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Reviewed by: mrpaul
07-15-07
Duration of ownership:
1
Months
Strengths: Truly deep blacks. Clarity of images is stunning. Has a scaler to scale the blue ray 1080p signal, and watching a blue ray disc I could not believe this was not a 1080P Elite model which costs $3000 more. Has new Optimum picture setting which automatically adjusts picture depending how much light is hitting the screen. If you want the best, don't settle for any other brand.
Weaknesses:Yes, it is more expensive. Other sets on market half the price, but nowhere near this picture quality.
Overall Evaluation: Due to its price, this tv at $3499 regular price is not for everyone. But if you want absolutely stunning picture quality, and only occasionally rent movies, you can buy a Blue Ray player and rent movies in Blue Ray and this tv "scales" it to really awesome picture quality close to the quality of the Elite 1080P model which costs $3000 more. A great choice you will enjoy as much as my wife and I do every day for years to come. Remember to break it in properly by using the "Movie" setting for 100 hours, then adjust back to Optimum and enjoy.
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Reviewed by: robertk67
03-30-08
Duration of ownership:
2
Months
Strengths: Unbelievable blacks!Four HDMI inputsCrisp picture quality
Weaknesses:Puts out a lot of heat, even after being adjusted professionally - nothing else really - it is great set and hard to criticize
Overall Evaluation: I got this set at Bestbuy after seeing it on display. It was a toss up between this one and a 46 inch Samsung LCD. This was on an incredible sale at the time I bought it and so it is now in my living room. What people say about glare on the screen is true to some extent, but I work all day and usually watch TV with the blinds drawn and a single lamp on, so it is no problem for me. During the day when there is more light coming in, I do notice some glare on the screen, but the overall picture quality of this set more than makes up for this. This thing has 4 HDMI inputs which is even more than I need. Nothing like having expansion possibilities for the future. I don't have a Blu-Ray or HD-DVD yet, but I do have a DVD player with an HDMI upconversion output and that thing even blows away the picture. Dish Network HD channels look awesome on this thing, especially things like ESPN HD and Discover HD. There is no ghosting like on some LCD's when watching fast action sports like football. I got this baby right before the Superbowl and it was unbelievable to watch on it. If you buy this Plasma or any other one, I would highly recommend to burn it in for a month or so and then have it professionally calibrated. It cost me $300 to have it done, but it sure makes a difference in the heat emittance and the overall picture quality. If you have never owned a plasma TV then you might think that the retailer is trying to pull one over on you to tell you that you need to have the TV calibrated for $300, I sure did, but read up on it and found that it is a necessary expense. I found that when shopping for an HDTV, it is best to go to one of the stores that have viewing rooms with darker rooms which give you a more realistic copy of your living room environment. If you go to a big box store with lots of overhead lighting, then you don't really get a good idea of what the picture will look like once you get the baby into your living room at the house. When the tech came to my house and tuned the TV, he hooked up a laptop to my TV and showed me the differences between what my set was upon initial setup and after calibration and it sure was remarkable what a difference this calibration made. Anyway, to sum it all up, I don't really have anything negative to say about this TV and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a 50" Plasma. Don't let the 720 resolution fool you. I couldn't see a difference between this one and the 1080 set by some other competitors with comparably priced sets. I sit about 7-8 feet away and the picture on this thing is awesome! Hope this helped in your purchase decision.
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Reviewed by: charliemaxPG
03-23-08
Duration of ownership:
2
Months
Strengths: Rich, sumptuous colors as a result of the blacks. No-nonsense engineering. Excellent handling of Standard sources.
Weaknesses:Quibbles, not weaknesses. Dark gray sidebars on 4:3 screen shape. Could use some more manual adjustments to totally clean up Standard signals. But nobody has them.
