Pioneer PDP508XD Reviews: Kuro, 50" Screen Plasma HD Ready TV

28 Real Customer Reviews - In Summary

+ This television scores high on image quality. - It scores poorly on ease of use. “Truely amazing picture quality able to handle standard definition very well. high…” Phillip, Harrogate View all 28 real customer reviews

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Product Details

3 HDMI ports, 3 Scarts More »

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Real customer reviews

28 verified purchasers have reviewed this product.
98% of people recommend it.

Show scores of…

All purchasers (28)

Design	9.5
Ease of use	8.2
Image quality	9.6
Sound quality	8.7
Value for money (at time of purchase)	8.5
Overall rating	9.4

*not all purchasers provided a score or review

Phillip, Harrogate

Score 9.0/10

+ Truely amazing picture quality able to handle Standard Definition very well. High Definition material is stunning. Sound quality is very solid. The TV can also turn itself off into low power standby if you accidently leave it on, which is possible as when you turn it on, the black levels are so black its hard to spot the difference!

- Reviewer left no comment

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13 of 13 people found this review helpful

purchased 18 Aug 2007

Jeff, West Malling

Score 10.0/10

+ superb picture , great sound ,watching last night of the proms in hd was like being in the Albert Hall

- none so far

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6 of 6 people found this review helpful

purchased 22 Aug 2007

Terence, Bangor County Down

Score 9.0/10

+ Stunning good looks,well made and designed,and thats just out of the box. Once connected the picture is superb, after 200 hours use its even better.

- The price is rather off putting,I bought this model because I knew it was the best. The 5080 model cannot be enhanced by an ISF engineer.

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5 of 5 people found this review helpful

purchased 19 Sep 2007

Anonymous verified purchaser

Score 9.0/10

+ Great picture, stylish but simple frame

- Not full HD. Table top stand is feels a little "cheap" compared to overall procduct.

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5 of 5 people found this review helpful

purchased 10 Jan 2008

Andrew, Bath

Score 9.0/10

+ Great looking. Great Picture. Great having a large format in a small space - don't be put off by big numbers, it took 20 mins to forget we had been watching a 21" screen just 1 hour before.

- Self set up frustrating and tricky. Poorly worded, non-user friendly instructions with excessive jargon. Set up with home entertainment system mind blowing - nearly chucked the whole lot through the window.

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3 of 3 people found this review helpful

purchased 26 Nov 2007

Anonymous verified purchaser

Score 9.0/10

+ Easy to set up.
Very stylish product.
High quality product... would definately recommend.

- none!

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2 of 2 people found this review helpful

purchased 30 Mar 2008

neil, barnsley

Score 8.0/10

+ quality picture, vibrant colours,attractive design.

- slow to respond to channel change and start up.

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1 of 1 people found this review helpful

purchased 10 Oct 2007

christine, swanley

Score 10.0/10

+ excellent picture crystal clear

- nil so far a bit expensive

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1 of 1 people found this review helpful

purchased 05 Oct 2007

Andy , Newbury

Score 9.0/10

+ Picture quality for 720p image is exceptional

- Reviewer left no comment

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1 of 1 people found this review helpful

purchased 15 Dec 2007

Anonymous verified purchaser

Score 8.0/10

+ Picture quality and appearance/design.

- Poor program management on digital tuner. Bulky remote. lack of side/front HDMI for games console.

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purchased 07 Nov 2007

Anonymous verified purchaser

Score 10.0/10

+ easy to install ,crystal clear pictures

- not found any yet

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purchased 24 Feb 2008

Anonymous verified purchaser

Score 9.0/10

+ Good looking unit - 100mhz gives excellent picture quality for a large screen.

- Reviewer left no comment

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purchased 14 May 2008

Karen, Huddersfield

Score 10.0/10

+ Great design,look cool. The quality of picture is excellent.

- Can't think of any

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purchased 15 May 2008

phil, Sutton-in-Ashfield , “Loves gadgets”

Score 10.0/10

+ Black levels. Colours very natural. Standard def pictures very good from V+ box. Sound using supplied speaker bar very good. Remote switches to separate inputs with set button.

- heavy!

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purchased 15 May 2008

Andy, Horley , “Perfectionist ”

Score 10.0/10

+ The option for the attched speakers are a must. The quality of sound is far superior.

- The cables that come in the box are not long enough to wall mount. You need to purchase them else where.

