Customer Rating: 
Summary: Great TV - Great picture and great sound
Comment: Great price ~ $2,500 delivered in 3 days. Picture looks great with hdmi from cable box. Auto sizes screen depending on signal. Love it! Buy this TV.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Plasma but...
Comment: Honestly? I've been researching Plasma's and LCD's for about a solid year now. 1: LCD's are about 5 years behind Plasma TV's so if your local salesman tries telling you otherwise just compare pictures. The fact you notice Plasma's are VISIBLY deeper in color and crisper should give you a real good clue. Where as Plasma TV's are about a year from reaching true black levels, LCD's are easily 3 to 5 years away still. So I've fully decided on a Plasma. Not to mention overall, prices are now much more competitive with Plasma's.
Secondly, In comparing Plasma TV's two brands consistently rate among the top 2. The Pioneer Kuro and the Panasonic Viera. The lates Kuro Elite 50 inch (Soon to put out a 46 and 42 inch model which is more preferrable to me.) is rated as having almost near black level. The JUST receently released Panny alledgedly is even SLIGHTLY better by all color testing measures. I think it was released like last week and isn't even on the U.S Market yet. So anyway, I read this as I was about to buy the Panny 46 inch 800u NOT 80u. The Panny 800u is extremely highly rated and at a much more reasonable price than the entirely over priced Pioneer which caters to the upper income bracket. Silly if you ask me. Same technowledgy just high priced by a mile. So that narrowed my search to a Panny.
3: So I'm about to buy it when I read a just released report on next years models. It appears to be rumored both Panny and Pioneer intend to or have reached ACTUAL TRUE black levels. So that stopped me in my tracks. Why pay over 2 grand when next years Models will be far superior. The argument is they will always be better but from my research, with Digital the new standard in Feb and many needing new TV's, there will be an even bigger push to get out the most improved model possible next year to attract the new consumer. (Which is sorta bogus cause all you need is a cable box and wallah digital) but many will be completely duped into thinking they need a new TV. So with that new push for the latest tech, recent rumors and money conerns, I personally recommend waiting a year.
BUT, if you buy a TV? I myself recommend the 46 to 50 inch Panny Viera 800u. It's been consistently rated higher than the newer 850u and visually, I myself see no real difference to the Pioneer which is at least 1200 more.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Awesome TV but....
Comment: After doing countless hours of research on the best TVs, LCD or Plasma, Pioneer or Panasonic, I came to the conclusion that Pioneer Plasmas are the best. And then after reading countless reviews on how amazing this TV is I finally decided to get one. It was definitely a hefty price tag, but from what I read, it was well worth it. After watching a couple blu-ray movies from my PS3 and playing Oblivion it simply did not meet my expectations. Granted my expectations were extremely high after reading the reviews. I had upgraded from a 42" LG LCD and the difference was just not worth the price tag. It is definitely better. I love this TV but I guess i was just setting my expectations too high. I guess I simply wanted the images to pop out of the TV. And I don't know, maybe I'm doing something wrong. Maybe my settings are wrong, or the calibration, but it's just not what I thought it was gonne be. If you have the $3k-$4k to drop on a TV, by all means, drop it on this one. But if you don't, believe me when i say there are worthy alternatives for a much smaller price tag.
Customer Rating:
Summary: What kind of guy are you?
Comment: I typed a huge review and I ran out of space. This really pissed me off - but I like this TV enough that I'm rewriting a shorter and different kind of review.
WHAT KIND OF GUY ARE YOU? I'm a guy that wants things done right! "Right" being the way I think it should be done, because I'm a guy that thinks I'm smarter than most other guys, even if I'm not. I'm a guy that's pissed off at Amazon because I wasn't allowed enough space to write my original massive super detailed review. I'm a guy that is irritated when I have to ask a waitress more than once for the same thing. I'm a guy that's pissed off when airlines charge for a second bag or for a beverage. I'm a guy that wants an iPhone more than anything but doesn't have one because I hate the way Apple is trying to force AT&T on me. I'm a guy that is planning to drop Comcast because they are planning to cap users internet usage even though I'll never come close to 250GB a month. I'm a guy that researches 20 different websites to find out every little detail about products I'm interested in. I'm a guy that will go into a store and ask employees a bunch of questions that I already know the answer to, just to see if they really know the product and are worth my time and money. I'm a guy that knows the difference between lossy and lossless. I'm a guy that will wait and wait for a new product so I have the newest thing on the block even though it's killing me. I'm a guy that will buy the best piece of gear that I know about and can afford. I'm a guy that will never buy Bose speakers. I'm a guy that will trade in a component XBOX360 to get one with HDMI, then feel stupid because it's only HDMI 1.2 instead 1.3. I'm a guy that researches whether the Farajouda chip or the Reon chip is better or if the Realta is really all that. I'm a guy that will buy 5 different HDMI cables and 3 different indoor antennae to see if the .99 Monoprice is as good as the Monster cable and then return whatever didn't make the cut. I'm a guy that will sit for hours and hours until I'm zombie at 3 am trying to figure out which of my AV components deinterlaces the best. I'm a guy that spent the cash on a Denon 4308CI AVR instead of the 3808CI because I wanted the wireless feature, but never use it because it would force me to run my wireless network at 802.11b/g instead of 802.11n. I'm a guy that believes in my heart that I can see a difference between 1080i and 1080p!
