This sucks, I'm mad

[Onuris]

I was talking to one of our reps earlier at work, and he told me that Pioneer is discontinuing all of their plasma TVs/monitors next year, including the top of the line Kuro Pro models. So here I am still up after 1am fretting over this.

I cannot believe that they are doing this, as the Kuros are by far the absolute best flat panel displays on the market, bar none. There a few good plasmas from other manufacturers, such as Panasonic's VIERA line and Samsung Series8 but none of them even come close to the Kuro Pros, esp when it comes to the black levels and video processing capabilities. And esp in a dark room, none of the LCDs on the market come close to them either. I have a Kuro Pro-141FD 60" monitor in my bedroom system, and absolutely love it. It has just as nice of an overall picture as the Marantz VP-11S2 projector in my theater.

Well due to the fact that they have a brighter image on a lit showroom floor, and the fact that there are higher profit margins for them by the chain stores, LCDs far outsell plasmas. So with the economy the way it is, slow plasma sales, esp. with the Pros, as they are the most expensive, I suppose it makes some sense that Pioneer is doing this.

So it looks like we are going to stock up on these as much as we can, and hold on to some of them until something comes out that surpasses them. I have a bit of a feeling of deja-vu with this, as several years ago, before the LCD and plasmas became popular and improved, Pioneer Elite had the best rear-projection TVs on the market. Was dismayed when they were discontinued. But even today, Mitsubishi still makes excellent rear projection TVs in their LaserVue line that far surpass the old Pioneers, and in fact are just as good as the Kuro Pros in most areas, even better in some actually.

So I suppose I should just go get some sleep and look forward to what the future has in store...

 

[Wattnot]

It's the Betamax all over again. A superior format killed by ignorance and marketing.:candle:

 

[LuxLuthor]

If you have any spare Kuros, you can send me one. Like you said, I'm guessing the $4,000+ TV market is limited now. I couldn't justify that price for a TV, and I'm looking for a nice one.

 

[Max_Power]

What about the LED TVs I keep hearing so much good buzz about? Aren't they supposed to have an amazing black level which makes for the best contrast since CRTs? What's the catch that we aren't being told about?

 

[Onuris]

Lux, what size are you looking for, where is it going to go, what is your price range? I can perhaps give you some ideas.

 

[Onuris]

What about the LED TVs I keep hearing so much good buzz about? Aren't they supposed to have an amazing black level which makes for the best contrast since CRTs? What's the catch that we aren't being told about?

Yes, many have very good black levels compared with LCDs of the past. Same with image blur, newer LCD's are much better with faster refresh rates, but still behind what the best plasmas and rear projection units can achieve. LCDs are getting better and better, and are superior where the ambient light levels are higher. And some of the less expensive plasmas can still be subject to some "ghosting" and image burn-in. LCDs will have a slightly better resolution compared to the same size plasma, but it is not really noticeable. For contrast/black levels, gray scaling, color accuracy and saturation, depth perception, and viewing angles, plasma is far superior. But in a well-lit room, a plasma's image will appear to be washed out. LCSs strong points are better brightness/white levels, less power consumption, and resistant to burn-in of static images.

So if you are going to use the TV in a room where there is high ambient light, an LCD will give a better picture. But in a darkened room or at night, a plasma is better. And if you want the best of both in most areas, and as big a screen as possible for the price, the Mitsubishi rear projections are the way to go.

 

[Onuris]

It's the Betamax all over again. A superior format killed by ignorance and marketing.:candle:

I would not say that plasmas are dead yet, but it is not looking good. Hopefully Pioneer will sell their Kuro technology to another manufacturer.

Yeah, and about the ignorance thing, it seems that not to many years ago, everyone wanted a plasma TV, and for good reason, they were the greatest thing to come along in quite a while. Now the industry and stores are hyping LCDs, and everyone except the videophiles are jumping on the bandwagon. The good thing I suppose is that technology is poured into the development of LCDs, so they are getting better all the time. I cannot see that they will ever fully match plasmas, but perhaps they will lead to new developments and a format that will be better.

 

[Patriot]

It's sucks but you can pretty much blame the economy. Hang in there though because they're fixing everything as we speak........... Like just the other day I got free health insurance.




:ironic:




In any case I'm more of a DLP and front projection fan but I'd be bummed if they discontinued my favorite format to appease the consumer masses. I agree though that at their current rate of development LCD's will be closing the gap rapidly. In 3-5 years it could be a whole new ball game.

 

[Onuris]

It's sucks but you can pretty much blame the economy. Hang in there though because they're fixing everything as we speak........... Like just the other day I got free health insurance.




:ironic:

LOL

In any case I'm more of a DLP and front projection fan but I'd be bummed if they discontinued my favorite format to appease the consumer masses. I agree though that at their current rate of development LCD's will be closing the gap rapidly. In 3-5 years it could be a whole new ball game.

I am a big fan of all the formats, depending on the application. I have Marantz front projection w/ 104" CinemaScope screen in my dedicated home theater. And an Epson PowerLite 1080p outside under my deck that projects onto a retractable screen for evening outdoor entertaining. In my living room resides a 65" Mitsubishi LaserVue DLP since it is viewed both at night and during the day. Awesome picture as well. I chose the Pioneer Kuro Pro in the master suite since we only watch at night in there. For gaming in our multi-media room, in the kitchen, master bath, rec room, hot tub/sitting room, and in the pole barn there are Sony Bravia XBR and Samsung 8500 LED LCDs.

You would be correct that it will be a new ball game in 3-5 years, if not sooner. We are on the brink of the next great thing in flat panels with OLED, SED, and quadruple full-HD. And there is promising technology for true 3D projectors using holographic volumetric displays, no screen or 3D glasses needed, just a dark or neutral background. And multiple projectors in a cybersphere will allow the images to be projected all around the viewer, immersing one right into the middle of the action. Exciting stuff. Perhaps even some day true virtual reality like in the movie Total Recall will be viable as well.

 

[AlexGT]

Hi Onuris!

What Mitsubishi rear projection models you think are good? I am looking for a big screen TV for a room in my new house and someone is selling a used Mitsubishi WS-65413 1080p 65" TV for around $400

What do you think? What should I look out for?

Thanks!
AlexGT

 

[Onuris]

Hi Onuris!

What Mitsubishi rear projection models you think are good? I am looking for a big screen TV for a room in my new house and someone is selling a used Mitsubishi WS-65413 1080p 65" TV for around $400

What do you think? What should I look out for?

Thanks!
AlexGT

If I remember correctly that is one of the Silver Plus units from about 5 years ago. They are pretty good TVs, can't go wrong for that much screen size at that price if it is in good condition. I thnk they were around $2500 new. As with many TVs, the most common problem it might have is a power supply that goes bad. If you can test the components with a multimeter and know how to solder, they are not hard to repair. I believe the display format for it is 1080i, not 1080p. So you can take full advantage of HDTV since it is broadcast at 1080i or 720p.