Have to make sure that folks know these things are still around and kicking. Moved the Kuro into our dining room after the prior LCD died (some really nice Sony Top O Da Line for the time). I forget how many hours this thing has but it's at least ten years old and is on for at least eight hours a day. I think I may have lost a shade of black, maybe, but the picture is still incredible. Overall, it hasn't changed. I stuck a Polk 10" sub I had laying around and I use the set's speakers to great effect. I wonder how many people have actually lived with the built in audio and attached speakers. Had to get a Sony a80J OLED to replace the Kuro in the living room. We don't fuss over which TV to do anything on, but we do agree that the HDR and overall resolution for things that take advantage of it well are more enjoyable on the OLED, but more often than not we'll watch things in the dining room on the Kuro. Things that require the the full Tekton surround sound with Buttkicker, etc, are enjoyed on the OLED in the living room. The Kuro has to die before it leaves this home.

I got a KURO PDP6020 DP work like new - AMAZING PICTURE- Beautiful Colours - Deep Blacks- LOOKS BRAND NEW - I really take good care of my things, I sale it in her own shipping box because I CARE and the Lady always want bigger! - So... I just bought a new 85' 4K last Christmas, doesn't mean I will give it up but I can let it go for 2K or a good price in that range.

Im an AV enthusiast and I still have my Pioneer Kuro and Im not replacing it with any of these new TV's. If it dies on me I will have it fixed no matter the cost and if it cant be fixed, I will go to the secondary market and buy one even if it cost more than the present top of the line OLED TVs. I dont really need to be redundant why the Kuro is probably the best TV ever made as everything is explained and is said by all the post below. The writer of this article does not know what he is talking about!!!

Not convinced by 4k, I did some research and bought a used 50” Kuro in 2018. It cost me £125. Well, nothing quite prepared me for what I was in store for. Everything I read in the reviews was true, such as the colours, contrast and those renowned inky blacks, and even then my expectations were exceeded. I’m not a materialistic person as such, but it’s one of my few possessions that I genuinely love. The sheer pleasure it has given me in the time I’ve owned it makes the meagre price I paid seem like robbery – Pound for pound there isn’t a better TV available, and <span>the price of a Kuro today would only afford a budget brand LCD. As for 4K, the “upgrade” is negligible, which is counterintuitive given the additional costs. Call me biased, but o</span>ld quality technology wins on so many levels. So, no, these reasons are nowhere near sufficient for me to part ways with my beloved Kuro. The only reason I’ll upgrade is when it dies. And when that happens, it’ll be a 60” Kuro.

It's now 2022 and my Kuro is running strong.

2022 and still broadcasting in 720, 1080i

I have the 141 and 151, under 4k hours each, and I have no plans of replacing unless a Pani zt60 comes along, and even then its a marginal upgrade from the Kuro.

and nobody spying on you.

The last gen of Pani's finally were able to best the Kuro, and that was 2014 versus 2009. I love the ZT60 I believe its the best plasma ever made, but until I find one for sale, my u's get the nod.

Two words for you..... Motion Blur.

Not to mention oleds and 4k are still not refreshing at the same rate as your eye. The refresh rates they advertise are due to endless upscaling, it's all techy b.s. to hook you into the new cheaper technology. I'm buying and storing last gen Panasonic and gen8/9 Pioneer kuros. Until they figure motion blur out, seriously dont bother with oled or 4k.

Clearly your main reason for dumping a Kuro is you are an eco nut. The pioneer Kuro's have ZERO motion blur. For the weekend sports watcher viewing on a mid point priced oled or 4K is going to see this glaring issue that will never be resolved, as we are what 12 years in and no resolution in sight?. My advice is buy yourself a 1080P Gen 8 or Gen 9 KURO plasma save the money for home theater and enjoy "real" viewing, not over processed or underwhelming b.s. and lets see if your new tv goes 60-100K hours? I have a Pioneer Kuro PDP-5080HD in our master bedroom with almost 40K hours with no degradation of picture !!! Pioneer 1080P Elite Kuro PRO141FD, PRO151FD 60" models can be had under $400 with low hours. Screw the electric bill, a fat tv, tells you it has real guts inside, and with 7 of them between my two homes, for well under a grand, I'm plenty happy, and you likely will be as well..

