Top Rated 50 Inch 52 Inch HDTV
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Editor's Choice: Pioneer KURO PDP 5020FD and Panasonic TH-50PZ800U
Price Comparison Table For All Top Rated HDTVs
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Pioneer KURO PDP-5020FD Price Drop!
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PDP-5020FD/6020FD Markets Stabilize, Prices Drop
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(July 15, 2008 HDTV-News.org) After an initial run-on-the-bank that depleted initial stocks of Pioneer KURO PDP-5020FD and PDP-6020FD HDTVs and drove would-be buyer's into a panic, the market seems to have stabilized with adequate supplies available at most online and retail outlets. In fact in recent days prices dropped. Yesterday the PDP-5020FD was available on Amazon for just under $3000, the lowest price we've seen so far, and the PDP-6020FD was available at Amazon for $4000, also the lowest price we've seen so far.
Prices of last year's model, the 50-inch PDP-5010FD, have also dropped. The PDP-5010FD can be had at Second Act for $2399 (using coupon code 2nd1120), about $500 less than the newer PDP-5020FD. We've seen both models and would seriously consider saving the extra bucks, and go for the PDP-5010FD. At $2400 there is no other HDTV, LCD or Plasma, that even comes close to matching the incredible picture quality of the 5010FD. However we do agree that the 5020FD blacks are deeper. In the end it comes down to personal preference and budget and have no criticism whatsoever of anyone that choses to spend the extra bucks for the newer PDP-5020FD.
Here's the market as of July 16, 2008:
50" Plasma
Pioneer PDP-5020FD $2939 at Amazon
50" Plasma
Pioneer PDP-5020FD $3199 at J&R
50" Plasma
Pioneer PDP-5020FD $3499 at OneCall
50" Plasma
Pioneer PDP-5010FD $2499 at SecondAct
50" Plasma
Pioneer PDP-5010FD $2599 at TigerDirect
60" Plasma
Pioneer PDP-6020FD $4299 at J&R
60" Plasma
Pioneer PDP-6020FD $4003 at Amazon
60" Plasma
Pioneer PDP-6020FD $4499 at OneCall
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Concerned Buyers Flock to Pioneer 5020FD & 6020FD
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(July 3, 2008 HDTV-News.org) Pioneer today acknowledged that consumer feedback reveals that the primary driver behind the huge demand and resulting supply shortage of new generation Pioneer KURO 9G models PDP-5020FD and PDP-6020FD is buyer concern that future models may not live up to the standards set by the current models.
Pioneer recently announced an outsourcing partnership for future plasma models. This year's models will be the last of the in-house Pioneer plasmas. Pioneer claims that future models will meet or exceed consumer expectations. But buyers are not convinced, and they want the world's greatest HDTV today.
Initial sales of PDP-5020FD and PDP-6020FD models are at record levels. Many large B&M stores and internet retailers sold out their initial shipments within 48 hours. In fact in some cases the sets never hit the floors. They were pre-committed to a huge backlog of pre-orders, many at MSRP no doubt.
Currently availability is a mixed bag. For example earlier this week Amazon indicated they were out of stock of 5020FDs, but over the course of the day the set popped up on their site at three different prices through two different third party sellers. As of this writing Amazon is offering both models, at substantial discounts no less. It will be interesting to see how long they last.
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Panasonic Viera TH-50PZ800U
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All Top Rated HDTVs This Size
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50-inch 1080p Plasma--World's Best HDTV
50-inch 1080p Plasma HDTV.
Ranked as Best-of-the-Best by C|Net, the 2008 Panasonic TH-50PZ800U comes mighty close to the vaunted blacks of the above KURO models. This set's THX mode adds significantly improved color and video processing performance. The THX certification is the big step-up feature between Panasonic's TH-PZ85U series and the TH-PZ800U models such as the TH-50PZ800U. The certification involves testing in a number of categories such as contrast ratio and color accuracy, according to THX, and the TH-50PZ800U has a special THX picture preset that, when engaged, causes the TV's picture to comply with the certification. Color accuracy is excellent. The image is perfectly uniform across the screen, and viewing angles are superb, with none of the drop-off in contrast or color accuracy typical of LCD. Overall, a fantastic set. The only set that comes close to matching the picture quality of the Pioneer KURO line. Priced below the top pick Pioneer PDP-5010FD/5020FD.
