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Pioneer PDP-5010FD 50-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV
Product Description
The KURO PDP-5010FD has the full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels for the most detailed picture available. View larger. View product details.
Connect a flash drive with the built-in slot and view photos on the large screen. View larger.
With a screen as large as this, high resolution becomes more important because it is more possible to view each pixel from a distance. The PDP-5010FD is a native 1080p display, meaning it has a full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, the highest standard available. The black levels on plasma screens are generally superb and this unit is no exception, with blacks that are an intense, deep black and a picture that has very high contrast as a result.
The display features Pioneer's new ASIC video processing and scaling, which upconverts standard definition and other video resolutions for viewing at 1080p. A variety of noise reduction circuitry ensures a distortion-free picture at all times. Users can manually adjust the color temperature, gamma, and the levels of noise reduction circuitry and filters to fine tune the picture to their exact specifications.
An optical light sensor automatically adjusts the picture for optimal viewing depending on the ambient light in the room, compensating for night and day and for the content of the video, such as sports, movies, or news. The PDP-5010FD also has a film mode that eliminates motion judder and provides smoother playback of film content.
The PDP-5010FD is capable of remembering six picture settings for various A/V selections, with Movie, Game, Standard, Dynamic, and Optimum modes, as well as a user-defined preset. You can also set one of five aspect ratio presets in case you're watching standard-aspect 4:3 television. The television can also be set to auto-size when zooming is necessary.
Connections for all your Components
The PDP-5010FD has a large complement of inputs, including four independent HDMI 1.3 inputs (two with analog audio). Additionally, it has two component inputs, three composite inputs, and one S-Video input. There is a USB connection that can connect a storage drive for viewing of photos. A built-in CableCard slot enables the PDP-5010FD to work with cable services without an extra decoding box. An ATSC and two NTSC tuners are built in and fully integrated for use with picture-in-picture and picture-side-picture modes. The television has outputs for Dolby Digital/PCM, audio, subwoofer, SR+, and headphone. The TV Guide On-Screen programming guide is included as well.
Breathtaking Audio
The PDP-5010FD features a detachable bottom speaker with an integrated digital amplifier that improves the clarity and accuracy of the sound. The amplifier provides 17 watts of power for the two-way speakers and supports SRS WOW/FOCUS/TruBass surround sound.
The PDP-5010FD is backed by a 1-year limited warranty.
Product Details
Video Reviews
Customer Reviews
I did a great deal of research before deciding on this set: all reviews unequivocally touted the KURO line (both standard and Elite) as the best televisions ever made. Though I am not qualified to corroborate or refute those professional reviews, I can say that I am regularly amazed at the beautiful picture quality and stunning contrast this set can produce. I cannot say if the Elite version is worth the extra money, but I can say that I well pleased with the standard model.
I only have two beefs:
1) The lack of independent RGB adjustment controls (this is available on the Elite version). Though I have adjusted the settings to the best of my ability, reds occasionally appear distractingly brilliant. With much less frequency greens sometimes appear over bright. This is a very minor issue though, and I notice the over saturation vary rarely. IMHO, the pros of this set overwhelmingly outweigh this small con. On this note, do not judge the picture quality of this set if set on Dynmaic mode (the default setting). You should use either Movie mode or the User preset adjusted properly. As with most sets,`torch' mode produces a sickeningly `unreal' picture.
2) The fact that the volume control only controls the set's detachable speakers. It will not control the gain of external RCA outputs, and if I am reading the manual correctly, of the digital out. On that note, I decided to use the TV's speakers for aesthetic reasons (temporarily at least), and I am pretty impressed by their audio quality. It isn't as good as my old surround system, but it does the trick. I will eventually replace them with a new soundbar or surround system, but the built-ins are working very well in the meanwhile.
Two final notes:
1) I was wary to order such an expensive purchase online, but my experience was smooth as silk, and I saved a fortune over purchasing the set locally. The set arrived amazingly fast (2 days after shipping), and it was delivered in excellent shape.
2) My wife was furiously opposed to purchasing a 50" given the smallish nature of our viewing room (we sit about 7-8 feet from the set), but by the end of the week she apologized for treating me ire because I insisted on the 50". She has remarked that the TV is the perfect size for viewing at that distance on several occasions.