Hey Jerry, I wish I saw this 5vyears ago when you wrote it. I might have bought it. I still have my ZT but now have an OLED 77 inch LG. Hope you like your Sammy.

Me too. I have an old KV27HSR-10 and it is a keeper. And also a slightly less old 32" Toshiba CRT TV that has even slightly better skin hue reproduction than the Trinitron, albeit at slightly less sharpness than the Sony. It is very clear when both my wife (who is not technically inclined or demanding) and my young son at 9 y.o. both always prefer to run to get either instead of the new 55" Samsung flat screen she bought less than a year ago. What is more: both CRTs are very straightforward to fine tune in respect to picture quality (in the infrequent occasions it is needed) compared to the lenghty and cumbersome Samsung LED TV adjustments...

To play the devil's advocate, here are my reasons for not dumping my Kuro until it dies - it's going strong still after more than 10years solid use given it's excellent quality. <u><b>Higher and higher resolution in TVs is largely a gimmick.</b></u> Firstly, higher and higher resolution beyond 720p is pointless for tv watching. When people were asked to guess which was the 4K TV given a choice of a new 4K TV and a 1080p Plasma they all thought it was the Plasma - the Plasma still looks better because among other things, it's colour reproduction, in particular it's ability to handle blacks.. Indeed, at a typical viewing distance, nobody can tell the difference between 720p, 1080p or 4K. Indeed, for TV watching, it would be much better if TV manufacturers focused on picture quality rather than the gimmick of higher resolution is better. Sorry, our eyes just aren't good enough to tell the difference :) <u><b>Power Consumption is part of the picture, but there are other considerations </b></u> The power consumption side is certainly a reason, but you also have to take into account the resources, energy consumed in manufacturing, transporting and running costs of a new tv vs keeping your perfectly good existing one. <u><b>Upscaling/downscaling</b></u> Using a media center e.g. an android tv box is going to take care of any up/down scaling. And downscaling UHD content to HD content is going to be an easier and more satisfactory option than trying to upscale HD to UHD. Most content is still at a lower resolution than 4K. You also have to factor in bandwidth. If you are limited in terms of the amount of data you can stream, or your internet connection speed, you're probably going to stream at a lower resolution anyway - on the bright side, you aren't going to notice the difference on a 1080p TV whereas, on a UHD tv, you're probably not going to take advantage of the 4K content anyway. <u><b>What are the real advantages of the modern "smart" UHD tv?</b></u> The main advantage of the "smart" tv is having a single remote control. But you can get all the features and more with a dedicated android tv box. For the sake of having to use a second remote to turn the TV and set the input source, I'd prefer a dedicated tv box that I can configure, install what I want e.g. Kodi, and can take with me to plug into other TVs when travelling. So I say, keep your existing TV and if you want smart features, buy an android tv box :)

This article is useless trash.

Have two 4k TVs, and a run of the mill LCD. My Pioneer plasma still looks better. Nice try though. Maybe a QLED... later.

Hey .. Watch it buddy... My Elite 151 is better then my panny ZT. I watch them both daily. In a slightly darkened room the Kuro is scary good.

Exactly! Don't let the TV industry fool you into enjoying a larger TV! Screw the TV industry... with their insidious plans to provide you with the greatest advances in home theater experience. I keep my old 27" Trinitron under lock and key. ‎

I've got 428 and 508 Kuros , theyre staying till they blow up ;)

all the kuro fans need to come to my house and see the picture on my c7 oled running a 4k disc thru my oppo 203 the kuro isnt even close for picture quality! tv is isf calibrated for a dark room and the oppo is tweaked to deliver the best possible picture

lg oleds EXCEED the picture quality of the best kuros PERIOD!!! i have a c7 oled with an oppo 203 4k disc player and i assure you the best my kuro ever looked is inferior to the oled

