I'm going to be buying the 50", 720p Kuro within a few months. I'm totally psyched.

I picked up the 42" 720p Kuro Elite a few weeks ago and it's amazing. While it is expensive it does blow away any other flat panel I've seen. Prior to it I had picked up the 42" 720p Panasonic and it went back to the store 2 days later, no matter what I did the picture was way too soft.

@robg: How far are you sitting from the TV? I'm debating whether or not I need the 50".

For those serious about their picture quality, yes, plasma will be king until OLED/SED/FED/Magical Brain Ray become available on the market. A display technology that makes its own colored light will always be able to one-up those that transmit light through something.

That's why I wish Sony would kill its (arguably floundering) computer entertainment divisions entirely... put those billions of dollars and man-hours into beating the crap out of Samsung in the OLED race. Winning the "First To Market" ribbon doesn't guarantee you'll be first to reach 60" on my wall.

Will the 720p Kuros still look better than Native 1080p LCDs?

noob question, is there still a potential problem for burn in on the plasmas that there used to be? also, do they still have problems when you use them at higher elevations?

Both Gizmodo and Home Theater are using the wrong picture of the 110FD. The picture they're using is of the Pioneer 5010FD, which is the non-Elite version of the 110FD. You can tell the difference between the sets because the Elite 110FD has speakers on the side while the 5010FD has a speaker bar on the bottom. Check out the pics on Pioneer's site:

5010FD:
[www.pioneerelectronics.com],,2076_310069733_477423263,00.html

110FD:
[www.pioneerelectronics.com],,2076_310069729_477134668,00.html

Seems like there are plenty of LCDs on their list of buying recommendations

[www.hometheatermag.com]

@Aloof:
You can search the web like I did last year, and read about visual accuity and the minimum degrees in radians that the human eye can discern at certain distance, etc.. etc.. etc..
I read a study done in England that pretty much summed it all. About 75% of the population cannot see beyond 720 lines at 6 feet.
This is why 1080 did not take off until it was deemed a MUST to compete with other brands. The associated cost of 1080 did not do much for the average user since the "average" (~ 75% of population) cannot see the difference.

With that said, disregard the 720 vs. 1080 debate unless you have good eyesight and can actually see pixels (the "granularity" of the image) in a 42" TV at about 5 ~ 6 Ft. If that is the case, you need 1080 resolution.

As far as size is concern... my best advise is use your existing set (or go to a store) with a tape measure.
Get as close or as far as you deem necessary to get the picture size you like...(ie: do you want to eat the screen and view a movie all the way to your peripheral vision or have it in your central vision area?).
Once you are confortable with the viewing size, stretch your arms and measure using the tape the relative size of the screen you are watching.
(ie: an actual 42" screen might measure about 24" relative when measured at arms distance)
Go home and do the same from the place where you are going to be viewing. Project the measured size at an arm's length and see what size it comes out to be on the wall...

I personally need a 55"to 65" set to view it from about 10~12 feet....
So I'm saving... =( because I need about $5K + for what I want in size...

@jeepingeek: The problem has been largely eliminated, especially in higher-end models. I have a not-so-high end LG plasma,
and it gets burn in, but it's always temporary,
and it's so mild it's only noticeable on total black. Plasma FTW!

I’m still sifting through a few weeks of unopened mail, but noticed Engadget and Gizmodo discussing HDTV reviews in the latest issue of Consumer Reports. Low and behold, after flipping through the mag, it turns out my Panasonic plasma is their top rated 42″ set.

LCD is great for small displays, but when it comes to large displays nothing beats a nice plasma. I love my 50" Panny. I wouldn't worry about burn in. I've played countless hours of 360 on it with no problems.

am the only one who still likes DLP?? i ahve a sony xbr 3lcd DLP and it has one of the best pictures i have ever seen. granted i cant hang it on my wall, but who cares. its less than 12" thick at its thickest point and weighs less than 50lbs. plus, the picture is amazing. better than any of my friends who have plasma/LCD

@babaki: I thought you could either be DLP or LCD, not both. Haven't been a fan of DLP because I could notice rainbowing in an earlier DLP projector I had. Seems like the issue has improved over the years (like Plasmas & burn in).

I still think projectors are the real way to go. 10+ feet of screen real estate for a little over a $1000. Hard to beat that.

@aec007: Bravo.
Correct you are with respect to visually detecting the difference between 720 and 1080p. The issue the Kuro presents is that 1080p plasmas are available for the steep price of the 720p Kuro. Nothing is broadcast in 1080p however as a PS3 owner I feel compelled to go 1080p -until the steep price delta is taken into account.

The fact that it appears tv prices have jumped since this summer is a drag. Does anyone know if this is typical of the industry until after Super Bowl weekend?

Of course the Panasonic is best in Consumer Reports. That's who gave them the biggest paycheck that month. It was always funny to me that one month's Consumer Reports has a panasonic as "the best", the next month a Sony is "The best" and the 3rd month the very same panasonic is "the best" once again. Consumer Reports is a big joke. I can't wait to pick up one of these Pioneers.

I had the chance to see the 12 or so inch OLED prototype by Sony at the latest computer expo in Taipei last month. It was a small screen, but judging from its stunning quality, I have no doubt it will beat LCD and plasma when it eventually comes to market. OLED sounds impressive on paper, but is really impressive in person.

On the other hand, the success of large OLED displays also depends on the source of the signal. What's the point of a great display, when your source can only input mediocre signals. I only witnessed the full capacity of my plasma screen (after I had bought it for over an year) after I recently plugged in a PS3 with Blueray.

mmmm..it looked stunning because it was on a 12 inch screen. everything does.