Pioneer PDP-5000EX HD plasma review
 £3358.43 Your Best Buy |  £4064.84 |
| Design |
| Design wise the Pioneer PDP-5000EX doesn’t really differ much from the rest of the family. It has the familiar all-black theme. And as usual the design looks very minimalist but classy. However, when you look more carefully you’ll notice they’ve added a thin overlay over the black piano plastic frame, just to give it that extra special look. While Pioneer gives you a 50 inch screen in this plasma TV they’ve managed to keep it very slim, limiting the size to 98mm, however thanks to its metal chassis it’s still a heavy piece of kit, weight just under 40Kg. Turn the PDP-5000EX around and you’ll be pleased with all the easy-access inputs that are available including two HDMI, a DVI, and all the other usual suspects. |
| Setup/Installation |
| There’s little to report about setting up. The only thing we will say is be careful when you’re hanging this plasma up, it’s so heavy you really do need a sturdy wall bracket. Other than that it’s a case of switching the machine on and letting it do its business. |
| Features |
| The biggest thing to point out about the Pioneer HD plasma is the true native resolution 1,920 x 1,080-pixel plasma panel which gives you a much higher pixel count. As well as that the Pioneer PDP-5000EX comes with 1,000cd/m2 for brightness, 3,000:1 for contrast ratio and an incredible 884.7 billion shades of colour. The colour accuracy is helped by the inbuilt Imaging Science Foundation custom calibration configuration, which while a mouthful professionally calibrates the colours. But it’s not just high numbers that impresses about the 5000EX, but the rest of the friendly features it comes with. For example there’s the antiglare/reflection colour filter and real-time Flex Clear Drive digital image processor, as well as a PureCinema engine which claims to triple DVD movie frame rates for smoother motion, and a new panel coating that enhances light emission, allowing brighter pictures and lower power consumption. Also they’ve put a bit of insight into furtureproofing the Pioneer PDP-5000EX by adding two HDMI terminals with all formats of 1080p video signals from 24Hz to 60Hz, and then there’s also the 1080i compatible DVI so you can add your HD Sky + box, Xbox360 and HD DVD, or even your computer. |
| Performance |
| This is just a great HD plasma TV and we love it at Unbeatable - why? Because it’s just brilliant and gives you an absolutely fantastic cinema experience. In terms of picture quality the Pioneer PDP-5000EX is way beyond most plasmas on the market. The colours were really natural, the greyscale tracking was superb and there was excellent shadow details in dark scenes. The built-in video scalar worked well too. Now in terms of HD quality images, while the Pioneer did well at upscaling standard definition TV, it really did take your breath away when you used a HD source like the Sky+ box. The crystal clear image had everyone in the Unbeatable office mesmerized by its awesome picture quality and depth-of-field. The four fans that monopolise the back manage to keep the TV cool even after several hours of play and unlike the Panasonic plasma TVs they don’t make a loud racket. The only drawback is the reflection you seem to get from plasma televisions, and the 5000EX is no different, admittedly it’s better than most, but on the whole you still get a reflection. |
| What's In The Box? |
| Pioneer PDP-500EX, remote control, cables. |
| Overall Opinion |
| This is the champion of televisions. It’s not cheap but as my mother always used to say, it’s worth paying for quality. And this truly is quality. Pioneer have thought of pretty much everything you might need to make this a truly futureproof HD plasma TV, providing great picture and an over-all fab experience. |
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Pros + Totally futureproof + truly native 1920 x 1080 TV + Two HDMI inputs + Great picture |
Cons - No sound - A bit on the expensive side |
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Picture Quality 9/10
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Sound Quality 1/10
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Connectivity 9/10
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Future Compatibility 9/10
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Ease Of Use 9/10
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Overall Rating 
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By Babita Wakelin
6/10/2006 at 2:25:60pm
6/10/2006 at 2:25:60pm
Read Pioneer Reviews
| Web Reviews - beta | |||
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Pioneer PDP-5000EX review Stunning performance with all types of material makes this one of the best screens around -- but the price is extortionate.. read | |||
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What they like Awesome standard- and high-definition image quality solid build 1080p compatible
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What they didn't No Scarts, tuner or speakers very expensive
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By Rob Gillman at
cnet.co.uk
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