Here is what Plasmas do well.. and this is from first hand experience.. If you would of asked me 15 years ago when Flat panels starting coming out and said Plasmas had the best picture I would have laughed at you.. It had to take me owning all 3 types, 1st the DLP, then the LCD and finally the Panasonic.. And one thing to remember not all plasmas are the same.. I originally had a Panasonic Viera 50 TC-P50S1 and love the pic but wanted a bigger screen... I got a 55 in LG (smart Plasma) and the image was just horrible.. I immediately sold it on CL the next for $75 more than I bought for.. I thne got a 54 inch of the Panasonic and then a bout a year later found a 65 inch of the same S series. I had to have a new wall mount installed which was super flush above my fireplace and it looks absolutely stunning.. So back to Plasmas and why they are great.. Motion is the best at 600hz which nothing will ever be shown at that refresh fast action from a DVD or BLuray is Fantastic, 0 blur or Ghosting. Color Saturation and Reproduction hands down nothing better.. Black Levels.. While the very new LCD's from Samsung have some impressive Black levels.. the Plasma is just excellent. Another great feature is off angle viewing is amazing for plasma as well. Now I have a Nvidia Shield and a Roku 3 as well as a PS4 all running into the 65 inch Panny Plasma.. on Youtube you can select 4k Content.. The HDR channel has great sample Video clips running at 4k... now since this plasma is not 4k.. it downconverting this content to 1080p which I show to people and they think it is 4k.. even though its not.. So what is happening here.. the main reason 4k TV's look so amazing is because the content is amazing.. the same theory of garbage in garbage out applies in reverse here... Bsically if you feed 4k content to a capable Full 1080p Display downconverted it going to look almost as good..

Wrong. Check for 4K TVs with HDR backlit control. All 4K TV's are not same.

Lol another fat old plasma? If you can afford OLED that is the best you could own. If you have more money, look for the wallpaper TV costs $8k for 65". But if you are smart and don't want to be a victim of changing technology, go with TCL 55P607 (costs $600) which delivers the performance of much expensive TVs. Also, be sure to have a beautiful sounding soundbar along with the TV.

Another reason not to listen to these reviewers. Paid by the industry to sell a bill of goods. Just saying

I know this is an old post but after reading the review I have to say the writer is delusional. I sell home theater at BB and look at these new UHD TV's all day and they stink. I own 2 60" Panasonic's and 1 LG plasma and a KURO. Not a chance of selling any of them. 1st, these new LED tv's don't last, your lucky to get 4 years out of one. Samsung's are the worst, Sony's operating system sucks and the OLED has more burn in problems than Plasma ever had. I have seen these TV's in customers homes and they look awful, grainy, terrible definition, and nothing natural about any of the colors. Plasma is smooth and motion rate is not a problem and skin tones look like skin not like pancake make up. 2nd, as far as repair costs, don't even think about having an LED set fixed because it's almost always the panel and it cost more than the TV is worth. During Thanksgiving on of my Panny's went south and I bought a curved 65" Samsung which was a big mistake. Took it back to the store 3 days later and I fixed my Panny for $24.00 with a used board on Ebay and good as new. fI you bought an LED in 2015 you paid through the nose and now that's not looking so good because the same TV is half that price. These guys are just trying to keep the price of TV's up buy sell you a bill of goods. 4K content is not even fun to watch. Plasma was and still is the best TV Technology so add a firestick or some other smart device and rock on with the best picture ever. PLASMA is like listening to Vinyl and 4k is like listening to a CD. Why do you think vinyl is making a comeback. Enough Said

One of the wonderful things about Kuro plasmas, and often overlooked is they can make low res content look good. OLED or LED makes low-res content look like shite. I have plenty of old rare content and often watch old stuff on YouTube on the Kuro and it looks wonderful. It spoils us and we so often forget if we do move to something newer this darling feature is gone. And 1080p content looks more than good enough for me on it. So much so that now when I rip my HD films I rip them in 720p as they look ace at that res on my 60" and 50" 1080p Kuros and they take up less file space. UHD and 4K I couldn't care two shits about. More dots won't make the film better. We get excellent colour representation (esp. when calibrated), best in class motion, and fuzzy pixels that makes HD content look like butter mmm and low-res content look great. That's all I want from a TV. Sharpness is overrated. It's only one part of a complex matrix of factors that makes a film look great on a TV. There's a reason why so many directors and cinematographers own Kuros—they're f-ing great!

