I am currently in the process of looking for a large flat panel display (FPD) TV and decided that for the moment, TFT-LCD reaction time is still too slow and prices have not come down enough to warrant buying LCD vs plasma (even here in Japan where aggressive foraging can yield quite good prices). I expect my choice will come down to Panasonic or Pioneer but have not completely made up my mind (and won't until I see the new Pioneer 505 out at the end of this month).
FWIW (which ain't much), here in Japan the Pioneers enjoy a better overall reputation/rating among consumers than the Pannies, despite the contrast ratio issue. I think it is partly due to lighter weight and lower electricity consumption but the major issue appears to be color accuracy (perceived good for Pioneers, less so for Pannies). I tend to agree the Pioneers have the best overall color. In their first week of being on sale, the new 42" and 50" Pannies (TH-42PX300 & TH-50PX300 here) have not been a runaway hit vs the Pioneer 434HD and 504HD despite similar prices. People appear to be looking toward the Pioneer 435/505HD series which go on sale later this month. Both the new Pannies and the new Pioneers are probably being released with a respectable but not huge uptick in technology in order to get a new model out before the Olympics, which is expected to be a huge boon to short-term sales for large-size FPD mfrs.
FWIW (which ain't much), here in Japan the Pioneers enjoy a better overall reputation/rating among consumers than the Pannies, despite the contrast ratio issue. I think it is partly due to lighter weight and lower electricity consumption but the major issue appears to be color accuracy (perceived good for Pioneers, less so for Pannies). I tend to agree the Pioneers have the best overall color. In their first week of being on sale, the new 42" and 50" Pannies (TH-42PX300 & TH-50PX300 here) have not been a runaway hit vs the Pioneer 434HD and 504HD despite similar prices. People appear to be looking toward the Pioneer 435/505HD series which go on sale later this month. Both the new Pannies and the new Pioneers are probably being released with a respectable but not huge uptick in technology in order to get a new model out before the Olympics, which is expected to be a huge boon to short-term sales for large-size FPD mfrs.