Pioneer Kuro PDP-5010FD 50-inch Plasma HDTV
By Al Griffin
November 2007
Pioneer Kuro PDP-5010FD 50-inch plasma HDTV
12562864785
Pioneer
PDP-5010FD
While most TV manufacturers have struggled through the years to deliver acceptable black levels in their flat-panel TVs, Pioneer cruised over that speed bump with its plasmas a few generations back. But that was apparently just the start. The company's new Kuro models, including the 50-inch, 1080p PDP-5010FD reviewed here ($5,000 list price, about $4,000 street), use a revamped panel design that aims to display the darkest shadows ever seen on a flat-panel set. We're talking black holes here — the complete and utter absence of light. The 5010FD is well endowed input-wise, with four HDMI and two component-video connections. You also get a VGA port for PCs and a CableCARD slot, while the set's USB input lets you plug in a flash drive or a digital camera and view slideshows via the HomeGallery feature. Pioneer's remote control has a clean layout and a glow-in-the-dark keypad. A full set of direct input keys is located at the remote's top; you can't rename inputs with onscreen tags such as DVD or Cable, however. Located below the input keys are buttons to toggle through picture presets and display (aspect ratio) modes. The choices include a Dot-by-Dot setting that displays 1080i/p signals with no scaling or overscan, along with various stretch and zoom modes. Setup: As you'd expect from an upscale TV, there's no shortage of custom video settings. Basic settings can be adjusted for the Dynamic, Standard, Movie, and Game picture presets, and the Pioneer stores your changes. A User memory can also be fully and independently customized for each of the set's inputs.
While most TV manufacturers have struggled through the years to deliver acceptable black levels in their flat-panel TVs, Pioneer cruised over that speed bump with its plasmas a few generations back. But that was apparently just the start. The company's new Kuro models, including the 50-inch, 1080p PDP-5010FD reviewed here ($5,000 list price, about $4,000 street), use a revamped panel design that aims to display the darkest shadows ever seen on a flat-panel set. We're talking black holes here — the complete and utter absence of light.