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purchased 05 Apr 2008

Jim, Durham , “Tech nut, love films”

Score 10.0/10

+ Not a better picture for DVD and Digital broadcast viewing,

- Reviewer left no comment

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purchased 09 Jun 2008

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Expert reviews for Pioneer PDP508XD

TechRadar expert review

Hailed as the Ô¨Ånest Ô¨Çatscreen ever when we Ô¨Årst saw it, the Pioneer PDPLX508D has only just been knocked off that pedestal by its even more impressive stablemate, the LX509. This superlative plasma launched at an uncertain period in Pioneer's recent history, when the formerly gas stalwart was forced to farm out the production of its prized panels to a third party. If there were any doubts about the ongoing viability of plasma televisions, though, no set could have scotched them more eloquently than this one.Stylish plasmaDecked out in Pioneer's trademark lacquer-black, this…

This Pioneer PDP508XD review continued on TechRadar

reviewed 21 Oct 2008

TechRadar expert review

Pioneer calls its new plasma TVs 'Project Kuro', as Kuro is Japanese for black. Not because they're dressed in gorgeous high gloss black (though they are), but rather because Pioneer reckons they deliver the finest black level performance - by miles - of any flat TV. Cue an unprecedented (in the flat TV world) claimed contrast ratio for the 50in PDP-508XD of 16000:1. There are four innovations that are chiefly responsible for this groundbreaking contrast: a patented Crystal Emissive Layer that boosts each plasma chamber's discharge efficiency; a proprietary colour filter in place of…

This Pioneer PDP508XD review continued on TechRadar

reviewed 22 Oct 2007

Product Features

Screen Size in Inches	50
Screen size is measured diagonally from corner to corner.
Type of Screen	Plasma
Most small flatscreen TVs have LCD screens. Some larger TVs have plasma screens. Some very new TVs have LED screens. Traditional TVs are called Standard or CRT.
HD TV	HD Ready
‘HD Ready’ is a Europe-wide standard designed to made HD technology less confusing. HD Ready TVs must have • Minimum vertical resolution of 750 pixels (in widescreen format) • Ability to display 720p and 1080i formats • An HDMI or Digital Video Interface (DVI interface) Full HD is a higher standard. Full HD TVs have screen resolutions of 1080p and can output at least 24 frames per second. Full HD is becoming common, but you won’t see Full HD on normal TV channels for a long time, so it remains optional for many people.
Built-in Disc Player	No
Some products come with built-in DVD players or Blu Ray players.
HDMI Interface	3
Like a scart interface but capable of carrying HD signals from or to other devices. You’ll need these to link your Playstation 3 or your Blu-ray player to your HD-ready TV.
Number of Scart Interfaces	3
Scart sockets are places where you can connect other devices to your TV. If you already have a DVD player, a VCR and a Playstation you might want to make sure your new TV has enough Scart interfaces so you don’t have to keep crawling round the back of the TV.
Frequency (Hz)	50
A TV’s frequency is how often the picture is updated per second, and is measured in Hertz (Hz). A higher frequency, such as 100 Hz, means that a TV is more likely to show fast-moving images with high detail.
Contrast Ratio (X:1)	16000
This figure is designed to tell you how much difference there is between dark and light colours on the TV. It is quoted as a ratio, between the brightest white and the darkest black. 500:1 means the brightest white is 500 times more bright than the darkest black. Plasma screens have historically boasted better contrast ratios than LCD screens.
Screen Resolution (pixels)	768p
The number of pixels the screen has. The more you have, the more detail the screen can display, given a high quality source. A breakdown of resolutions can be found on Wikipedia here
Reflection Angle	160
Also known as the viewing angle, it’s a measure of how good the picture looks when you are not face on to the screen. Higher is better.
Screen Format	16:9
This is a ratio of the horizontal to the vertical size of the screen. 16:9 is standard widescreen format for TVs, replacing the older 4:3 format.
Brightness in Candela per square metre	1100
Brighter TVs, such as LCDs, tend to provide a better experience in lighter rooms, whereas TVs with a lower brightness, such as many plasma TVs, are often better suited to darker rooms.
PC Interface	Yes
If you’d like to use your TV as a PC monitor you’ll need to make sure it has a port to allow you to connect it. This is usually a VGA port, but some TVs include a newer DVI port. Adaptors are availible to allow VGA to DVI and vice versa.
USB Port	Yes
Socket for connecting devices such as a computers and other components
Electronic Program Guide (EPG)	Yes
TVs with this feature have an on-screen guide to all the programmes that are currently showing or coming up, so you can find your way around all the extra digital channels easily.
Picture in Picture (PIP)	Yes
TVs with this feature are able to display a preview of another channel while you are watching your current channel.
Energy Savings Trust Feature	No
A Yes means this this product has been rated as being energy-efficient by the Energy Savings Trust. Good for the environment and good for your electricity bill!
Weight (kg)	38.3

Height in mm	722
Width in mm	1232

Depth in mm	120
Freeview	Yes
Freeview is free digital terrestrial TV. Many newer TVs have Freeview built in. For other TVs you will need a separate Freeview set-top box.
FreeSat Tuner	No
FreeSat is a free digital satellite TV service. The main benefit is that you can get HD programming from people like the BBC without having to pay for a subscription to a service like Sky. You’ll need a dish to recieve the signals though.
Sound System	SRS Surround
Colour	Black
The main colour of the product.

Also known as: Pioneer PDP-508XD, PIONEER PDP508XDT, Pioneer Kuro, Pioneer PDP508XD-T25BU, PIONEER PDPLX508D, Pioneer 50, Pioneer HD, Pioneer PDP-LX508D

TV Buyers Guide

Manufacturer's Description

The KURO screen gives you the ability to see literally every shade between black and white. Now, the film you see – and feel – on-screen is unparalleled in range and detail, the ultimate appearance of vivid and flawless colour.