After discussion, test report reviews and a viewing of the set with my wife, we decided to get the 50" non-Elite model. We liked that the speaker bar was located on the bottom of the panel and not the sides and the set came with a table top stand. We have no need for the Home Gallery option or the advanced tweaking that the Elite model offered.
Once it was set up, we were even more impressed with the set. There's plenty of inputs, adequate picture control and as expected, the picture quality is outstanding. The black level is incredible and really makes the colors 'pop' and the contrast is quite good. We have a light controlled room, so we were able to reduce the default light output level from the 'torch' mode to more reasonable levels.
We get our hi-def signals from a rooftop antenna and they look great. I love to fire up my receiver and listen in 5.1 sound when it's available. (Journeyman, The Unit, CSI and Moonlight all have great sound production.)
The digital tuner works well, the remote has 4 direct inputs for favorite channels and the set looks good even when it's off! It's reasonably quick to display a picture when started from the typical standby mode.
My only nits to pick: I don't care for the PIP function, it's awkward to use and not terribly useful, a far cry from the previous Sony set. The channel changes are a bit slow and the display info that accompanies each change lingers too long. The set does run warm in use, but, that's not unusual for a plasma.
Overall, both my wife and I love this set. It's the perfect size for our application. The picture quality is outstanding and is the main reason we bought this set. Though not 'cheap', it's highly recommended.
I am fully satisfied with my purchase from Amazon.com. I ordered the Pioneer on Nov 24th (day after Thanksgiving) and it was delivered on Wednesday Dec. 4th. Its estimated delivery date was Dec 3rd, but the shippers called on the 2nd and told me that it would be delivered on the 4th and gave me a time window for delivery and they came as expected.
After months of research and comparison, I finally found it. This Pioneer not only matches all the performance areas that my 34" Sony CRT HDTV has excelled but also adds the "WOW" factor thanks to its considerable bigger screen size. Now I feel I finally step into the picture instead of watching from outside.
The only major downside of this plasma is that the sound quality of TV speakers is nowhere near the quality of picture it delivers. As matter of the fact, it sounds much worse than my 34" Sony CRT TV. So a separate quality sound system is more than a necessity to get full enjoyment from this TV.
Now I only wish that I have more time to watch all my favorite movies on this Big TV again...
I have one small gripe: there is no digital sound output. My old Philips plasma had one and it was great. Since I have 3 digital sources, having to switch both TV and amplifier when switching input was annoying. I bought an Onkyo receiver with HDMI switching, and routed all my sources through the amplifier, with a single HDMI cable to the TV: this simplifies a lot my cabling, I use a single remote (the receiver's), and the sound is great.
I highly recommend investing in a home theater receiver and a HD player to get the best out of this TV.
Now the details: For off-the-air content, with my old $20 Magnavox amplified loop for antenna input, the HD programs from ABC/CBS/NBC/PBS are jaw dropping! I have never seen anything like this. Moreover, the automatic TV tuner setup routine has picked up channels I never knew existed! Even TV-Guide channel listing info... By comparison, analog programs (Matlock and Law and Order re-runs for example) looked just "ok". Unfortunatelly, compared to the HD quality, ANY analog program will look just "ok" on this display. The biggest "probem" with this TV is that the display quality is SO good, that if you give it a sub-par input (whatever the source may be) you will really be able to SEE sub-par quality. KURO's electronics will compensate, quite well mind you, but there is only so much magic that can be performed here with analog programs, in terms of noise reduction and up-conversion. I wonder how things will change when I get a "real antenna" (CM 4228 comes to mind here) up and running. Then again, all the analog broadcasts will end in a few months, so the entire issue of sub-par quality of-the-air programs will be of academic interset to TV historians...but I digress.
