Just saw my first 505 today, and wow what a piece of crap. The guy is thinking about a KDS card, so now, hopefully, I'll get to see what all the hype is about. I'll report back if he goes for it.

Hope he got it cheap...

I don't believe you can cram a KDS card into the 505Costco because I don't think it has a card slot. The 505cmx has a spot for it, though. This is the one we use frequently. I'd like to try the KDS one of these days. What is the big difference again in the KDS card?

Funny this thread should come back to life from last fall. I've got two customers right now looking at the 50" panny for $3300.

This is the one time when it would really pay to have a showroom to be able to show the people the difference between a few panels. Most people just take my word for it but when you are talking $3300 for a Panasonic or $6400 for a Fujitsu....it's a tough sell.

Take a deep breath there. You want a showroom in order to display and compete for sales on the lowest margin product you sell? Let me sit you down, buy you a beer and tell you why that is a really bad idea.....

Absolutely correct. I think with me it's an interest in 1) selling a better product and 2) selling a complete system. Neither of which justifies a showroom.

Although what never fails to heat me up is "but consumer reports rates the panasonic the best". It's not that I blame the consumer for reading the rag, I just don't get how consumer reports became the gospel.

Who is the gospel on plasmas? Can anyone provide proof which one has the best picture with unbiased independant statistics to back it up? I'm not talking about someone who says brand "X" is the best because they compared it side by side with brands "Y and Z" and we say "X" wins hands down.

Wouldn't it be great if some independant lab would do the test with the right equipment, knowledge, and experience and publish those results for all to see? Of course that might not make those dealers and installers happy that sell brand "X" that doesn't rate nearly as well as brand "Y".

Consumer reports definitely isn't the expert in home audio/video. But they are independant and don't accept advertising funds from outside sources. Don't get me wrong, I'm not defending consumer reports in any way shape or form. Just stating their claims.