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| Brand: Pioneer
Category: CE
List Price: $4,000.00
Buy New: $2,399.00
You Save: $1601.00 (40%)
New (7)
Avg. Customer Rating:  27 reviews
Sales Rank: 586
Color: Gloss Black
Media: Electronics
Batteries Included: Yes
Display Size: 50
Shipping Weight (lbs): 74.5
Dimensions (in): 3.7 x 48.5 x 28.5
MPN: PDP-5020FD
Model: PDP-5020FD
UPC: 012562887098
EAN: 0012562887098
ASIN: B001AAPEDC
Release Date: June 12, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Great choice for videophiles that aren't video-nuts! November 1, 2008
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
I looked for around 6 months for a new HDTV to replace a Sony XBR1 40" I've had for several years. After spending way to much time reading CNETs reviews, I settled upon this TV.
The performance is excellent. It certainly has better image quality than my Sony LCD, both when watching movies (due to the excellent contrast), and when watching fast moving basketball, in which my sony LCD would occasionally have motion artifacts. I think much of the LCD motion artifact thing has gone away with high end LCDs these days.
If you are a video nut that wants to change every aspect of the settings, you need to get the elite model, which is basically the same TV, but with all the settings opened up. You only get basic settings with this model. However, it has a mode that I personally like called "Optimum", where the TVs sensors detect what type of picture is being displayed along with the ambient room conditions and adjust accordingly. So far I've left it on that and it has been great. I have also played with "Movie" mode, in which you get about 50% of the controls on the picture that a typical high end TV might have.
Aesthetically, this TV looks perfect. The plain back bezel that is very small for this size of TV is exactly what I was looking for. Some of the Sony's for the past 4 years and most of the LGs and Samsungs have just got too much going on. I want a perfect picture and a minimal "TV". In addition, this TV is very thin for a 50" plasma, it is only 3.7" thick. My 40" LCD was 5.5" and the new sony XBR8 LED backlit LCD is almost 6" I believe.
In a store I compared this TV to the Samsung A950 series (LED backlit LCD) and the Sony XBR6, both 46" models. The Pioneer was cheaper and just looked better hands down. I went back on 3 occasions to confirm this was the case.
Some people will discuss buzzing with this particular unit. From what I have found out, all plasmas buzz. On this unit, if you put your head behind the tv, you can hear some electronic buzz. If you put your head in front of the TV, you can not hear anything, even with the TV muted. If you move your head about 5' back from the TV and have the TV muted, a slight buzzing becomes audible. If you turn on any volume whatsoever, you can not detect the buzzing. Actually, the fans and hard disk in my DirecTV HR21 DVR are louder than the buzzing!
I have been using power save mode 2 (the highest power save mode), which makes it meet the energy star requirements of the future, and it has plenty of brightness! We'll see how this holds up as we move through the break in period.
The big question many of you are probably asking is should I order from amazon and save almost $1000 over best buy or other big box store? My first HDTV I purchased from a locally owned specialty retailer. It gave me the confidence I needed since I knew little about HDTVs at that time. They offered a 15 day no questions asked return policy. For this Pioneer purchase, I went with amazon.com and saved $1000. Shipping was free. Amazon will contract this to CEVA, who will contract the delivery to your home by another local delivery agent. My TV arrived within 3 business days. It went from Ohio to Chicago in the first day I ordered it, and then was in Milwaukee to be delivered the next day and an appointment was set up. However, when the delivery guys showed up, I asked them to remove it from the packaging so I could plug it in and make sure it worked before I accepted delivery. The bezel was cracked and the screen damaged before we even got it out of the box. So I easily refused shipment and the delivery guys took it back. I contacted amazon and once you get beyond the india help desk and to a real agent who specializes in electronics returns I was all set. A new unit was sent 3 days later (with a total of about 1 week delay) for no charge. I think in the future I would order online from amazon.com again for the cost savings they provide. Although it was a hassle to be at home twice to have the TV delivered twice it was worth the savings for me. I believe you can also return to amazon within 30 days as well if you change your mind, but shipping cost is yours to pay.
Unbelievable! October 25, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Pros: Contrast/blacks are amazing, Optimum mode takes care of all the adjustments very well, no need to play with color/picture settings,Light sensor great for nightime, Sound is sweet, lots of depth, amazing simulated surround, great center channel voice emulation, just add a sub and your done, even the surround sound in the headphone jack is great, sounds like there is a quality amp on it, my Denon AHD-5000 headphones blaze with bass. Response time with 72hz 3:3 pulldown for movies is the smoothest motion enhancement I have seen. Menu is very easy to operate and love how the picture shrinks down to the side when in the menu. I have read lots of reviews on this model saying how great it is, but seeing is believing. This is the best flat panel I have seen. Most of all Amazon is the best, they have the best deal , while supplies last of coarse, everywhere else was charging 100 -300 more.
