It is hard not to love a plasma display. The blacks are deep and rich, the colors and vibrant, and the overall picture quality is excellent.

DVD - The Prestige

While I was pretty let down by the plot, writing, and overall story of this movie, it was filled with dark scenes and muted colors. There were a few instances of jaggies which gave some of the lines a softer look than they should have had but for the most part, the PDP-5070HD sailed through with flying colors.

HDTV - 24

This episode of 24 (not the finale - I haven’t watched it yet) was full of twists, turns, and backstabbing (isn't it always?). It is also proof positive that there are multiple Daniel Jackson's in the universe so their will always be hope for SG-1. If don't know what I'm talking about, don't worry about it. Plenty of industrial lighting and darks scenes contrast nicely with well lit and beige interiors of the White House. Again, the PDP-5070HD did an admirable job with the presentation of this show.

HDTV - Heroes

Texture, texture, texture. This season finale of Heroes was full of meaningful looks and close-ups. Plenty of chances for the PDP-5070HD for show off its ability to display faces up close and personal. Lots of lines, little imperfections, and more came through without a hitch.

Conclusion

The Pioneer PDP-5070HD is a fine display. It's deinterlacing and scaling abilities (aside from a few quirks) are above par. The picture is vibrant and clear and blacks (and black detail) are exceptional. The only real strike against this unit is the price. 1080p displays are getting more and more common and, as this happens, the 720p sets are dropping like stones. With the added functionalities including the USB port, QAM tuner, multiple HDMI inputs and more if you can find this one on sale, you should snatch it up.

About Pioneer
Pioneer was founded in 1938 in Tokyo, Japan by Nozomu Matsumoto - a man with a passion for music that he hoped to share with the world through high quality audio speakers. That passion began with a small operation to repair and manufacture speakers in Matsumoto's garage. It has since grown to international stature as a manufacturer of audio and video products for use at home, in the car and in business environments.

The element that has not changed in nearly 70 years is the passion for audio and video products that we hope to share with the world. From the employees at our research labs looking for the "next big thing" to the engineers at our factories focused on quality assurance to our product trainers explaining the new technology to our customers - we remain passionate about creating an unbeatable entertainment experience.