I would be so fucking pissed.

None of these reasons are good. I like that my Pioneer is dumb tv, I can attach and use any box and any service I like to this so-called dumb tv and the interface is minimal, reliable and simple. With those new LG TVs you get GIANT ADS on the main user interface. How insulting is that to an owner who just gave the company 1,500-3K quid. Unforgivable. And lest we forget the swoosh-y, flashy interface that is totally unnecessary and poorly conceived. Fat shame your tv? It's four inches thick, hangs on my wall and never moves. It's makes films look beautiful and I literally never once think 'if I only it were thinner'. It's completely irrelevant. Mostly uneducated consumers buy a tv because it's thinner. "The guy in the store said thinner was better, so it must be". No—the guy in the store is just using thinness as one more tool to part you and your money and manufactures are competing on thinness because they can't figure out real ways to make your tv genuinely better or more likely lack the engineering and design talent and care to do so. Heck, the don't even know how to setup your TV so the out of the box experience is good and the tv is calibrated for the best image quality without all those horrid ludicrous buzz-word settings on by default.

3 Years later. Wondering what your current thoughts are? Seeing as how proliferation of peak brightness has utterly stopped for the most part, HDR MIA seeing as how anything that doesn't attempt to chase DolbyVision (12 bit/4k nit brightness) at least is pointless. Heck even 12-bit panels are like Intel 10nm CPU's.. STILL WAITING.

Sorry, its 2018 and even today I am still holding on to last gen of calibrated KUROs, Elite Signature 141FD (the best of the bests), 151FD and FPJ1. I think they are not going anywhere in another 5 years or so (the pace technology is advancing at). More than 10 years old KURO tech and still don't see a reasonable difference in today's television market. Not to mention, lack of content availability as well. I was recently planning to buy Panasonic TC-65EZ1000 but didn't pull the trigger and decided to wait a bit longer. I will however pray that Pioneer comes back to the TV business.

Lime green correction

This guy is a complete idiot. Obviously knows nothing about tvs. Pioneer Kuros are testing time as some of the best OLEDs tvs can't match the color of plasma. Let's not even get started with the black levels. UHD 400 percent more resolution? Man I wonder how you even got a job working on this site. 4K tvs look like crap. It's only bright for dumbasses to think the tv looks spectacular. Maybe if you like your football fields like green and facial lips red then by all means go for it. The color reproduction of Plasma still stands till this day. It's unfortunate the technology was ahead of it's time and it cost far to much to make a plasma. Given recession in 2008 and release of LCDs this started the downfall of Plasma tvs. To bad customers get suckered in buying crap that people post. Please find one tv whether 4k OLED, LCD that even comes close to the Pioneer Elite in 2018. You won't and one thing, human eye can't even notice the difference. 4k is out and nothing streams but idiots will review to get people to upgrade. 8k will come one day and nothing will still broadcast. They are still broadcasting in 720p and 1080i.

I use laptop connected to TV. so reason 2 is not an issue reason 3 : you don't watch your tv from the sides

I totally concur!! 🙂

I absolutely agree. I own the 64 inch 8500 and have no plans in the near future to replace it. The natural and organic color it renders is without peer.

I have a Panasonic plasma which my wife and I really like. Not top of the line by "easy" on the eyes and does everything good. I went and looked at OLED, UHD, 4k etc, yesterday. The salesman seemed knowledgeable and actually, hang on guys..listened to my preferences. This is what he said with a broad paint brush. Samsung is very sharp bladed and extremely saturated tv. Sony is more "natural" in tone and texture. What you see outside is what Sony faithfully tried to duplicate without over saturated colors. LG is somewhere between. A little sharper than Sony with a touch more color. Sure enough in my novice observation this was true. I especially never liked Samsung for their razor blades images. Nothing in life is that bladed not is the color of a sunflower that damn yellow. I mentioned this to a friend who asked for advice on his next tv and I related the story to him. He could buy anything and has in the past. He bought the TOTL Sony. I'm much much slower than him when getting ready to part with $$$$. But the Sony A1E and Bravia are what I'm gravitating too. Cheers

This is an industry-paid-for bunch of crap. The very fact that the plasma fetches what it does on the used market (reason 6) tells one that the marketing arm of the industry trying to up-sell us on the latest and greatest isn't working as planned.

