Performance
As you would expect, the performance of the
KRP-500A is every bit as good as that of the LX-series TVs. Black is
still deep and rich on this screen and colour seems both strong and
accurate.
One of the things we most loved about the LX-5090 was its ability to cope with the mess that is Freeview. It's perfectly fair to say that digital TV in the UK isn't broadcast at a very good data rate, which leads to lamentable picture quality at times. Fortunately the KRP-500A manages to rescue as much of the detail as possible. The acid test for such things is to look at hair: if you can see individual strands on the heads of the Loose Women, the TV is managing its picture processing well. The Pioneer, we're pleased to say, passes our informal exam with flying colours.
HD material from Blu-ray is a delight too. We've watched The Dark Knight on ours, and we have to say it's one of the best movie experiences ever. Couple this TV with a good home cinema system, and you're in for a treat of epic proportions.
You could accuse plasma of having a slightly less crisp and sharp image than LCD. Certainly, as much as we've liked some of Samsung's excellent plasma displays, the picture is slightly softer on those televisions, which might suit certain tastes. This isn't the case with Pioneer plasmas -- the picture is very sharp indeed, and the level of detail in good-quality video is truly jaw-dropping.
We're impressed by the new menu system on these TVs. It's a little slicker than the one on the LX range. Although there's nothing wrong with the older menus -- they were perfectly useable -- now they look slightly sleeker and match those found on Pioneer's other AV products, such as its excellent Blu-ray player.
Our review sample didn't include speakers, which is fine, because we expect most people buying this set won't bother with them. The optional speakers for the LX range are capable enough though, and for regular TV watching, are more than useable.
Like other high-end plasma TVs, there are no problems with image retention or burn on. Certainly, if you tried hard enough, you could get the TV to retain an image for a while, but burning permanently would require both epic stupidity and a desire to waste money. If you're a gamer, you'll be pleased to hear this.
Conclusion
The multi-box system won't appeal to
everyone, but the fact is, this is aimed at home-cinema enthusiasts who
want a more flexible solution than a traditional TV offers. The media
box means that wall mounting becomes much more practical and it offers
a number of extras you wouldn't get on a regular TV, such as the
satellite receiver and copious inputs.
The price difference between the KRP-500A and the LX-5090 isn't massive, so the only real decision you'll need to make is if you're happy to have the extra media receiver. We loved the picture quality of this TV and, ignoring the price for a moment, we consider this to be among our favourite TVs of the year.
Edited by Nick Hide
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User reviews3
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Jazzman 30 May 2010
Good: The vibrance of the picture
Bad: Pioneer have stopped making the best !!
Comment: The flexability of the settings, although very thorough do take quite some researching with some trials to get the them just right, but they're once achieved the pleasure is all yours. I've owned this tv for over a year now and I never get bored or disapointed. I have recently got a satelite dish and I am now enjoying the HD broadcasts from several stations as well as many extra stations. The HD quality from the satelite is exceptional. There is only one draw back, I can now see all the imperfections of the actors makeup complete with the cover-up for their spots and blemishes.
If you can still find one of these sets, do yourself a favour and buy one. I compared the supposed next best.....Panasonic and the Pioneer just walked all over it. It was a no-contest and therefore a no brainer to buy this brilliant set. I can't fault it in any way with the exception of not having Freesat built-in to complement the Free to air satelite tuner.
Well done Pioneer and I'm just relieved to have bought one before production stopped.
wlee076 28 October 2009
Good: The natural color of television, and the performance of darkness
Bad: Dust getting on the whole black surface requires frequent cleaning
Comment: To be honest, nothing I could say about the bad side in performance. After I have seen SONY X4500 in my friend's house, I found that KRP-500A is way above the quality of TVs currently on market. The reason I say it is far better is because that X4500 does make my eyes feel sore after moving a movie. The thing I do not like LCD is because is the color is so much artificial, especially comparing to the plasma.
Comparing to the others Plasma, I recogn that only this KRP500A can perform a perfect darkness.I think might be true darkness of it allowing images to be shown more outstanding.
In movie mode, there are "black dots" in the image. This makes the whole playback fill with film-like characteristic.
Yea, I agree to the other user's feedback, it does what the box says. Well, but its much more imagination is required to actually know what does that mean. Why is this sound like an advertisment, because it does what the advertisement says as well.
Oh finally, What I don't like about this? Too small, my family said. Haha
GK-Kenny 18 May 2009
Good: good picture quality with high contrast ratio to display perfect dark scenes.
Bad: Too expensive for what it has to offer. Subject to "burn in" when viewing still images or pausing the video.
Comment: Pioneer and Panasonic makes great plasma TV. However, loses to the LCD TV for the "burn in" problem. When "burn in" happens most of time it goes away, but sometimes it doesn't, leaving a image in the TV screen. I recommend you to check out http://www.squidoo.com/best-hdtv for information on the best price for the best TV to get this year.
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