Crave

The Pioneer PDP-5020FD is an absolutely fantastic HDTV with outstanding black levels, but ultimately we preferred the Panasonic TH-50PZ800U.

For quite some time, the battle for CNET's "Best HDTV Overall" has essentially been between Pioneer's and Panasonic's plasmas. Plasma technology may be losing market share every year, but it's still the clear winner when it comes to image quality, thanks to deep, rich blacks that LCDs still can't match. And the conventional wisdom lately has basically been that Pioneer is the best bet for flat-panel videophiles, due to its industry-best black levels (excluding Sony's little OLED set.)

We posted our full review of the Pioneer Kuro PDP-5020FD on Friday, and home theater buffs are likely to be surprised that it's actually rated lower the Panasonic Viera TH-50PZ800U. We fully expected the resulting angry e-mails and hundred-post AVS Forum threads, so it's worth explaining the ratings, which we've put a lot of thought into. Our opinions are all in the review, but here's the short version:

Pioneer crippled the picture controls
If you're into home theater, you know that a properly adjusted display requires some tweaking in the user menu to get it to look its best. Unfortunately--and somewhat inexplicably--Pioneer dropped many of the picture controls that would allow savvy owners to get a better picture on the PDP-5020FD. You can't adjust the color temperature or the primary colors, which is a real issue because the primary colors of the PDP-5020FD aren't that close to the broadcast standard. More picture controls are available on the step-up Pioneer Elite Kuro PRO-111FD, but be prepared to spend about $5,000 for it.

The diminishing returns of blacker blacks
We love deep blacks on HDTVs. Nothing makes a picture pop more than rich blacks, and it's the the biggest component of what makes an image look good. That being said, the closer we get to "absolute black" and infinite contrast ratios, the less incremental increases in black level affect the overall picture quality--in our experience. When we compared the PDP-5020FD and the TH-50PZ800U side-by-side, there was no doubt the that Pioneer is the black-level king, but both sets are so good at getting dark that we felt that color accuracy wound up being a more important factor--and the Panasonic easily trumped Pioneer in this regard.

The new design negatively affects the viewing experience
This might seem like a major nitpick, but I noticed this as soon as I sat down to watch the PDP-5020FD. The frame surrounding the actual panel is very reflective, and the panel itself it inset a significant amount. The problem is that in a completely dark room, you can easily see the light from the screen reflecting off the inside of the bezel, which makes it look like a halo surrounding the screen--very annoying. This may not show up in every home theater, but it's definitely distracting, especially on an HDTV that's built for videophiles who care about details like that.

The PDP-5020FD is really expensive
This didn't necessarily go into the rating, but there's no denying that for the vast majority of buyers, the Pioneer PDP-5020FD just isn't worth the huge premium over the Panasonic TH-50PZ800U. The difference is about $1,500 at current market prices, and we really had a hard time finding reasons to justify the extra cost. Yes, the PDP-5020FD produces the darkest blacks of any plasma we've reviewed, but the Panasonic TH-50PZ800U has great blacks as well and its color is a whole lot more accurate.

That being said, let's not lose sight of the fact that the Pioneer PDP-5020FD is still an exceptional HDTV--we rated it 8.4 overall, which is pretty darn high on our scale.

What do you think? Do you think the Pioneer's superdark blacks make it the best set, or do you think the Panasonic's excellent performance for $1,500 less is a steal? Sound off in the comments.

Though revenue from plasma display panels (PDPs) shipments is on an upswing right now, that's not going to last, according to iSuppli.

It's been predicted for some time now that liquid crystal display (LCD) panels would eat away at the plasma industry, and now market research indicates that plasma panels--including the kind used in TVs--will reach their revenue-generating peak in the next two years. Plasma makers made $7.7 billion last year, and are on track to make $8.6 billion this year. In 2008, they'll top out at $10.2 billion, according to iSuppli.

It's all downhill after that, with heavy price competition from the LCD industry to blame. Though this has been predicted for a while now, PDPs have actually enjoyed a slight boost in growth recently because of the competition among all panel makers, more efficient manufacturing processes and lower costs for materials. All these factors have lowered prices and increased sales lately, but it's not going to last, and revenue will begin to fall, iSuppli says.

