Pioneer KURO PDP-5020FD Review

Pioneer KURO PDP-5020FD - A great HDTV!

A member of the distinguished Kuro line from Pioneer, the PDP-5020FD is an extra-ordinary HDTV that delivers top-notch and unrivaled performance. Pioneer proves that it reigns supreme when it comes to the large plasmas, though high-quality does come with a hefty tag. The PDP-5020FD is in fact the cheapest in the Kuro series for this year, yet it still costs much more than competing brands.

Design

Pioneer maintained the unadorned look of its plasmas in the PDP-5020FD - a shiny black frame surrounding the screen with a removable speaker at the panel’s bottom. The clean sheer look is perfect, though the screen is not flushed with the frame, leaving a thin strip that reflects bright lights that may become distracting. Moreover, this set comes with a solid-looking, non-swiveling stand that limits viewing to only one position.

Pioneer re-designed its remote for this year and some of the changes aren’t quite welcome. The new remote ditched the different shapes for secondary functions and replaced these with tiny, uniformly-sized keys, added more buttons and arranged these in a neat grid that lends itself to frequent remote-pressing mistakes. The direct access to the TV’s inputs and glow-in-the-dark buttons are nice touches, though. The menu system was also overhauled, and gratefully, the changes implemented here are well-thought of and are quite welcome.

Screen/picture clarity

As usual, the PDP-5020FD gives the deepest black in HDTVs. This is expected, as Pioneer made the contrast ratio five times more intense than the previous models, affording never-before-seen black levels that pave the way for breathtaking images, impressive shadow details, and vibrant colors. There are color accuracy issues, with red and green deviating slightly from HD standards, but generally, these are not deal-breaking ones. The anti-reflective screen is also among the best, giving exceptional picture clarity even with open windows and bright lights.

Equipped with a dejudder and 72hz. refresh rates, the PDP-5020FD smoothed images and played Blu-ray discs without apparent issues, though some artifacts may arise when the dejudder is engaged. The plasma also deinterlaced 1080i sources and resolved standard-def materials quite well. Even as PC monitor, the PDP-5020FD resolved every line of the 1,920×1,080-pixel PC signal, when connected as digital.

Features

The PDP-5020FD is a non-Elite model in the Kuro line, so its features are relatively fewer. Picture control settings are limited, and it doesn’t have color temperature presets; it has seven picture presets, including the Optimum mode which adjusts intelligently according to ambient conditions. The plasma has four HDMI ports, an Ethernet port that allows streaming over the home network, USB port and an assortment of connectivity options. Other features include side-by-side picture-in-picture viewing, anti-burn features, and power-saving modes.

The PDP-5020FD is undoubtedly an expensive HDTV, but for home theater enthusiasts, splurging on this TV may just be the right decision, as this TV surely rocks when it comes to picture quality. It also has advanced features that ensure pure entertainment, so you certainly wouldn’t go wrong with the PDP-5020FD.

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