Pioneer PDP-6010FD Plasma TV Review

Model: Pioneer KURO PDP-6010FD
Description: Super HDTV 1080p 60” Plasma Television
Resolution: 1920 X 1080 (1080p)
Dimensions: 57.9 x 34.7 x 4.8 inches
Dimensions without Stand but with Speaker: 57.9 x 38.1 x 4.8 inches
Includes: Detachable Speakers, table top stand, 4 HDMI Inputs, Computer Input 15 Pin VGA,
Color: Black gloss plexiglass finish all the way even the stand
Power Consumption: 532W
Reviewer: Robert Wiley

INTRODUCTION

The Pioneer PDP-6010FD Plasma is a current Fall 2007 model. This plasma TV is assembled in the U.S. with components manufactured in Japan and the U.S. Pioneer focuses their manufacturing efforts on top performing plasma televisions.

Panasonic Plasma Review

Model: Panasonic TH-50PH10UK Plasma Display Review
Description: 50" HDTV Plasma Television, Widescreen 16:9 format
Resolution: 1366 X 768 (HDTV 720p)
Includes: remote control, VGA input board, composite input board, component input board
Color:Charcoal Black

Reviewer: Robert Wiley
Date: August 2007

Panasonic has been a leader as one of the top 3 manufacturers of plasma display products and was the first manufacturer to obtain CRT-like black levels by reducing pre-discharge emission. They have managed to maintain the competitive advantage that the company became known for in 2000 and 2001 with regard to black levels and gray scaling. Nevertheless, Panasonic is always tweaking performance, trying to find better ways to improve plasma. Though Panasonic also produces a limited number of LCD TVs, their focus has been plasma technology.

Panasonic TH-50PZ85U vs. Samsung PN50A650 Plasma TV Review

Model: Panasonic TH-50PZ85U Plasma versus Samsung PN50A650T1F Plasma
Description: 50” Panasonic Plasma vs. 50” Samsung Plasma
Resolution: 1920 X 1080 (Both units are 1080p)
Panasonic Dimensions with Stand: 49.4”W X 32.7”H X 15.3”D (88.2lbs with stand)
Panasonic Dimensions without Stand: 49.4”W X 30.7”H X 3.25”D (83.8lbs)
Samsung Dimensions with Stand:48.8 ”W X 32.9”H X 12.6”D (95.5lbs with stand)
Samsung Dimensions without Stand: 48.8”W X 32.9”H X 3.9”D (86.5lbs)
Panasonic Includes: Non Detachable Speakers, table top stand, 3 HDMI Inputs, Computer 15 Pin VGA Input
Samsung Includes: NonDetachable Speakers, table top stand, 4 HDMI Inputs, Computer 15 Pin VGA Input, USB input, Wiselink input
Power Consumption: Samsung Plasma 550 watts (max)
Power Consumption: Panasonic Plasma 690 watts (max)
Reviewer: Jack Burden
Editor: Robert Wiley
Date: June 2008

INTRODUCTION

Panasonic and Samsung have a strong battle going for the top spot in 1st Tier plasma sales and both have alluring new products arriving summer of 2008. The Samsung plasma model tested represents the companies 2nd tier plasma product, while the TH50PZ85U Panasonic plasma is that company’s 3rd tier plasma TV product. However, these two products cost about the same. Both have one or two plamsa’s still to come in 2008 with higher cost and more features.

Panasonic 65 Inch Flat Panel Plasma

Model: Panasonic TH-65VX100U and TH-65PF11UK Plasma Monitor (no speakers or tuner included)
Description: 65" Plasma Monitor (May be used for commercial or Residential Use)(diagonal) Plasma Television, Widescreen 16:9 Format
Resolution: 1920 X 1080 (1080P) Dimensions: 61.2" x 36.4" x 3.9"

Reviewer: Robert Wiley
Date: June 2009

Whether using this very impressive plasma as a home theater centerpiece or as a public display for a fine garments store you will get very solid performance. I expected local deviation in color and motion artifacts from this giant as opposed to its smaller relatives. Not the case at all. It performs in very much the same manner as the smaller plasma TVs. It has the same style of color rendition and white balance as the smaller Panasonic plasma products – though I did not experience the blacks as intense as they are on the smaller plasma products. This is a natural by-product of the larger screen and partially to be expected.

Panasonic Plasma TV Review

Model: Panasonic TH-50PX75U Plasma Television
Description: 50” Panasonic Plasma Television
Resolution: 1366 X768
Dimensions with Stand: 47.7" x 33.2" x 14.6"
Dimensions without Stand but with Speaker: 47.7" x 31.3" x 3.8"
Includes: Non-Detachable Speakers, table top stand, 2 HDMI Inputs, SD Card Slot
Color: Black lacquer finish all the way even the stand
Power Consumption: 499W
Reviewer: Robert Wiley
Date: December 2007

INTRODUCTION

The Panasonic TH-50PX75U is a current late, 2007 plasma model. The model is assembled in Mexico, though the plasma display element (screen) is manufactured in Japan and shipped to Mexico for assembly.