Cons: Doesn't stretch HD signals for Blu-Ray or DVD that are 235:1 or 185:1 evenly to fill the whole screen, only stretches width not height, but most people watch it normal without stretch, so this isn't a deal breaker for me.
Other Thoughts: People complain about a buzzing noise, if you have the sound off and you put your ear up next to the TV you can here a slight buzz or hum, That is what plasmas do, it is the balast firing for the gas to ignite the pixels. Unless it is extremely loud it is normal. I have heard it on all plasmas, maybe when your at a store there is a lot of background noise so you can't here it then until you get it home. My job is TV's and I have lots of experience with lots of brands of flat panels and this is the best picture by far. LCD looks like garbage in comparison. Of coarste there are some nice LCD's out there if you need it to do other things like PC or Video games, I have an LG LCD 47" for that, but if you are looking for TV and especially Movies for a Videophile, this is it.
Great TV - Great picture and great sound October 13, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Great price ~ $2,500 delivered in 3 days. Picture looks great with hdmi from cable box. Auto sizes screen depending on signal. Love it! Buy this TV.
Great Plasma but... September 19, 2008
3 out of 11 found this review helpful
Honestly? I've been researching Plasma's and LCD's for about a solid year now. 1: LCD's are about 5 years behind Plasma TV's so if your local salesman tries telling you otherwise just compare pictures. The fact you notice Plasma's are VISIBLY deeper in color and crisper should give you a real good clue. Where as Plasma TV's are about a year from reaching true black levels, LCD's are easily 3 to 5 years away still. So I've fully decided on a Plasma. Not to mention overall, prices are now much more competitive with Plasma's.
Secondly, In comparing Plasma TV's two brands consistently rate among the top 2. The Pioneer Kuro and the Panasonic Viera. The lates Kuro Elite 50 inch (Soon to put out a 46 and 42 inch model which is more preferrable to me.) is rated as having almost near black level. The JUST receently released Panny alledgedly is even SLIGHTLY better by all color testing measures. I think it was released like last week and isn't even on the U.S Market yet. So anyway, I read this as I was about to buy the Panny 46 inch 800u NOT 80u. The Panny 800u is extremely highly rated and at a much more reasonable price than the entirely over priced Pioneer which caters to the upper income bracket. Silly if you ask me. Same technowledgy just high priced by a mile. So that narrowed my search to a Panny.
3: So I'm about to buy it when I read a just released report on next years models. It appears to be rumored both Panny and Pioneer intend to or have reached ACTUAL TRUE black levels. So that stopped me in my tracks. Why pay over 2 grand when next years Models will be far superior. The argument is they will always be better but from my research, with Digital the new standard in Feb and many needing new TV's, there will be an even bigger push to get out the most improved model possible next year to attract the new consumer. (Which is sorta bogus cause all you need is a cable box and wallah digital) but many will be completely duped into thinking they need a new TV. So with that new push for the latest tech, recent rumors and money conerns, I personally recommend waiting a year.
BUT, if you buy a TV? I myself recommend the 46 to 50 inch Panny Viera 800u. It's been consistently rated higher than the newer 850u and visually, I myself see no real difference to the Pioneer which is at least 1200 more.
 Awesome TV but.... September 1, 2008
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
After doing countless hours of research on the best TVs, LCD or Plasma, Pioneer or Panasonic, I came to the conclusion that Pioneer Plasmas are the best. And then after reading countless reviews on how amazing this TV is I finally decided to get one. It was definitely a hefty price tag, but from what I read, it was well worth it. After watching a couple blu-ray movies from my PS3 and playing Oblivion it simply did not meet my expectations. Granted my expectations were extremely high after reading the reviews. I had upgraded from a 42" LG LCD and the difference was just not worth the price tag. It is definitely better. I love this TV but I guess i was just setting my expectations too high. I guess I simply wanted the images to pop out of the TV. And I don't know, maybe I'm doing something wrong. Maybe my settings are wrong, or the calibration, but it's just not what I thought it was gonne be. If you have the $3k-$4k to drop on a TV, by all means, drop it on this one. But if you don't, believe me when i say there are worthy alternatives for a much smaller price tag.
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