OLED for sure, But until OLED gets more affordable I am holding onto my two Panasonic Plasmas, I have a 65" 1080p viera (Not Kuro) and it is great and I have not seen an LED I like better. Oled for sure as they are amazing but not LED. I also have a 55" 720p Panasonic viera I just got for $100.00 for my shore house and nobody even questions the fect it is a 10yr old TV (Except the guy that helped me carry it.) OLED is my future but maybe in 3 - 5yrs from now. Skipping LED...

After the first reason I've noticed, I've found a troll.

Hi, I need help here. Unfortunately my Pioneer Kuro got destroyed by a guy who was installing new furniture. A library door fall in the middle of the screen and destroyed it. I almost kill him. It was my baby. Now I got two offers: a used in very good condition Plasma Panasonic TC-P65VT60W or a 55" LG OLED TV-B6 or a LG 55" OLED 4K Super Smart. Any suggestions? Really appreciate the time! Thanks!!

all the reasons are full of SHIT. the only reason i would dumb my kuro is an oled tv.-

Every time I look at new TV's, there seems like there is something missing, the naturalness of the Pioneer Elite at home. I will keep mine as long as possible. I see no real advantages that would be better than what I already have. All plasma tv's render better than any tv available today.

Hello Jerry Del Colliano, I strongly suggest that you stop composing & posting utter rubbish such as your "Six Reasons to Finally Dump Your Pioneer KURO TV". Reading through your article, I was assured that you have money to spend but you do not know how to spend it wisely - thus I am now assured that you have money to waste. Ha Ha if anybody takes your article seriously they would be fools. The contents of your comments are utterly rubbish. Certainly looks like you did not have the time nor the interest to diligently read through the comments of people who are still extremely satisfied with their Pioneer Plasma KURO. So please lay off wasting your own time & the time of serious Pioneer Plasma KURO since it will not make an iota of a difference to us.

The future called back. HDR. 'nuff said.

IF OLED LOOKED GOOD I WOULD BUY ONE ... PQ IS AWFUL .. A REAL STEP BACK I'M NEW TO KURO AND I NOW OWN 2 (just in case)

This has got to be one of the most uninformed and quite frankly dumb articles I have ever read on televisions. Please stop.

Still watching a 43" 720p Samsung F4500 plasma. I went through about 20 HD TV's, mostly LCD, to realise that 1) Plasma is inherently a better technology for displaying moving images 2) The correct selection of any HDTV is a science and should be determined by size and pixel density of TV in relation to viewing distance. ie. from 10ft a 43" 720p plasma gives an excellent picture in HD and SD. 3) Plasma TV's have PRISTINE screen uniformity. The great thing is that gumtree and ebay are peppered with great plasma's which can be bought for peanuts. Currently a 42" ST50 in my area selling for £55! Which I won't bother picking up because I know 1080p from my viewing distance is a waste fo money and even worse will just make me want to buy a BIGGER tv so I can appreciate the extra resolution...which is exactly what the TV industry wants!!! I won't be fooled again!

This article reads like a bought and paid for tool trying to get us to buy into the "next latest and greatest" sorry dude.. That may work on the average dumb ass, but it ain't flying here. Your arguments are stock ad copy crap and if you had any morals you'd be ashamed of yourself. I have a Pioneer pdp503 and with a simple hdmi to vga cheater box, I can enjoy 1080p on my Oppo 103D and it looks damn fine son.. Take your uhd and 400% Nickel Bag worth of oled crack and smoke that up bro... I'm keepin my plasma..4RP

WT...? Is the guy obsessed with other folks and their Kuros? The Writer wrote a simmilar article in 2011. Are you that stuck for ideas? https://hometheaterreview.com/its-time-to-get-over-pioneers-kuro-hdtv/

Kuros were eventually bested by the Panasonic ZT weren't they? I replaced a ZT65 with a OLED and never looked back. Watching a 10 bit HDR 4K UHD Blu ray will make you forget all about obsolete TV's.