LG 47LGX Review

Description: 47" HD LCD 1980 X 1366 Resolution
Reviewer: Robert Wiley
November 2008

INTRODUCTION to LG 47LGX

The LG 47LGX is a winter 2008 TV model. The LCD has some of the "scarlet" design accents – red trim visible on sides, top and around the stand of the TV. It has the exceptionally deep bottom portion cabinet where many of the electronic components must be stored to enable its stunning 1.8" in depth. The other big upgrade over the LG60 series is the 120Hz processing capability. The LG 47LGX has 1080p resolution and all of the new LG technologies including processing enhancements. It contains 50,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio and 4 HDMI inputs (3 in back, 1 on side).

PICTURE QUALITY RATING: 87/100

Prior to viewing we performed some fine calibration on this the LG 47LGX. See calibration settings at the bottom of the review to calibrate your TV if you own one.

Sony KDL-46XBR8 Review

Description: 1920 X 1080 (1080p) 46" Diagonal LCD TV with LED Backlight
Dimensions: See Specifications Here
Power Consumption: 350W
Reviewer: Robert Wiley
Date: April 2009

Test and Optimum Viewing Distance: 13

720p/1080i/1080p HD Picture Quality: One feature that we found very necessary was the Noise reduction feature. See explanation here.

Once turning on this setting option, the picture was crisp and clear with very little about which to complain. There is bright color, great contrast and black levels and most surprising to us – plasma-like viewing angles. There was some false contouring in dark on bright areas of the picture. This "mapping" of dark matter will not be noticed if one is 15 feet or more from the television. However, it is noticeable from a closer distance. Other than that, another defining plasma-like characteristic is depth perception with HD signals which is excellent.

LG 47LG60 Tv Review

Model: LG 47LG60

Reviewer: Jack Burden
March, 2009

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INTRODUCTION

The LG 47LG60 47" LCD was introduced in the fall of 2008 and runs until the fall of 2009. The LCD has some of the "scarlet" design accents – red trim visible on sides, top and around the stand of the TV. It is very thin at only 2.7" in depth and looks impressive and expensive on its accompanying table stand with the red accents giving a touch of modern class. Processing speed on this unit is up to 120Hz but see our comments below regarding this new feature. It has 1080p resolution and all of the new LG technologies including processing enhancements. It contains 50,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio and 4 HDMI inputs (3 in back, 1 on side).

Samsung Tv

Video Aspect Ratio Sizing: With most inputs there are 4 options S. Stretch, Zoom, Side Bar, Stretch. You will want to use the Zoom setting for 2:35:1 DVDs. With HDMI input signals there is the addition of Dot by Dot and Full Screen options. The Sharp manual gives excellent instruction about which setting to use with varying content

Sharp LC-52D65U Review

Description: Full HD 1080p 60Hz 52" Diagonal LCD TV
Resolution: 1920 X 1080
Power Consumption: 285W
Reviewer: Jack Burden
Date: April 2009

Test and Optimum Viewing Distance: 14 feet

Up conversion from 480i and 480p: The Sharp has stellar processing in some cases. Horizontal and Vertical line information was displayed with no dithering in our HQV Film Resolution Loss Test. The processing was better than even many very high end TVs and one of the only units testing that did not exhibit strobing during this test in at least one of the test boxes.

Samsung LN52A850 Television

52" HD LCD 1980 X 1366 Resolution
Reviewer: Robert Wiley with Jack Burden
Date: November 2008

INTRODUCTION

The LN52A850 is the newest high end TV in Samsungs Winter 2008/2009 lineup. One of the key feature differences is the new DLNA compliance certification of this TV over the LN52A750. Another big feature difference is the slim 1.9" cabinet housing. It certainly looks sleek on the table stand. The Touch of Color red accents remain on this series. The 120Hz refresh rate (Auto Motion Plus) feature is still present as well. Find out below how we rate all these features (one especially needs be careful with the 120Hz refresh rate).

PICTURE QUALITY RATING: 93/100

Samsung LN46A750 TV

Model: Samsung LN46A750
Description: 46" HD LCD
Reviewer: Robert Wiley with Jack Burden
Date: October 2008

INTRODUCTION

The Samsung LN46A750 is a current Fall 2008 LCD TV model. This LCD is next to the top of the lineup for Samsung's current model offerings second only to the LN46A850.