For playback, I hooked up my $80 Sony NS72 (upconverting) DVD player -this is just a little older than the current NS75-. I used the HDMI connection, so that I could send 1080p upconverted signals to the KURO. Man, oh man was I stunned! Everything I threw at it came out with such gorgeous detail! Watching any of the space scenes in the Starwars movies, there was no way to tell where the top and bottom black bars started on the screen, except by looking for the point where the background stars "disappear". Watching Mary Poppins, I could see Julie's makeup on her face! I ran the HQV Silicon Optix test DVD revealing, quite clearly I am afraid, all the shortcomings of my cheap DVD player. In matters of image detail, color fidelity and contrast and cadence the KURO -and the DVD- passed with flying colors...I could not find jaggies in the flag test. The flower, boat ride, freeway and sunset scenes were stunning. The race car zooming past the stands showed moire, but this is Sony's fault! Looking at of-the-air HD car races with cars and cameras zooming/panning past stands and the like, these are rock solid images...The cadence tests reveal what happens when you display 1080p/24fps, or any number of very esoteric cadences. There is no 3:2 frame-rate nonsense with the KURO. You'll be really hard pressed to find "jaggies" in anything except perhaps a couple of cartoon or anime cadences. I am not sure how this "failure" will ever be seen in a live program. I wonder if anyone out there is feeding home-video to thisTV directly from a video-camera that has some weird recording cadence. That might replicate such effects... but again, I digress.
As a second battery of what I like to call graduate student checks, I connected the DVD player to the TV with the composite video cables. The DVD here does no "upconverting" to 1080p. It merely puts out the 480p progressive scan it was designed for. The KURO on the other hand has some wonderful magic here. The same movies (Starwars and Mary Poppins) were perfectly viewable, only marginally below the quality of the ones through the HDMI. So, do not feel compelled to throw away your "older" DVD player just because it is "merely" a 480p progressive scan type. For ultimate performance this TV, unfortunatelly, pretty much requires a Blu-Ray player. But I am not in any hurry yet.
Last, but by no means least, I should mention the audio performance of the KURO, which is in fact closer to that of a good sound bar. When running the THX audio setup from the Starwars DVD, the speaker bar generated a clearly discernible directional sound for the L, R and C channels when the L,R and C were triggered. When the surround-L and surround-R speakers were triggered the speakerbar produced "back-firing" sounds, (from the left and right side respectively) that reflected off the wall behind the TV! This was quite astounding. The surround sound effect is quite nicely done with what is essentially a very effective phased-array approach! Congrats to the Pioneer sound engineers. This is top notch work! Triggering the "sub" produces no responce from the speakerbar. The KURO has an independent sub output, so if anyone wants to "improve" the speakerbar, a sub can be direclty linked to the TV and will provide all the low-end oomph you might desire. Clearly, having a high quality audio system generate a high quality soundstage will be a wonderful complement to the visual perfection from this TV. That being said, the current speakerbar is good enough for anyone who does not plan to do this right away.
Before I sign off, I should point out that with 4-HDMI inputs, a digital audio out, and a subwoofer out, this TV in many ways eliminates the need to have an A/V receiver with more than two HDMI inputs. There are a lot of very good middle-of-the-road receivers that only have two HDMI inputs and the everyone seems to be complaining about how inadequate this is. With this KURO -and HDMI control- the TV can become the switch-board rather than the receiver. Inter-Brand and HDMI incompatibilities aside, having spent all this money on the Kuro I see no reason not to take advantage of its capabilities...
This TV will spoil you... (:-
Out of the box picture is good. A few quick adjustments and it's better.
More in the area of personal preference adjustments up to this point.
Quite stunning images with not much tweaking at all.
No audible buzz whatsoever from the chassis at this point.
..and black levels like I've not seen since watching my old Sony 37" CRT.
Update Feb 11.
I could not be happier with the Kuro. I have not found "fatal flaw" like I generally do with electronics devices.
The Grammy awards last evening looked spectacular. Dark picture areas maintin their detail and do not get that solarized look as many other LCD and Plasma displays do.
I'm trying to find something to complain about, I can't come up with anything.
Pros:
- obviously, the picture quality is jaw dropping, amazing shadow details, inky blacks
- nearly NO image retention (IR)
- SD performance is exceptional, upscaled DVD can look nearly Hi-Def
- 24p/72Hz mode, smooth motion
- lots of inputs, 4 HDMI 1.3 inputs
- panel design is gorgeous: glossy bezel, removable speaker: perfect for home theater wall mount
- onscreen menus are professional and nicely designed
Cons:
- PC input (15 pin) is not 1920x1080 capable (but this can be achieved through HDMI)
- optical output is not DD 5.1 capable
- mezmerizing, brings new meaning to home theater addiction!!! ;)
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