I Bought my PIONEER KURO 50" (NEW in BOX) in 2008 for $1,800+ Maybe $50 ONLINE from ABES of Maine(which was likely in NYC)... I did not like the Speaker mounted on the bottom but the PICTURE QUALITY is still as Good as it ever was... I have a 500GB ASUS Micro Computer hooked up to it and I stream everything I watch on the KURO for 2 years now on SEP 3.. It is a TERRIFIC TV... I bought a Yamaha Sound Bar and it is BETTER but not what I expected from YAMAHA... I am 79 now and I enjoy my KURO every NIght and I may or may not use it during the NFL Season because sometimes I Stream the NFL or REDZONE right here on my DESKTOP W/27 or 28" AOC Monitor... If my KURO Fails I will be SAD...~!!~

Thanks to all for the enlightenment of plasma TVs. I own a Panasonic plasma 2008 vintage and am pleased with it thus far. I dont see reason to upgrade yet based on what ive seen in same price range. My good fortune that my friends and neighbors are buying new and giving away their 60" Kuros. They insisted they need new -maybe based on Jerrys' article? I am glad to reuse and enjoy it for the near future. I will of course return this set if they have regrets with new unit. BTW, I recently bought a used used 2000 BMW motorbike R1100RS which had only 950 miles on it and paid $10,000 less than a new one. It has ABS brakes and fuel injection. Just enough tech to enjoy it, but not overly complex like everything is becoming these days -including cars, appliances and of course AV 'ophile gear. I cant help but recall the "transistor vs tube revolution" and am still looking for the classic stuff for the color in the sound. Remember Charley the Tuna? ....looking for tuna that TASTES good. My point is that there will always be a place for classic gear which is suited best to its user and gives them the enjoyment or thrill that they seek. This is the priceless gift, that comes with a story and is well remembered long after the specs for the next whiz-bang must haves in life. I believe that life is becoming so complex that simple, straight forward, easy to use quality products will be the choice of an experienced audiophile. Those who dont know better will be thrilled with the latest devices. Well Jerry, I dont hear a lot of love out there for you, but someone has to sell the new stuff, and I for one am thankful to you for the new/to me Kuros! "one mans junk is another mans treasure" Chris B. Old dog from Detroit MI

OK, thinking of getting a second hand Kuro for watching standard definition tv (576i??). Question is what is best for that - a 720 or 1080 unit? Thanks!

Ooh.. 6. What??? You bought a 4500 dollars tv and after 6-8 years you dump it and will buy again a Top End TV witch wont never last so long like your Pioneer will ;-) How about this.. If you must have nevest best TV witch the "market" wants you to buy, then you must buy it. but why dump your first Black Beast witch did cost a huge amount "green".. How about your take it to your summer place etc..? Why dump a god old "Lamborghini" witch will work longer than your next new one..?

1. True but if you watch FHD programs what do you need 4K/UHD? And if you have DPD-LX6090 wich crusches all Hi-End LCD´s and most Plasmas ever made... 2. What?? Why do i want to couple my phone with my tv if i have all the other gadges like Apple TV, Oppo player etc.. 3. What?? I Bought that TV for the quality of the picture, not for its SIZE.. and so what if it is a bit big... Still the best picture i have ever seen ;-) 4. What?? Going green..?? The differences between Pioneer´s and for example LG´s Top End models ain´t so big.. But if you change all your home lights to LED you will save Green in huge amounts and your "energy foot print" gets smaller ;-) 5 What?? BS!! LG and Samsung is the first brands when it comes into "Black List of Repairing".. Pioneer and Philips you will find at the bottom of this list... Conclusion = Better to watch your 4500 Dollar TV witch does better picture as any given LCD and comes so close to OLED that better to save that money once again and spend it for example a A Class Holiday with your family.., amen! P.S. Sorry my poor English, hope you still did get my point ;-)

No thanks I'll still hang on to my old outdated Kuro 141fd.in fact just received a warranty replacement from Pioneer I have about 10 hours on this TV got it about a month and a half ago. And yes pioneer still has TVs in their warehouse in Long Beach California not for sale for warranty purposes. So I'll hang on to my dumb TV that's thick and heavy and not as thin and fragile as toilet paper

Really? Give up my 60" Pioneer Elite Kuro for a so called "smart tv when my roku and Dish DVR have all the smarts I need? No friggin' way. It still has the best picture out there and as far as 4k content goes, I still can't tell the difference between that and regular 1080p. I'm assuming the difference will much more apparent on larger screens 75" to jumbotrons. As far as being green goes change all the lightbulbs in your home to CFS or LED and you've got the difference covered. The Kuro is like a classic Bentley. It will be great until it dies.

