Pioneer PDP-5000EX

Posted by T3 Online on Thu 25 Oct 2007

The picture and price of this plasma will amaze

1080p is the ultimate form of Hi-Def, and thanks to HD-DVD and Blu-ray everyone can now watch it at home. All you need is a TV that can display it, such as this monumental Pioneer plasma.

Actually, this isn't really a TV, as there's no tuner - you'll need an external one. There are also no Scart inputs and no speakers. It's a home cinema display aimed at spendthrift AV enthusiasts - hence that uproarious price tag.

But if spunking �6K on a telly can ever be described as money well spent, this can. Hook up a proper Hi-Def source like Sky HD or an Xbox 360 and you'll simply be blown away by the image quality. Planet Earth in HD is amazing anyway, but on the Pioneer's 50-inch screen, the scale and beauty of the landscapes is cranked up another notch; even rocks have never looked so rocky! Similarly, Pro Evolution Soccer 6 on the 360 will elicit gasps of amazement and envy from any poor people who may be visiting.

This astounding sharpness is because it has the ability to take a 1080i source and show it "dot-by-dot", sticking every single pixel from the source on a corresponding pixel on the screen. Only a few other flat panels can do this - most will crop a little from the edges of the source.

It's worth mentioning that the screen does a really great job with standard-def pictures too - a lot better than most plasma and LCD TVs. Because it's a plasma, black levels are impressive too.

Its size and price mean this isn't for everybody. However, this is unarguably an awesome telly. If you refuse to settle for anything but the best, you should seriously think about getting one.