As far

Say wha?

Joke?

Plasma prices have come down a great deal, but I'm certainly still charging for them. :-)

Okay, so far, the majority like the Pioneer. RP is out, as he definitely wants a flat panel on the wall. Any other technology and/or brand to consider?

BB is offering him interest-free financing, and a "rain-check" price to get the new model at last year's price, so he's decided on the store.


Shoe, what are the functional differences between the 5040 (or 5041) and the two you mentioned? They're all 50", right?

By the way, the store told him this TV comes with an outboard box and an "umbilical" with everything but power in it.

Also, is there a better source for the wall-mount? They want another $500 for that, and I'm convinced we can do better Brand and model? Source?

Thanx all!

The Plasma is going to give you a better viewing experience for at least two reasons. First of all, the plasma doesn't sufer from an axis problem, the LCD does. More importantly, you don't get the digital artifacting or ghosting that you get from a DLP or LCD display. This is the wierd sensation you experience when something pans accross the screen (processing anomoly). Once you understand that this exists, it bugs the crap out of you every time it happens. very similar to a CRT, plasma doesn't suffer from this problem.

GOOD plasmas don't suffer from that problem...

The mount to use is the Chief PLP-2081 (double check that, it's the number for the PRO-1120 Elite, but they should be the same)

Off-axis viewing is MUCH better with the plasma.

It does come with the 'umbilical', and if the 10' run that it comes with isn't long enough, Key Digital has longer ones - 30' and 50' available

I would skip the set with the media box. A 30m extention cable will set you back around $1,300. Go for a 50" NEC, Fujitsu, or Pioneer Pro1000. Use a DVDO iScan for the same kind of money if wanted. If you properly calibrate any of the above sets they will all look great. my 3 cents

DJ, I checked out the Chief mount; it doesn't extend enough. My brother's wall has a recess about 5.5" deep, that the mount will fit in, but the TV is too wide for. Suggestions?

OEX, with his price at $5300, including the outboard box, what alternatives should we look for? What would he be giving up to eliminate the box?

He's now toying with holding out for the 61" model. Without the box, what kind of saving would there be, again keeping in mind tha $5300 includes the box?

$5,300 for the 50" Hmmmm. Are they authorized etailers/retailers? Seems cheap. If the equipment is going under the set then your ok. If your remote mounting your stuff you may be screwed. If the video is running thru an AV reciever then a Pro1000D panel may be a better choice.

Anyone else's thoughts on this. IMHO the boxes are a PIA when remote locating components. I got stuck on one once. Customer had to have the 5040. NO SUBSTITUTES! It cost him $1,300+T for the 30m cables. OUCH!!!!! That even hurt me and I was collecting the dough

The panels with the outboard box shouldn't necessarily cost more than any other plasma. The "box" just takes anything that would normally be inside the panel, tuners, scalers etc, and puts them all, along with all your component, DVI, connectors etc on a separate chassis. Then there is only one cable needed (or possible) from the box to the panel. Unfortunately, most of the cables are proprietary and as you have heard, anything longer than the standard 10 footer will cost you an arm and a leg.

Is this setup going to have a surround system or are you using the (crappy) onboard speakers? If using an outboard surround surround system, then go with a Fujitsu panel. Monitor only, but IMO, the best picture quality. Maybe more money, but worth it. I know the list of the Pioneer is 10k and the Fujitsu is, I think, 7k. Streets may differ.

This is from our local BB, not online.

They are giving him no-interest financing.

The 10' cable will be more than enough.

The audio will be through an AV receiver.

tell him to go buy it aand start enjoying it. the game is in 9 days. hurry!

There are few if any differences. I believe the PDP 5045 has a cable card slot in the media box. BTW I installed a Pioneer PDP504CMX today and I like the styling and functionallity of it as opposed to the 5045. It takes an optional input card in the plasma itself with no media box. I believe both models share the same "glass". I installed it with a Denon 3805 receiver and only had to run a component cable and a composite backup cable. It all goes through a 2 inch greenfield so I can always add digital video cables easily. I really like the set though. I believe the 5040 and 5041 are the same set. No info on the 5050 yet.

In my opinion, the only thing that has ever come close to the performance of a CRT is JVC's d-ila and LCOS. The 82" Mitsubishi LCOS is 1080 x 1920 native resolution, uses one chip per color and costs a fortune. If someone figures out how to make LCOS chips affordably (in high resolution,) they could do real well. Like everyone else, I'd pick the Pioneer over the Sony given only those two choices. I've had great luck with the Elite versions, which by all accounts are the same inside. We do sell LCD RPs sometimes, and we are a Sony dealer, but I prefer LG.

Have you seen the 61" RCA DLP that is only 7 inches deep? I've only seen it out-of-the-box with no calibration. The thing must be running at 10,000 kelvin, but I understand it can be calibrated. Here's a link: [Link: rca.com]

I often use Premier Mounts for my plasma installs. Here's a link to everything they make for the 5040: [Link: premiermounts.com] If you need something custom, they will do that too.

One last note. I don't have a problem with Pioneer using a Media Receiver for their plasma displays. It keeps the back of the plasma tidy, but an extended length umbilical is expensive. Here's a link to get the 33ft cable for $600 @ retail: [Link: parts.pioneerelectronics.com]
The Pioneer and Sony umbilicals look identical. If they are, you can get a 33 foot Sony version for $300 from Crutchfield. I have not tried this!

that isnt the one i used. the pioneer piece i used had a pioneer proprietary cable, what appeared tro be a DVI cable, and a couple bi direction fiber optic cables with breakout boxes. it was quite the managerie sp??