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Pioneer 5080 vs. Various other Plasmas

22K views 98 replies 39 participants last post by  darklord 
#1 ·
I am looking for a 50" plasma and come across these two models. The 5070 is in Costco and I am wondering what is the difference between these two TV's or they are the same??
 
#3 ·
IMHO, you can't even compare the two.
5070 is last year model. 5080 is this year model under the code name Kuro - it has new plasma cell structure or something like that.
5080 is so much better that not only it outperforms 5070 it also outperforms every other plasma in its price range including some 1080p Samsungs and Panasonics.
IMHO, Costco sells 5070 for very high price. Walmart sells 6070 (60"!!!) for just couple of hundred more.
You can buy 5080 for the same price for sure almost everywhere and with some luck and FS/BB sales even couple of hundreds less.
Check HDTV Deals forum.
 
#4 ·
fooit is absolutely right. Before considering buying the 5070 from Costco you should
try to find a good price on the 5080. This years Pioneer line has received outstanding reviews from many different sources. Try doing a search on "Kuro". This is the name of the
8G Pioneers. It is Japanese for black and the series is so named because of the panels
industry leading black-levels.
 
#7 ·
Pioneer 5080 or Panasonic 50z85?

Hey all.
Its come down to these two amazing plasma tvs but I cant decide which one to go for. I can get which ever one for the same price so thats not an issue. I have not seen the 50z85 in person yet as its coming out in a week or 2 in Canada. Anyone have input on which I should go for?
Anyone in America can give opinions thats seen the z85 in person?

Biggest difference I know of is the z85 is of course 1080p while the 5080 is not.
 
#9 ·
Pioneer 5080HD vs Sharp LC52D82U?

Hi

I just want to start by saying how happy I am to have found this forum… really great info here.

I currently have a 50” Toshiba rear projection non HD with a Yamaha 5.1 receiver and a set of PSB Image series speakers.

Now I’m torn between a Pioneer 5080HD or a Sharp LC52D82U. I’m aware of the pros and cons of potential burn in and lower resolution on the 5080, and the lines on the LC52D82U. My theater room is dim or completely dark and I sit about 9’ to 10’ away from the screen. I’ve done a lot of reading and I’m still having a hard time making up my mind… would any one like to share their opinion?

As for the audio I’m pretty much sold on the Onkio 605 it seems to have just about everything except THX at a good price. I don’t see any need to change the speakers I think the PSB’s would be tough to beet.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Hope I put this in the right forum it kind of falls between plasma and LCD.
 
#10 ·
Opinions are subjective and really of little value in making your decision if you're "torn between 2 models". If you read the forums you'll find thousands of opinions for and against various technologies, manufacturers and models. None of them can make up you mind for you though, unless you want to make a buying decision by keeping score of what gets good opinion reviews and what doesn't. My opinion is that this isn't the right path - you should buy what your own eyes tell you is delivering the best picture in your own opinion.

I'd suggest that a better tactic would be:

1) find a retailer that has a no-quibble return policy (*make sure* in advance they won't hassle you if the unit has been used for 30 days and you return it - Costco allows 90 days on all TV's, no questions asked).

2) if you're really torn and can't make up you mind, flip a coin. Otherwise, pick whichever one you like better.

3) buy it and live with it for 30 days (or 90, whatever the return policy is)

4) if you have no regrets at the end of the test period, then you're done.

5) if you have regrets, go back to step 3 with your other choice. Repeat as often as necessary to satisfy yourself that you got the right model.

I did this 4-1/2 years ago when looking for a 32" CRT HDTV. I went thru 2 models of Panasonic (my trials & tribulations spanned over a model year change) and one Toshiba before finally landing on the Sony KV32HS510. The retailer I was dealing with was *very* flexible and helpful, and was clear that they wanted me to be happy above anything else. I will definitely buy from them again because of their great service.

Funny thing about my past experience - the Sony is what I really wanted to start with, but I ended up trying the Panasonic(s) and the Toshiba because they were several hundred dollars cheaper, but in the end, I spent almost 6 months of pain to realize that you get what you pay for. It's no cliche.

Cheers,
The REAL Joe
 
#11 ·
Greetings

At this seating distance, you won't be seeing the extra resolution of the Sharp over the Pioneer, but you will see the better blacks from the Pioneer.

Plasma sets tend to hand satellite and cable signals better than the LCD ones. Response times are also faster on the plasma sets.

Burn in is still something to think about for plasma units and you have to watch responsibly.

Regards
 
#12 ·
I'm thinking at that distance, and in a dark room, you'll be better off with the Plasma. Especially if you're not planning to play many videogames, or use it with a PC.

I love LCD's (and have one) but in a dark room, I find you can set the Plasmas "dimmer" and still produce brilliant blacks.

Good luck with your choices!
 
#13 ·
Thanks for the replies guys


In the end I went with a Sharp Aquos LC-52SE94U. It was a little more than I was originally looking to spend but I’m really happy with it. Its performance on 1080 is excellent, deep blacks and absolutely no banding like previous models. I’m also very pleased with the Onkio 605 and the PS3.
(kina expensive weekend!)
 
#14 ·
Pioneer 5080 vs 5010 is it worth 1K?

I have a chance to grab up either of these 50" plasmas at a substantive discount. The questions I am wrestling with are #1 they are both display sets but appear to be in great shape, there is about 1k difference between the sets, the deal puts them at least $500 less than the nearest sale price for the 5010 and $700 less than what the 5080 seems to be going for at the two major chains. I did check out the Elite versions but I don't think I can justify the price difference given the feature set improvements or the warranty issue.
Anyone who has experience with these sets and or with buying a display set I would welcome your input. I had toyed with the newer Panasonic 800 and 850 but think the Pioneer sets will still be the better panel. Thoughts or comments? And the deal has to be done before Sunday. Thanks.
 
