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In Reply to: Panasonic vs. Pioneer Plasmas posted by townsend on September 24, 2005 at 20:56:31:

1) Pioneer appear to be narrowing the gap and achieving a more "Panasonic" black.
Yes, they are now getting close to Panasonic's trademark Black Levels.

2) Doesn't Pioneer already have a reputation for superior colors?
Superior? "Eye-popping" colors, yes: natural colors, no. Panasonic has the more natural color presentation, but will look muted when next to a Pioneer.
3) Unless one does a commercial Panny, you are stuck with the dumb built-in speakers. With the Pioneer, they can be removed.
Removeable speakers are a nice option, but most people (the Best Buy/Circuit City shoppers, not videophiles) prefer speakers on the "TV".

4) I actually prefer the styling of the Pioneer (piano black frame and separate media unit).
I too prefer the black to silver, but it would be nice for each company to make both colors and give the consumer the option of choosing what they want: black or silver.
The media box is a double-edged sword. It's nice to have just one cable going to the display by plugging everything into the media box. But the electronics in the media box, not the display, will be the limiting factor with new technology and/or connections. Look at Sharp's media box solution, for instance. Some of their Flat Panel displays are capable of better, but the media box limits their capability.
5) Pioneer's two HDMI inputs vs. Panny's one--I definitely will need two.
Yes, that's a nice addition. But an HDMI switcher is about $249 and the Pioneer is >$249 more (a lot more) than a Panasonic.
Questions: isn't the peak light output (1100 lumens) higher on Pioneer than Panasonic (780 lumens)? A downside of Pioneer:
You actually want high peak light output (especially when using a display in a well lit environment), but many manufacturers use this number to deceivingly impress people. Contrast Ratio is another number that's often given as an inflated value. High Contrast Ratio means nothing if you watch in a dimly lit or dark room: it's Black Level performance that counts. It's a lot harder to decrease Black Levels than it is to increase light output. In other words, it doesn't really mean a lot if a company brags about a higher Contrast Ratio or more light output (although it's nice if you watch in a well lit room or in daylight conditions) if they haven't gotten their Black Levels down. Pioneer, after years and years of being told to work on this problem, seems to finally have listened to the videophile community.
I'm not positive, but I think the Panny is cheaper . .
Not cheaper, just less expensive.
As always, more info is just a click away...

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