Are YOU the same as ME? If so, then this next line will help should help you choose a Television:
I'm a guy that bought a Pioneer Kuro. And it's awesome.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Superb television
Comment: I didn't know much about televisions when I bought this on the recommendation of a friend who has one. As somebody who doesn't know much about televisions I can't tell you much about the color saturation, refresh rates, black levels, contrast, or indeed many other technical topics. I can tell you, though, that the TV is a joy to watch. Super-clear picture, great color (once you take it out of "dynamic" mode and put it into "movie" mode), and even switched off it's very attractive in a black minimalistic kind of way.
Amazon delivered early, a pleasant surprise. The delivery firm was helpful and careful, and did everything I'd hope for in terms of getting the thing out of the box and mounting it on the stand.
Two small disappointments, neither a big deal:
1. The remote is pretty lame. The one with this TV is altogether fully-featured but otherwise dull and unimaginative. No attention to ergonomics or usability whatsoever. I know, I know, just like most remotes... but I'm a TiVo user so have high standards. They could have done much better, but I guess it wasn't their focus.
2. No way to disable inputs. This TV has a huge number of inputs (which is great) but there's no way to tell it "hey, there's nothing on inputs 1,2, and 6". That means that when you cycle through them you have to go via all the ones you're not using as well as the ones you are. I have a Sony LCD where you can disable certain inputs in the settings; works much better.
All in all, though: very happy indeed with this thing.
Summary: Great TV - Great picture and great sound
Comment: Great price ~ $2,500 delivered in 3 days. Picture looks great with hdmi from cable box. Auto sizes screen depending on signal. Love it! Buy this TV.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Plasma but...
Comment: Honestly? I've been researching Plasma's and LCD's for about a solid year now. 1: LCD's are about 5 years behind Plasma TV's so if your local salesman tries telling you otherwise just compare pictures. The fact you notice Plasma's are VISIBLY deeper in color and crisper should give you a real good clue. Where as Plasma TV's are about a year from reaching true black levels, LCD's are easily 3 to 5 years away still. So I've fully decided on a Plasma. Not to mention overall, prices are now much more competitive with Plasma's.
Secondly, In comparing Plasma TV's two brands consistently rate among the top 2. The Pioneer Kuro and the Panasonic Viera. The lates Kuro Elite 50 inch (Soon to put out a 46 and 42 inch model which is more preferrable to me.) is rated as having almost near black level. The JUST receently released Panny alledgedly is even SLIGHTLY better by all color testing measures. I think it was released like last week and isn't even on the U.S Market yet. So anyway, I read this as I was about to buy the Panny 46 inch 800u NOT 80u. The Panny 800u is extremely highly rated and at a much more reasonable price than the entirely over priced Pioneer which caters to the upper income bracket. Silly if you ask me. Same technowledgy just high priced by a mile. So that narrowed my search to a Panny.
3: So I'm about to buy it when I read a just released report on next years models. It appears to be rumored both Panny and Pioneer intend to or have reached ACTUAL TRUE black levels. So that stopped me in my tracks. Why pay over 2 grand when next years Models will be far superior. The argument is they will always be better but from my research, with Digital the new standard in Feb and many needing new TV's, there will be an even bigger push to get out the most improved model possible next year to attract the new consumer. (Which is sorta bogus cause all you need is a cable box and wallah digital) but many will be completely duped into thinking they need a new TV. So with that new push for the latest tech, recent rumors and money conerns, I personally recommend waiting a year.
BUT, if you buy a TV? I myself recommend the 46 to 50 inch Panny Viera 800u. It's been consistently rated higher than the newer 850u and visually, I myself see no real difference to the Pioneer which is at least 1200 more.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Awesome TV but....