I could not disagree more with this article. As a current Kuro owner, all I care about in a TV is the image quality. I couldn't give a flying toss about the thickness of the TV, its bezel or how much electricity it consumes. Smart TVs are a joke compared to a new generation Apple TV or Amazon Fire TV. UHD4K is pointless since there's no content for it (I don't live in the US). Even fully backlit LED TVs look nowhere near as nice as a Kuro. I would only stop using my KRP-500A if it died or OLED TVs became mainstream, which will take a while, yet. Don't even get me started on those dumb curved pane televisions that are all the rage, I hate them with the intensity of exploding suns. Sadly, dumb marketing gimmicks are winning over quality in the TV market today, which is why I'm keeping my Kuro until it stops working.

every one of these reasons is BS. Seriously UHD isn't even noticeable at 10ft. Good black levels on the other hand are!

The problem is indeed picture quality. Plasma beats LCD aka LED is all areas. I am not a videophile. I've never had the greatest most expensive TV ...ever. But I cannot stand the pixely, blue not black LED TV's with their shitty contrast ratios and washed out picture. It doesnt matter if content is 4k. Resolution means nothin gif the TV has a terrible contrast ratio. You wont see ANY detail. I have a budget LG plasma. It was a cheap TV and the picture was actually pretty good. But a line developed on the screen. SO I went out and bought a VIZIO 4k that counting for inflation was still a little more than the LG cost me. Well .... the Vizio looked awful. Zero detail. Contrast horrible. No detail in blacks, no detail in whites. The LG 720 plasma is 20x better and more detailed ... and its 720 not even 1080. Frankly audio and video have taken tremendous steps backwards. Millennials do not seem to notice. They will listen to DR Beats and watch horrible LED TV's. Its pure ignorance and disposable consumerism at its finest. Know nothings writing "advice" articles ... yikes.

If you happen to browse through the websites of the above mentioned dealers you will find that many times the smallest part for a TV can run you hundreds of dollars.

I picked up one of the last Panny plasmas before they went the way of the dodo. Apart from LG's 65' OLED, nothing comes near. I saw this model in Currys next to a 4k OLED. It was evidently clear that the backlit LED 4K was ruining the OLED. We all wondered what would follow HD. Soon enough we heard of OLED which, said the then experts, was la creme de la creme of television technology. It faded as quickly as it emerged. And 4K seemed to take the lead, even though there was no native 4K to access. That is, apart from these demos clearly intended to impress the customers with money to spare or the gullible. Now that OLED prices are falling, those sales 'specialists', or, clever reviewers like Jerry , are quick to point out its 'weaknesses' . Shop displays clearly make this assumption that the brighter the picture, the more likely the customer will part with his money. Hence these Samsung LED's set on Dynamic. For me, a good picture is all about good blacks which, in turn, gives good contrast levels and overall better colours. I'd rather have a picture with good black levels than one that is supposedly enhanced by billions of pixels. It's all reminiscent of how VHS won over excellent Betamax. The reason for this is simply that the field of all audiovisual is market led. And, of course, there are the Jerrys of this world. I didn't believe a word.

Hello gents, I'm a relative newcomer to the world of higher end Tv so would appreciate some advice. I'm currently in the process of returning my 4K samsung for a refund as the 'soap opera effect' couldn't be completely turned off and was just ruining everything. I also, same as many folk here, don't care about the multitude of useless apps I can install on a smart tv, I just want picture quality. I'm now looking to get a plasma. The maximum size I can go for would be 42 inches, I have a tiny living room and anything larger would totally dwarf the entire room, if I could get it to fit inside the alcove at all. The one thing that gives me pause is that I can't seem to find any plasmas that are 42 inches and 1080, they are all 720. My question is this, how much does this matter. From a cursory glance at the comments below it seems that even 720 at 42 inches would be a massive improvement on any LED screen of the same size. Any thoughts would be welcome.