For the first quarter of 2007, the world's largest plasma panel maker, Matsushita, retained its lead with 31.5 percent of the market, followed by LG with 24.7 percent and Samsung SDI with a 22.9 percent share.

In what's likely related news, Matsushita, which sells plasmas TVs under the Panasonic brand in the U.S., announced today that it would broaden its LCD lineup to include 37-inch TVs.

Though Japanese television manufacturers have mostly ditched tube TV manufacturing, their Chinese counterparts are just getting started exporting the sets.

In 2007, China's TV exports will for the first time surpass its domestic shipments, according to a new report from market research firm iSuppli. That's a direct result of Japan's TV makers' decision to focus on the more lucrative business of flat-panel sets, which bring in significantly higher margins, said Kathleen Zhang, iSuppli's China analyst. China will export 39.6 million TVs this year, and ship 38.3 million domestically, iSuppli said.

(Credit: Erica Ogg/CNET News.com)

Though more U.S. buyers have begun to snap up these high-definition flat panels, much of the rest of the world is still buying CRTs (cathode ray tubes), mostly because they're more affordable in small to midrange sizes and there's less demand for giant television sets in places other than the U.S. That's good news for China.

The bad news is though low prices might still be attractive in the North American market, the U.S. transition to digital television and high tariffs--up to $20 per set--on Chinese imports pose problems for China's manufacturers.

As of March, all TVs sold in the U.S. must have both a digital and analog tuner for the upcoming switch to all-digital over-the-air television transmissions, which will officially begin in 2009. Putting a digital tuner in a set is more expensive and if consumers have to upgrade their TV, many will likely go with an LCD or plasma while they're at it.

However, iSuppli says it expects China to adjust well and continue to increase its TV exports despite these factors. The market for televisions exported from China could be up to 54.5 million by 2011, the firm says.

Pioneer's new plasma TVs boast the technology's best-ever black levels

(Credit: Pioneer)

Gizmodo's got the early scoop on the new Pioneer plasmas. Early prototypes of these eighth-generation panels turned heads when they were originally on display at January's Consumer Electronics Show, and the company has finally supplied the pricing and availability details for the entire line:

Pioneer PDP-4280HD (42-inch, $2,700, June)
Pioneer PDP-5080HD (50-inch, $3,500, June)
Pioneer Elite PRO-950HD (42-inch, $3,200, July)
Pioneer Elite PRO-1150HD (50-inch, $4,500, July)

1080p models:
Pioneer PDP-5010FD (50-inch, $5,000, September)
Pioneer PDP-6010FD (60-inch, $6,500, September)
Pioneer Elite PRO-110FD (50-inch, $6,000, September)
Pioneer Elite PRO-150FD (60-inch, $7,500, September)

The big selling point that Pioneer is talking up on these models is the contrast ratio, which is said to be as high as 20,000:1 on some models. With flat-panel LCDs offering larger screen sizes, lower prices, and ever-better black levels (check out the Samsung LN-T4665F, for example), these new Pioneers are looking to raise the bar for plasma yet again. Senior Editor David Katzmaier--who's not easily impressed--suggested that the CES technology demons of the new plasma technology "evinced some of the deepest blacks" he'd seen yet in a flat-panel TV. And there's no denying that Pioneer has an impressive pedigree when it comes to plasma technology--its recent PRO-FHD1 and PDP-5070HD models are two of the three top-rated HDTVs on CNET Reviews. In other words, if you're a critical viewer who's in the market for a flat-panel TV, it's worth waiting a few weeks to see if the shipping versions of the new Pioneers deliver. (CNET will have full hands-on reviews as soon as samples are available.)

Read pricing and details of Pioneer's new plasmas (Gizmodo).

Additional resources:

• Read the CNET review: Pioneer PDP-5070HD
• Read the CNET review: Pioneer PRO-FHD1
• CNET editors' top TVs
• HDTV World