Should I buy a KURO PDP-5010FD 50-inch Plasma HDTV

[rbinck]

Thanks for the post Kloneman. Another thing to consider is Pioneer is getting out of the plasma business. I figure if the manufacturer dosen't have faith in their product, why should I?

[northstar]

Go with the Kuro. You can get it a lot cheaper if you look around. I just got mine for less than $1100. The LED is going to cost you at least twice of that much...

[smith700]

I agree with some things kloneman says and i disagree with others. The things is, both TVs are great. I would add the following:
- If you play games a lot, the LCD looks better.
- If I remember correctly the lifespan of the LED is shorter (50000 hours?).
They are very similar TVs in terms of picture quality. Honestly, though I own a Kuro PDP from the previous generation, I don't know which I would choose between these two.

[rbinck]

I think the new LED backlit LEDs have much longer life.

[oscar_in_fw]

Kloneman probably needs a dual kornea transplant.

I do agree part of the Samsung screen "washout" effect I saw standing equidistant from the Samsung LED and Kuro was the non-ideal off-axis viewing of the LED. Under normal circumstances I'd be directly in front of the TV so this was not really a fair assessment. And yes, from off-axis, the Kuro looked better to me.

It should also be noted I prefer "Pure" (picture) mode on the Kuro which I gather is not the most popular "viewing mode" with most of the general public. There are other picture modes (e.g. Optimum, Performance, Sport) which seem to increase color (over?)saturation. I suspect the standard default video modes for the Kuro on display are non-optimal for the typical Best Buy viewing environments.

As far as TV life is concerned, I won't be surprised if the Kuro (or any LED display) outlasts me. If I get 10 years out of it, I'll be happy. I expect there will be yet another generation or two (or three...) of technology development which will tempt me to replace the Kuro before it craps out.

[kloneman]

Originally Posted by oscar_in_fw

Kloneman probably needs a dual kornea transplant.

I do agree part of the Samsung screen "washout" effect I saw standing equidistant from the Samsung LED and Kuro was the non-ideal off-axis viewing of the LED. Under normal circumstances I'd be directly in front of the TV so this was not really a fair assessment. And yes, from off-axis, the Kuro looked better to me.

It should also be noted I prefer "Pure" (picture) mode on the Kuro which I gather is not the most popular "viewing mode" with most of the general public. There are other picture modes (e.g. Optimum, Performance, Sport) which seem to increase color (over?)saturation. I suspect the standard default video modes for the Kuro on display are non-optimal for the typical Best Buy viewing environments.

As far as TV life is concerned, I won't be surprised if the Kuro (or any LED display) outlasts me. If I get 10 years out of it, I'll be happy. I expect there will be yet another generation or two (or three...) of technology development which will tempt me to replace the Kuro before it craps out.

Actually I DO have vision problems (Can't read fine print up close) , but my eyes are not as bad as yours are, since I CAN see the rainbow effect in the single chip DLPs as well as in your Pioneer Kuro , and I know you'd like to deny that you can't see them. You'd also like to believe that the Samsung was "washed out" , but it was hardly so. It was not as saturated as it was when we were viewing from center, but it still beat the Kuro off axis, even in that setting- perhaps because of the amount of saturation it had off axis - Which is it - Too little color or too much color - The set did not change its configuration, so you can't have it both ways simultaneously. As for your other comments on this topic, ALL of these sets have a USER color adjustment - USE IT - that's what it is there for. Don't blame the Worst Buy guys, they told you and I they did NOTHING to any of the sets on display.

I won't wager of the longivity of ANY peice of electronics in my house, due in no small part to my kids, but also to me.
I hope I'll get a long time's use from the set I just purchased, (long enough to move it into the relative safety of the master bedroom, when I finally can get what I want for the living room.) but only time will tell. I also note that my Samsung doesn't have any "screen burn prevention" modes or procedures to worry about, versus what the Pioneer Representative told us about for your Kuro. Another thing my eyes won't have to see.