what you get.

[Blu-ray Fanatic]

Damn. With the prices of these two brands, all I can say is "I wish". I seriously need steady employment in order to afford all this. Anyways, I wouldn't want to spend the next 5-10 years paying off a tv while new techology is being produced.

[ArieS]

I really don't see a huge difference in price between Panasonic and Pioneer plasmas. Check it out for yourself:
http://www.plasmabay.com/
Panasonic - TH-58PZ750 58" 1080p Plasma HDTV is $3450
Pioneer - KURO PDP-6020FD 60" 1080p Plasma HDTV is $3800

We are talking about 350 bucks here.
Which to me makes the Pioneer the clear winner...

[Blu Kreme]

Originally Posted by ArieS

I really don't see a huge difference in price between Panasonic and Pioneer plasmas. Check it out for yourself:
http://www.plasmabay.com/
Panasonic - TH-58PZ750 58" 1080p Plasma HDTV is $3450
Pioneer - KURO PDP-6020FD 60" 1080p Plasma HDTV is $3800

We are talking about 350 bucks here.
Which to me makes the Pioneer the clear winner...

With that information - yes.

However Panasonic vs Pioneer ELITE (which what I have been talking about), there is a big difference.

Now what is the difference between the Kuro and the ELITE ?

[PanasonicPlasmaMan]

This is how i see it.. If you can afford an elite buy an elite. If you cant and you are looking for a great TV that is less expensive go with the Panasonic 800u. but I still wouldn't call it a second choice

[Blu Kreme]

Here's the thing.. Panasonic has 1 "line" of plasmas. Pioneer has 2. Kuro/Elite.

My question is, what is the difference between the Kuro and the Elite that justifies the higher price?

[lojack1976]

Here's my 2 cents...IF you are loaded with cash then go Pioneer. If not go Panasonic. IF you are more interested in the best deal regardless of what you have to spend then go Panasonic. I've seen Pioneers next to Panasonics and frankly the difference is pretty negligible. Yeah, the Pioneer black levels are slightly better, BUT most Panasonics have more accurate colors. Not only did I notice this with my own eyes, but this has been confirmed by many professional reviews also. In fact, I avoided plasma for years because the colors on earlier models looked unrealistic. Don't get me wrong though, the Pioneer still looks fantastic. To me color accuracy is more important so long as the black level is good which is why I bought the Panny that I own. Got it for $1200 as Sears. I could've gotten the newer model if I waited a month, but I'm very happy. It's only 768p but it owns my 1080p LG LCD. When you factor in the costs I just can't justify paying Pioneer prices. A comparable 50" 768p Kuro would have cost me nearly a $1000 more! Just doesn't make sense. Even at the same price point it would still be a toss up for me...better color accuracy or slightly deeper blacks? Everytime someone comes over and sees my Panny I get compliments. Its the first thing everyone notices. Whichever you choose, I'm sure you'll love it. Basically its all in what you want for the money you are willing to spend. Peace!

[jpthomas27]

Originally Posted by al210

You could have purchased the next gen Panasonic 58PZ800U from Cleveland Plasma for 3,350.00 shipped. I think the $350 addtional for next gen plasma is worth it. The 800 & 850U are getting some great praise!

Right now this is the case. When I bought my TV the 800/850 was not available and the price of the 750 was higher. I generally buy technology (in this case a plasma) when I am ready. I always disagree with people who wait for the next best thing becasue, they will be waiting forever since the next best thing comes out every year. At this point the 750 is probably not available any longer.

By next summer, people will be saying the same thing about 800/850 because there will be rumors about 900/950 models comming out. If you wait, you always be waiting and never buying.