Comment: After doing countless hours of research on the best TVs, LCD or Plasma, Pioneer or Panasonic, I came to the conclusion that Pioneer Plasmas are the best. And then after reading countless reviews on how amazing this TV is I finally decided to get one. It was definitely a hefty price tag, but from what I read, it was well worth it. After watching a couple blu-ray movies from my PS3 and playing Oblivion it simply did not meet my expectations. Granted my expectations were extremely high after reading the reviews. I had upgraded from a 42" LG LCD and the difference was just not worth the price tag. It is definitely better. I love this TV but I guess i was just setting my expectations too high. I guess I simply wanted the images to pop out of the TV. And I don't know, maybe I'm doing something wrong. Maybe my settings are wrong, or the calibration, but it's just not what I thought it was gonne be. If you have the $3k-$4k to drop on a TV, by all means, drop it on this one. But if you don't, believe me when i say there are worthy alternatives for a much smaller price tag.
Customer Rating:
Summary: What kind of guy are you?
Comment: I typed a huge review and I ran out of space. This really pissed me off - but I like this TV enough that I'm rewriting a shorter and different kind of review.
WHAT KIND OF GUY ARE YOU? I'm a guy that wants things done right! "Right" being the way I think it should be done, because I'm a guy that thinks I'm smarter than most other guys, even if I'm not. I'm a guy that's pissed off at Amazon because I wasn't allowed enough space to write my original massive super detailed review. I'm a guy that is irritated when I have to ask a waitress more than once for the same thing. I'm a guy that's pissed off when airlines charge for a second bag or for a beverage. I'm a guy that wants an iPhone more than anything but doesn't have one because I hate the way Apple is trying to force AT&T on me. I'm a guy that is planning to drop Comcast because they are planning to cap users internet usage even though I'll never come close to 250GB a month. I'm a guy that researches 20 different websites to find out every little detail about products I'm interested in. I'm a guy that will go into a store and ask employees a bunch of questions that I already know the answer to, just to see if they really know the product and are worth my time and money. I'm a guy that knows the difference between lossy and lossless. I'm a guy that will wait and wait for a new product so I have the newest thing on the block even though it's killing me. I'm a guy that will buy the best piece of gear that I know about and can afford. I'm a guy that will never buy Bose speakers. I'm a guy that will trade in a component XBOX360 to get one with HDMI, then feel stupid because it's only HDMI 1.2 instead 1.3. I'm a guy that researches whether the Farajouda chip or the Reon chip is better or if the Realta is really all that. I'm a guy that will buy 5 different HDMI cables and 3 different indoor antennae to see if the .99 Monoprice is as good as the Monster cable and then return whatever didn't make the cut. I'm a guy that will sit for hours and hours until I'm zombie at 3 am trying to figure out which of my AV components deinterlaces the best. I'm a guy that spent the cash on a Denon 4308CI AVR instead of the 3808CI because I wanted the wireless feature, but never use it because it would force me to run my wireless network at 802.11b/g instead of 802.11n. I'm a guy that believes in my heart that I can see a difference between 1080i and 1080p!
Are YOU the same as ME? If so, then this next line will help should help you choose a Television:
I'm a guy that bought a Pioneer Kuro. And it's awesome.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Superb television
Comment: I didn't know much about televisions when I bought this on the recommendation of a friend who has one. As somebody who doesn't know much about televisions I can't tell you much about the color saturation, refresh rates, black levels, contrast, or indeed many other technical topics. I can tell you, though, that the TV is a joy to watch. Super-clear picture, great color (once you take it out of "dynamic" mode and put it into "movie" mode), and even switched off it's very attractive in a black minimalistic kind of way.
Amazon delivered early, a pleasant surprise. The delivery firm was helpful and careful, and did everything I'd hope for in terms of getting the thing out of the box and mounting it on the stand.
Two small disappointments, neither a big deal:
1. The remote is pretty lame. The one with this TV is altogether fully-featured but otherwise dull and unimaginative. No attention to ergonomics or usability whatsoever. I know, I know, just like most remotes... but I'm a TiVo user so have high standards. They could have done much better, but I guess it wasn't their focus.
2. No way to disable inputs. This TV has a huge number of inputs (which is great) but there's no way to tell it "hey, there's nothing on inputs 1,2, and 6". That means that when you cycle through them you have to go via all the ones you're not using as well as the ones you are. I have a Sony LCD where you can disable certain inputs in the settings; works much better.
All in all, though: very happy indeed with this thing.