Customer Reviews

Pioneer Elite PRO-151FD 60-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When I first saw this TV online, I laughed about the idea of spending $4500 (at Best Buy) on a toy. I did plan to get the 50" Elite at Best Buy, because $3000 was the most I was willing to pay for a large TV, and the only reason I considered the Elite over the wonderful 58" Panasonic was because I compared the Elite to the Panasonic and fell in love with the Pioneer. However, long story short, my wife wasn't satisfied with the smaller Elite, so I shelled out the money for the 60" (domestic politics, am I right fellas?!).

Setup on this TV will take you at least a couple of hours unless you're an expert at electronics setup; there are a lot of screws and parts, and because it takes for-freakin'-ever to find all the digital channels during set-up (if you have a cable or satellite box, you can probably bypass channel set-up, which is what I did halfway through). Thankfully, Pioneer's manual is fairly intuitive and thought-out (plus it's a pretty, glossy black, so it looks fancy). Oh, and - if it matches your room - be sure to get a piano black stand to match the TV.

Now, for the actual TV review. To sum it up: Oh my gosh!!!! This is the best television I have ever owned, which is saying a lot because I previously had a Marenz 65" DLP, which is supposed to have the best picture and sound you can buy. But the Pioneer blows this baby out of the water!

Picture: First off, the picture really is the best you can get as far as HD is concerned. The blacks are the best part; they are so deep and beautiful that it really does look like you're in a blacked-out forest. The light colors are also spectacular. Furthermore, there are multiple picture adjustments to find your sweet spot, and there's even a color sensor included that will automatically adjust the picture to the changing light in the room. This is great if your living room is brightly lit. However, I haven't used the color sensor or any of the adjustments much because the picture was wonderful right out of the box. One caveat: standard-def pictures don't look that great. Mind you, it's partially dependent on what the station is, but still, if you don't have a HD box you're not going to be happy with this (although why you would buy an HDTV and not have some type of HD box is beyond me).

Sound: The sound is wonderful. Although there is not a whole lot of bass (what did you expect for TV speakers?), the sound is good enough that you won't need a home theater system running all the time. Separation is good, volume is excellent, and there's virtually no distortion.

TV itself: Lots of hook-ups for virtually everything you need. There's even a PC hookup to connect you laptop (although I haven't used it yet). The HDMI hookups are easily found, and everything is clearly marked, so setup is a breeze. The only thing it's missing is a USB hookup for firmware updates and stuff, but since Pioneer is getting out of the business, I doubt there are any firmware updates coming. I haven't checked energy consumption, but I have my TV set to energy-saver mode (keep in mind, a big drawback to plasmas is they consume a lot of juice, so if you're looking to save the environment or on your energy bill, look at LCD or LED TVs).

To conclude, this is the best TV you can buy. While the price is high and standard-def viewing is mediocre on most channels, there's a reason why Pioneer TVs (and for that matter Apple computers) cost so much: you're getting the best.

This is simply the best TV ever made over 50 inches. It has every capability and performs better than anything else on the market. For those of you who are true videophiles- You already know that plasma technology is simply better than LCD. LCD is catching up in the smaller size range, but when you are talking about 50in or larger, plasma is still king. This TV produces the deeepest backs, best gray scale and color temperatures. I will be having it calibrated by an ISF tech to really get the best looking picture out of it. It's hard to believe that is even possible. The only sad part is that pioneer has stopped making these and that plasma technology has gotten a bad rap over myths regarding its longevity and 'burn in.' Neither are issues anymore. Even on my first pio plasma from 2002- the picture is still beautiful and I have no burn in whatsoever. If you can afford this TV please buy it while you can. If you can't afford it, start saving up.

We had an ancient 11 year old Toshiba 36" Cinema series television that this replaced. I've spent the last couple of years researching and reviewing the new technology offered in today's television sets. These included DLP, Projectors, various flavors of LCD's and Plasma displays. Of course all had pros and cons, warranties and prices. In the end I fell in love with the Pioneer Kuro Elite. I just didn't want to part with $6500 to buy one. When I found out this year that Pioneer was exiting the plasma market I decided to bite the bullet and purchase one before they were no more. I ended up having to buy online from an authorized dealer who basically let me have it for 50% off list price. Even at this price it was still expensive. First impressions after setting it up were WOW!! Colors and black levels were amazing. My sources via HDMI include Sony PS3-Blue Ray, Xbox 360, Netgear EVA 9150 media center and HD Satellite. I use a Denon AV-890 receiver in a 7-1 configuration with Orb-Audio speakers. Our wireless N dual band network provides for great video streaming from many sources including Netflix. It's an awesome display despite the price. My only hope is it lasts as long as the Toshiba. During our 11 years of ownership it never needed one service call. The Kuro does come with a two year warranty and Pioneer has promised to carry parts for 7 years which is a little more comforting.

The image on this TV is awesome. Clear, non-blurry, and the blacks are amazing. I actually had a 67" TV that went on the fritz and went down in sidze to this 60" TV. I really can't tell a difference in the size.

The only thing that annoys me is the lack of multiple connections such as for S-video and component video. I had to order a separate S-video switcher and a component video switcher.

I'm not a TV expert, but I ordered this TV after researching online. Good decision, it is a great TV, with a great picture.
It doesn't have any of the new features like online browsing, and netflix, like some models, but I get all that with my Tivo (and Blu-ray).

The Pioneer Elite Kuro PRO-151FD is arguably the finest television available today. Attach top quality high-definition sources (e.g., Blu-Ray discs, satellite HD), and I promise you'll watch with dropped-jaw at the stunning picture quality. Sound is well above TV-average, but you'll want to pair this amazing set with a high quality surround sound system.

Pioneer is leaving the plasma TV market in search of easier profits. What a shame, as this product truly sets the bar for all other current televisions.

Get one while you can!

Since Pioneer has decided they will no longer produce TVs, I had to buy this! It is replacing a 5 year old Pioneer plasma that is still in ultimate working condition, but will now be a bedroom TV. The picture quality is unsurpassed by any LCD, LED, or other producer of plasma units. I LOVE Pioneer plasmas!!

I bought the 60 in Poineer. It's picture is unbelievable. I had a 50 in Panasonic preveiously and it was really great, but this set is unmatched in clarity and color. Sometimes the picture seems to have depth with the level of detail. It's a monster, heavey and huge and worth every pound and penny.

it arived severly damaded i was very mad hopfuly i will get a newone time will tell if you get a big tv be shure check it out carfuley

I love this TV. I would give it 5 stars, but Pioneer has stopped making it.