#15 ·
Greetings

To see the additional resolution ... you would have to be roughly 1 to 3x display height away from the TV. If you sit at 9 or 10 ft or more ... you won't see the extra pixels ...

But what you will see at that distance is downconversion artifacts from 1080p to 768p ... moire patterns ... dancing staircases ... weird shimmering on brick walls ... and so forth on the 5080 unit. Much less so when the 1080p does not have to be re-processed.

Regards
 
#16 ·
Pioneer 5080 or pro-110?

I have a chance to pick up a Pio Elite pro-110 over a Kuro 5080 at really reduced pricing (new 9g's about to hit the shelves). Even with the lower prices it's hard to justify the $1700 difference within my budget.

So, I am at a quandary as to justify the extra 1700 for the Elite.

As I can't physically compare the two in any showroom,

Is the 1080p really worthwhile when sitting 10-12' from the picture? How well will a Blu-ray player work with the lower rez?
Can the 5080 still be "calibrated" to bring it more into specs?
Is an extra 2 years warranty on the Elite worth the extra $$?

Your thoughts..
 
#17 ·
You have to decide for yourself if you can see the difference between 768p and 1080p at 10-12'.
I know that I can't - I tried several times at 2001 Audio Video when they had 50" 1080p and 768p sets side by side playing the same content.
Sure, when I get closer to like 4-5' I can clearly see the difference.

I think you'd better be looking at Elite 1150 if you can find it... or maybe 58" Samsung 550/650, 58" Panasonic 800 or 60" LG 60...
Price-wise they should be around the same price you are willing to pay for Elite 110 - IMHO, from 10-12' 58"-60" would be more valuable than 50" Elite 1080p.
 
#19 ·
Nah, I have pretty well settled on a Pioneer ..just too much time invested in checking all the plasma puppies out and Panny's came in a distant 2nd. Apparently, there are some issues with the upper end Pannys, including the 800's as well.

Unfortunately, my viewing room won't properly accommodate much over a 50", so that rules out a 60". The seating is pretty well clustered 10-12' from any set that will be mounted on the fireplace rock. That's why I was thinking that a 768p x 50" may be ok.

As well, I plan to eventually run a BluRay, hense my apprehension (of a 720p) in the first place.

As I said, there are no Elites and non-Elites in any showrooms now that can be compared side by side. This makes the exercise that much more difficult.
 
#20 ·
The 5080 received some really good reviews, but you probably already know that. When I was looking a couple of months ago I was in your position and was considering jumping on the 5080 at FS when, as it does now, they had it on for a good price. But, like you, I was hesitant about getting a 720p unit knowing that after thsi year nobody is likely going to be making them any more. I then hit the jackpot when I found the 5010 at Sams Club at a steal. I don;t know if they have a Sams in your area or if they have any more 5010's butit might be worth checking. Also, there is a group buy happening on redflagdeals that you may want to join. PM me if you can't find that link.

Pioneer is the way to go!
 
#21 · (Edited by Moderator)
Yes, I tried for a 5010 a while back but was unable to track one down. Unfortunately, there are no Sam's clubs out West here. So.. the only way a 1080p Pio can be obtained at a "reasonable" price ('07's) is to bump up to the pro-110. I guess the old stock is dwindling down and the most popular models are now selling out perhaps due to a sliding price scale ..like a Dutch auction. Pioneer is a good marketer!
 
#22 ·
Pioneer 5080 vs Panasonic TH50PZ80?

Hi. I am in the middle of a home reno and wish to purchase a larger 50" plasma to replace my current 42" Panasonic plasma.

I am looking for the best pic quality possible for my budget of approx. $2200 (by this I mean, accurate colours, good contrast, good black levels etc) and would like everyone's opinion of the 5080 vs the TH50PZ80.

I run HiDef sources (HD DVD, Blu-ray and Hi-Def cable) BUT I will be sitting approx. 13 to 14' away from the screen so I am not sure if 1080p will be noticeable over 768p at that distance on a 50" screen.

All opinions and advice appreciated.

Thanks.
 
#23 ·
Properly calibrated, both of those sets will look great. The 5080 may have a slight edge on black level.

The tricky part with both of them is that to really get the most out of them you would need to use the service menu to fine tune the greyscale/tint/colour.
 
#24 ·
The 5080 wins over the Panasonic... any Panasonic hands down. The 5080 does NOT have a slight edge on black level... the difference between the two is extremely astounding. Showing black, the 5080 is actually black whereas any Panasonic, even the 850U, is only light black. To put it simply, my 9yo daughter can see the difference even without A/B-ing them side by side.

Moreover, when you buy the 5080, you don't really need to pro-calibrate it. Just set it to Movie mode, bring the colour back to the middle, you're already in the ballpark of a properly calibrated display. The same can not be said about the Panasonic.
 
#25 ·
Thanks for the opinions everyone.

I spent the day looking at both models with my wife and unexpectedly went in another direction by choosing the latest 650 series Samsung LCD. It just seemed to appeal to us more, despite the substantial increase in price.

Hopefully we will be happy with our decision. I hooked it up quickly last night and things look terrific but will need to watch some fast paced sports over the next couple of days to see if pixelation and lag will bother us.
 
#28 ·
What you see in store shouldn't be the ONLY factor for you to decide on what to buy.

If you set up your Panasonic Plasma properly, I don't know why you like to switch to LCD to test out your limit on pixelation and lag.

LCD is still a no no for me. Good luck with your LCD.
 
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