Home Theater Mag Calls Pioneer Elite Kuro 110-FD Plasma “Greatest Flat Panel Ever”

Home Theater Magazine’s Geoff Morrison is calling the Pioneer Elite Kuro 110-FD plasma TV the “greatest flat panel ever.” Here are the highlights:

• Black level is “lower than any other flat panel we’ve ever measured.”
• “Full-on/full-off contrast ratio…is nearly double that of the next best flat panel.”
• Watching Pirates of the Caribbean, “the bright spots really popped. Highlights were actually brighter than other areas of the picture. [And]the bright scenes had dark areas that were actually dark. Color was vibrant and natural.”

The trouble is, at $5,999, it’s not exactly the best deal, though Morrison mentions the newest non-1080p 50″ Pioneer has “nearly identical performance” and costs $3,500.

Consumer Reports just named Panasonic’s Panasonic TH- 50PZ700U “Best Flat Screen Ever Tested,” and it lists for around $2,900. (I think HDGuru Gary Merson chose the Panasonic TH-PZ750U as his fave.) Morrison might be right about which is best of the best, but that’s not to say it’s the one we’d buy.

Regardless, the take home is that LCD is nowhere to be found on these lists. To date, it just doesn’t hold up as well under criticism. Could it be that plasma will stave off the LCD invasion until OLEDs enter the fray? [Home Theater Magazine]