We have an earlier post on the new plasma from Pioneer, but one thing that has been left out is that plasmas of today are not the plasmas of a couple of years ago.
Here are some things that may have been fact just a few years ago, but are now myths:

• Plasmas use much less power
• are much brighter
• have little or no burn-in
• have better color and contrast

I guess this would be true of most technologies today. Most high quality LCD projectors today don’t have the ’screendoor’ effect and on that same note almost all DLP’s of today don’t have the ‘rainbow’ effect. Prices may not be dropping like a rock (but they are dropping!), but more features are creeping into lower cost displays (higher resolution, better CR, more inputs, better color, longer lasting bulbs, etc…).

Pioneer @ CEDIA - History of Pioneer plasmas - HD Beat

Let me let you in on a little secret. Pioneer makes plasma displays. They make lots of them, and sell lots of them. And the people that buy them do quite enjoy their plasmas a la Pioneer. Sound and Vision takes a look at Pioneer’s Elite PRO-FHD1 50″ 1080p, and they seem to enjoy this one as well.

Let’s just get one thing out of the way. Yes, yes this plasma really does cost ten grand. But all that cash does get you a 1080p plasma, which is a rarity. Hmm. I think this may even be the first one.

Anyway, if you have $10k lying around, and you want to spend it on a great plasma display, you could just plop it down for this 1080p Pioneer one. Or you could do a lot of research first, and probably still end up with the same display. That’s what happens when you want to spend $10k on a plasma, I guess.

Pioneer Elite PRO-FHD1 50-inch 1080p Plasma Monitor

I keep hearing about these 103″ plasma displays. They’re announced and announced and announced again. And here’s another one.

Matsushita, purveyors of the Panasonic brand, said that they will launch the “world’s largest” plasma display by the end of the year. No price is set yet, but to give you an idea, their 65″ plasma currently sells for about $7500 is Japan.

The 103″ plasma will have a resolution of 1920 x 1080, but no mention is made about a 1080p HDMI input.

Matsushita to sell record 103-inch plasma TVs

Audioholics reviews the Panasonic TH-50PHD8UK 50″ HD plasma display.

This plasma display has a resolution of 1366 x 768, a contrast ratio of 3000:1, and weighs almost one hundred pounds. It retails for about $4k and Audioholics gave it an overall rating of 4/5.

This set is a monitor, so it lacks of the the connectivity you might be accustomed to. But if you have an external PVR, like I do, that might not be a problem at all. Overall Audioholics really liked this display. They feel that it needs some calibration to get the best out of it (something common to almost all TVs).

Panasonic TH-50PHD8UK 50″ Plasma Display Review