PICTURE QUALITY RATING: 93/100

Test and Optimum Viewing Distance: 12 feet

Up conversion from 480i and 480p: Color information from this Samsung TV is natural and realistic and displays extremely well. There is notable motion blur/lag with the LCD regardless whether the 120hz Auto Motion processing is on or off. The jerky effect of the motion lag was evident in Braveheart, Tomorrow Never Dies, and Risky Business. In other words, it was not an anomaly with any one source. This may not be a result of the upconversion though. Overall I thought the upconversion processing was excellent delivering clear sharp images on even the most difficult old DVDs.

LCD TV Reviews: Flat Panel Television

At CEDIA 2008 Sony introduced its new premium XBR8 line of LCD TVs. The KDL-55XBR8 will ship in October of 2008 and includes 1M:1 dynamic contrast ratio, Sony's Bravia 2 engine with 120Hz processing, and an optional colors for the speaker grill. The most important advancement though, is Sony's new Triluminous (RGB) LED backlight for this LCD television. This advancement obviously enables the 1M:1 contrast and according to Sony officials, a much wider color range than CCFL or white LED (with color wheels) backlighting. It was a pretty impressive looking display and we imagine the price will reflect this. Read More...

Pioneer Plasma TV

Model: Pioneer Kuro PDP-5010FD
Description: Super HDTV 1080p 50” Plasma Television
Resolution: 1920 X 1080 (1080p)
Dimensions: 48.5 x 28.45 x 4.7 inches
Dimensions without Stand but with Speaker: 48.5 x 31.83 x 4.7 inches
Includes: Detachable Speakers, table top stand, 4 HDMI Inputs, Computer Input 15 Pin VGA
Color: Black gloss plexiglass finish all the way even the stand
Power Consumption: 442W
Reviewer: Robert Wiley

INTRODUCTION

The Pioneer PDP-5010FD Plasma is a current Fall 2007 model. This plasma TV is assembled in the U.S. with components manufactured in Japan and the U.S. Pioneer focuses their manufacturing efforts on top performing plasma televisions.

PICTURE QUALITY RATING: 98/100

Calibration: Grayscale tracking was excellent on this Pro quality Pioneer plasma. The Pioneer plasmas come preset to Dynamic mode. First change this mode to Standard or User using the AV selection button on the remote control. From there we are able to calibrate the Pioneer PDP-5010FD to within +95K of D6500K (optimum color temp) using the following picture settings:

Pioneer Plasma TV Review

Model: Pioneer PDP-5080HD
Description: 50" Plasma Television, Widescreen 16:9 Format
Resolution: 1366 X 768 (HDTV 720p)
Includes: Integrated pedestal stand and integrated speaker system, NTSC and ATSC (HDTV) tuners, 4 HDMI high-definition inputs, 3 component video, 4 composite video, 2 S-Video connection, PC Input.
Color: Gloss black bezel with black trim and Gloss black table stand
Reviewer: Robert Wiley

INTRODUCTION

The Pioneer PDP-5080HD hits the market in late summer 2007 to ready acceptance from the flat panel TV marketplace. Improvements over the previous PDP-5070HD include a dramatically improved black level and minor improvements in brightness. Other more minor improvements include 4 HDMI inputs rather than 2. Pioneer continues to market to the home theater afficianado and high end A/V market and focus it's engineering dollars and attention on plasma technology.

LG 50PG25 Review

Description: 50" Plasma Television (720P - 1024 X768 Resolution)
Reviewer: Jack Burden
November 2008

INTRODUCTION: LG 50PG25

This is a second tier model in LG's 50" plasma 2008/2009 lineup. So the TV has some budget conscious constraints as our review below will point out. All 2008 LG plasma TVs claim a dynamic contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1 and this series plasma has a native contrast of 20,000:1. Some of the features are effective and some not so much. The Fluid Motion and Video Noise Reduction features do not seem to have much effect on performance while the Clear Voice technology and Gamma picture function do work very well. It also contains some of the other common enhancements found in all of LG's new plasma lineup such as Clear Voice technology which enhances and amplifies the human voice element in programming with lots of background noise or music. There are 3 AV modes for preset picture viewing – sports, games, and cinema and the housing for the plasma contains the new invisible 10W X 10W speaker design with SRS Tru Surround technology. Resolution is 1024 X 768 (720p). The depth of these newer models has been reduced to 3.4". There are 3 HDMI input options on this plasma television.

LG 42PG25 Review

Description: 42" Plasma Television (720P 1024 X768 Resolution)
Reviewer: Jack Burden
November 2008

INTRODUCTION: LG 42PG25

This is a second tier model in LGs 2008/2009 lineup for plasma TVs. So the TV has some budget conscious constraints as our review below will point out. All 2008 LG plasma TVs claim a dynamic contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1 and this series plasma has a native contrast of 20,000:1. The plasma has the new Fluid Motion technology which LG claims gives the effect of a 180hz refresh rate. It also contains some of the other common enhancements found in all of LG's new plasma lineup such as Clear Voice technology which enhances and amplifies the human voice element in programming with lots of background noise or music. There are 3 AV modes for preset picture viewing – sports, games, and cinema and the housing for the plasma contains the new invisible 10W X 10W speaker design with SRS Tru Surround technology. Resolution is 1024 X 768 (720p). The depth of these newer models has been reduced to 3.4". There are 3 HDMI input options on this plasma television.

