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Pioneer PDP508XD Final Verdict

by Vincent Teoh
16 August 2007
TLC Broadcast

SUMMARY
Pioneer PDP508XD is the cream of a bunch of 8G Kuro plasmas that delivers class-leading picture quality.

PROS
> Deepest blacks with full preservation of shadow detail
> Glorious colours with accurate decoding
> Top-notch video processing & 1080p/24 handling

CONS
> Need to know when to apply certain settings with different source
   material to avoid introducing artifacts
> Premium price

Conclusion

When you review products with an average shelf-life of 8 months, it's amazing how quickly what you write becomes obsolete, and comes back to haunt you. Just one month ago I declared the PDP4280XD as "the best flat panel television I've tested to date". Well, its bigger brother Pioneer PDP508XD has just come along and bested it: gamma tracking is now flat throughout; shadow detail is no longer obscured; and even the black level is lower (although by just a fraction).

Although some knowledge and care is needed to avoid introducing artifacts with different source material (for example, wrongly applying film deinterlacing to video content), the 8G Kuro range of Pioneer plasmas has – in my opinion – set a benchmark that leaves other manufacturers trailing in their wake at this moment in time. And being the current flagship model (until the arrival of 1080p versions that is), the Pioneer PDP508XD is undoubtedly the cream of the crop.

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