Overall Evaluation: I have been through this before. Tubes to transistors/chips. Vinyl records to CDs. Film cameras to digital cameras. Each time a quantum leap of technology occurred, the initial cost of convenience and superior detail was an over etched, over bright product. The new, (unquestionably) superior technology then spends some number of years working at imitating the engaging properties of the passed technology.--It's the same with the jump from tube TVs to the HDTV flat panels. To my eye the HDTV panels, particularly the LCDs, have bland color contrast in the entry level models, and annoying pixels flying all over the place in most every model. They lack the smooth presentation of the old tube sets.--During these transition periods, it always seems there is one product which focuses more on the quality of the experience, than a quantity of superduper marketing specs, and crap you think you want at the store, but don't really find so important when you get it home in actual use.--Enter the Pioneer PDP-5080HD.--Set-up: The TV with an HDMI cable to a Comcast cable box. A plain old SONY DVD player with an S-Video input. And a borrowed Blu-Ray DVD player, with an HDMI input cable.--First I went to the AVSForum and picked up the "reference settings". These are the ones you should use during a "break in" period of about 200 hours. They put no excessive strain on the picture elements. I'm not going to go through all of the settings. There are about 5 preset settings like Standard, Movie, Game and one called "User". You use this to store the reference settings.--Since you are used to the screaming brightness, contrast, sharpness settings of the HDTVs in the stores, you may think for about 2 minutes that the overall picture is just a tad dark and muted. Then you actually begin to watch.--HD picture - The picture is incredibly detailed and sharp like all HDTVs. But the presentation is smooth and creamy where it should be. The colors are outright lush. Faces are not scarred with hot (overly bright) pixels. They look like real faces with subtle complexion flush and pale. There are no run away pixels from fast motion. In a movie, you see everything that the cinematographer wanted you to see, and the way he wanted you to see it. Sports, which are filled with runaway pixels and other junk on most panels, are bright, crisp and clear. It goes hot and fast when the content demands it, it suckers you in when it closes up to your current hot actor/actress.-It is hard to explain, but the picture engages you to watch. It is something not found on spec sheets. It is the one attribute which makes an audio or video product a "classic". Even though technology may go past it, you will make up excuses to keep it around somewhere. It will continue to be the comfortable chair which fits you just right. While the new techno, heated, vibrating, fully automatic lounger is absolutely excellent, you will sneak back because the picture had some kind of "just right" to it.-- NOTE: If you insist on blowing yourself away with the screaming of brights, the sharpest of sharps etc.. there is plenty of range in the settings to burn your eyes and set your hair on fire.--Standard source - There's still all of the standard signals and DVDs around, and an HDTV will show you every single little distortion in them. A lot of the panels out there forgot this. Standard sources are horrible, unless you include some processing to keep them presentable. This is a big plus for me with the PDP-5080HD. Pioneer does a good job of rendering SD and regular DVDs. You can see evidence of noise reduction and picture tweeking going on, but the total picture is about an equivalent quality to the SD or DVD on your old tube set.--Blu-Ray - Whoa! It's more about the disc than the TV. The 720p is all I need and a bag of chips. I have done the side by side comparison with 1080p in a theater store. On two Pioneers. You have to have a really good eye and have your face planted a few feet from the TV to notice there is more detail. What was more important to me, the picture on the 5080HD gets a good handful of degrees closer to real. I mean scary real.-- Sound - The wife and I aren't theater sound yet. It's a small viewing area (10X15)and we like to be close and immersed in the picture. The speakers are fine. If you want a big jump, just add a subwoofer. I ran a line straight from the subwoofer outlet on the 5080HD to a powered sub-woofer. For our listening it fills out great, with the occasional punch in the chest.--So that's about it. If you want to get the other stuff about the PDP-5080HD, hit a pro review somewhere. Everything that I would want to know about a video product is above.--All I can add is that the PDP-5080HD is about rounding out its product cycle. So its price is down, if you consider "down" meaning reasonable. Pioneer's pricing is normally way out of my range.-Get one. It is truly unique, in a sea of sameness.
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Reviewed by: Ja318
02-27-08
Duration of ownership:
Strengths: Best in class blacks, accurate colors, beautiful picture
Weaknesses:720p, about to be discontinued by Pioneer (that's progress)
Overall Evaluation: I had been looking at these sets since the 7th generation came out, then waited (and waited) until the current 8th generation Kuro sets were released. The wait was worth it. This generation is a huge leap forward compared to anything else out there. You still get the warm, beautiful picture that the Pioneers were known for, but now the contrast is simply amazing. And you don't get the blocky pixelation that LCD's have. Totally recommended, especially at the falling prices which are approaching half of the initial release price.
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Reviewed by: ddarrin
02-24-08
Duration of ownership:
1
Months
Strengths: The tv produces very deep levels of black color in comparison to comparable sets. Nice price point for the quality of this set.
Weaknesses:I guess the only thing I would consider a weakness with reference to the 5080 is the fact that it is 720p not full 1080p.
Overall Evaluation: I had been looking to replace our 27in tv and after researching for about a year, I purchased the 5080 at BB on sale for 1999.00 (normally 2499.00) They wouldn't use the 10% off coupon stating is was only on retail price. Anyway, I pulled the trigger on this badboy for several reasons. First, The picture is great! Comparing it in BB, the colors looked very natural and the blacks were darker. Some of the other sets, the Sony XBR in particular, seemed brighter, but almost to the point that it was hurting my eyes to look at it for any extended time. I have comcast and recently upgraded to get HD content and it does look alot better than SD. Although I have no problem watching SD programs on the 5080, the shows such as Nova or HD broadcasts look phenomenal. With regard to the fact that the highest output is 720p, from what I've read, unless you're sitting fairly close to the set you probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference between 720 and 1080. And most broadcasts will be 720. I would definitely recommend this tv for its overall value and quality. A couple of quick tips: 1. Set the screen size to Auto and it will automatically adjust the screen. You don't want side bars or widescreen during the initial break in of 200 or so hours. 2. After I'm done playing the Wii, I have to press the pc input button, then the tv input button on the remote or the speakers seem muted. I'm not sure why. If you find that you are turning the sound level above 30 or more something is wrong. 3. Also, if you have comcast hd box, make sure you have it set to 720p
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