Panasonic Plasma TV Review

Model: Panasonic TH-65PF9UK 1080p Plasma Screen
Description: 65” (diagonal) Plasma Television, Widescreen 16:9 Format
Resolution: 1920 X 1080 (1080P)
Dimensions: 61.2" x 36.4" x 3.9"

Includes: Speakers and table stand are optional. The unit includes some basic inputs and there are optional input “cards” which may be purchased and installed.

Color: Charcoal Black thin ribbon bezel

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Review Date: March 2007

INTRODUCTION

This is the first 65" 1080p plasma to be produced. In fact, it is one of the first 1080p plasma monitors to be produced and plays an important part in the plasma vs. lcd struggle for supremacy in the flat panel TV market. Sharp has already produced and shipped a 65” LCD 1080p model (65D90U), and Panasonic has matched them with this screen, which is readily available and sells for a relatively strong price point. The 65PF9UK panel is produced at Panasonics’ new state of the art plasma factory outside of Osaka Japan. Panasonic also has a consumer version of the same 65” plasma model TH-65PX600U, which also sells without the table stand and speakers which are common to consumer products. The inputs of the two products are the main differences. The TH-65PX600U has HDMI input built in and a built in tuner, while the TH-65PF9UK has a built in RS232 port, a built in 15 pin VGA input for computer, a DVI port and optional input cards for HDMI or additional component or composite inputs.

Runco Plasma TV

720p/1080i/1080p Picture Quality: Set up and testing showed a slightly better picture using 1080i than 720p. We viewed a recent Blu Ray disc version of The Manchurian Candidate which has a tremendous variation in color and dark shades. Black levels produced by the Runco were extremely deep with the digital HDMI (to DVI) signal. Blacks appear over saturated against bright backgrounds in some scenes such that the plasma television lost shadow detail in the navy officers uniform of Denzel Washington’s character. As a result of the incredibly deep blacks, which I would expect from the NEC/Pioneer panel, there was excellent contrast and color information was extraordinary.

Runco Plasma TV Review

Model: Runco SP-50 and SP-50XA Cinema Wall Plasma Television
Description: 50” Runco Plasma Television
Resolution: 1365 X768
Dimensions with Stand: Attachable "feet" add 1.8” to height.
Dimensions without Stand: 30"H X 49"W X 4" Depth
Includes: Includes "feet" to use as stand. Does not include speakers but does have built in amplifiers for optional speaker attachment. 2 DVI inputs rather than HDMI.
Computer Input: Yes (DVI)
Color: Frame has Matt Black brushed metal finish
Power Consumption: 377 watts
Reviewer: Robert Wiley

Panasonic Viera TC-P50X1 Plasma Review

Model: Panasonic TC-P50X1
Description: 720p resolution HD plasma TV
Resolution: 1366 X 768
Reviewer: Jack Burden and Robert Wiley
Date: Summer 2009

Up conversion from 480i and 480p: As reflected in our HQV processing testing results the Panasonic had a difficult time adequately up converting from 480i source material. Scenes from Risky Business appeared grainy and the dark scenes just did not have enough brightness to come through well. Blacks were washed out.

Toshiba Plasma TV

Model: Toshiba 42HP66
Description: 42” Plasma Television, Widescreen 16:9 Format
Resolution: 1024x768 (HDTV)

Includes: Integrated pedestal stand and speakers, NTSC and ATSC (HDTV) tuners, 2 HDMI high-definition, 2 component video, 3 composite video, 3 S-Video connection 1 VGA Input (PC connection).
Color: Silver casing and pedestal stand with black frame around screen

Panasonic Viera TC-P42X1 Plasma Tv

Model: Panasonic TC-P42X1
Description: 720p resolution HD plasma TV
Resolution: 1366 X 768
Reviewer: Jack Burden
Date: Summer 2009

We accurately predicted back in March 2009 that the price on the X1 720p models would be compelling. The TC-P42X1 can be purchased for around $750 at Best Buy or Amazon as of June 2009. The 50X1 is only a couple hundred dollars more so we were somewhat disappointed by the 42X1 price. We suspect Samsung's PN42B450 model is a better performer at a slightly lower price. The LG 42PQ30 also shows promising features in the 42” size at around $700.The 42” size range for plasma is really seeing a lot of competition from LCD TV models.