Digital Trends

We get bleary-eyed checking out all the new HDTVs. Bigger, better and cheaper are this year’s watchwords in a nutshell. And yet, if you walk into a decent retailer (i.e. Magnolia in your local Best Buy) and gaze over a wide expanse of higher-end flat panels, one series always stands out: Pioneer’s Kuro plasma HDTV line. Consistently rated by everyone with 20/20 vision as the best available, we couldn’t wait to put the new Elite Pro-111FD through its paces. Although wonderful, though, one huge drawback for the product family is the simple fact that featured selections are wildly-expensive compared to plasma market-share leader Panasonic’s offerings.

For example: A top-end (and very good) 1080p 50-inch Panasonic TH-50PZ850U is $2,999 and the entry-level 1080p TH-50PZ80U is $2000 (it’s not too shabby either). The same-sized Kuro? Try $5,000 for a top-end Elite or “only” $4,000 for a plain vanilla Pioneer. And this, before we even consider manufacturers like Vizio, who offer similar-sized models for around $1,500. But hey, what can we say: Even in this horrible economic environment, it’s still nice to dream of have the scratch to purchase a luxury HDTV. Hit the jump to see how well this new set fared…