I had the heart ache of watching my 6010FD be trucked away by the insurance company due to a flood two years ago. That hole in my heart was partially filled by the full replacement cost for the TV which came out to the $5500 I originally paid for it. Taking the money for it was a very hard decision seeing as the only reason they were writing it off was cause the power cord touched water. Other than that it was still mint and I doubt there were any shorts as I obviously had protection. Being in need of the cash I opted to no buy a replacement and went with a mid grade Samsung full def led. I knew I would never get anywhere near the satisfaction I got from my kuro but it was a family decision. Today I find myself in a somewhat different situation. We had a break in the other week and the 60" $2000 Samsung was smashed. I will be receiving the full $2000 to replace it so my questions are: Would you have kept your kuro or taken the $5500? and if you say the money, would you have bought a new kuro in 2013? Also, should I make the jump to 4K seeing as I'll have $2000+ to make that decision? If I do make the jump I will be looking HDR.

No way I'm selling my Kuro (111fd)! It is 6 years old and it STILL looks better for movies than anything I've seen yet. 4K is great but there is more to picture quality than resolution: reference-quality 1080p/24 done well beats poorly implemented 4K any day. Lack of Smart TV capability? Who cares, I hardly use it on our other tvs and it's almost always slow and clunky. Why would you not use Apple TV, PS4, Roku, etc instead? Yes, the Kuro is much heavier than what's being sold today, but it is almost much more solidly built and far higher quality. Lastly, I'm sure I could save electricity by going with a newer model, but I have no problem affording the extra $50 a year to have a STILL-reference quality display in my home. I'm keeping this one for a long time to come!

Eventually, all the controls are quite easy to use but surely need some practice if you are naive user of Canon's controls and menus. Even the experienced Canon users have to check out the full manual included on software disc packed with the camera.

This thread is a load of SH*T. Yes Plasma cant do UHD however its been proved that a 720p Plasma with a contrast of 18000:1 compared to a 4k with contrast of 11000:1 the Plasma looks better any day. Also the reliabilty of the screens for the Uhd junks is very poor. A 2005 Plasma will out last one of them any day !

I came here thinking they were gonna say that something could now compete for visual quality. Sadly no. Higher resolution isn't as important at this point....

I can't believe this is the first google result when we search for pioneer kuro. for shame. the only reason perhaps, if you really want to argue, for dumping your Kuro, is reason number 6, as it can still demand a premium somewhat. The rest of the reasons, like others said, is flawed, in my opinion. The author certainly has his own right and opinion for said piece, but to the rest of us Kuro fans, or Panny VT/ZT series folks, we still love our sets very, very much. And a happy Thanksgiving to all!

Yep, a good OLED set will be the only worthwhile upgrade. A good plasma or CRT set still beats the pants off any LCD-based set.

As to the green point he made, keeping something and repairing it is the most green thing you can do, there is the energy that went into the product that you need to take into account, the embodied energy, and getting something new for a minimal savings in energy is actually a net increase when you take into account embodied energy. Its almost always better for the environment to repair something than buy something new.

4k ups the resolution at the expense of other things like color, because the media can't handle the size. Just think of the difference between 1080p Netflix and 1080p bluray. Same resolution, vastly different quality. Same will happen with 4k resolution, 4k bluray will have all that space used up by the higher resolution that its going to have to sacrifice in other areas, there is only so much space on the disc.

Plus UHD does not mean better picture. Unless you are upgrading to OLED, no need to get rid of the plasma, UHD is just a gimmick.

Sitting close to my LED is horrible. Sitting far away or mid distance is still horrible. I hate LED and OLED. Plasma TVs are decades more advanced as far as actual quality, motion, response time, contrast, color and brightness. If not then you must have seen or own a very poor Plasma because a decent Plasma costing $800-$3000 at retail brand new price beats any OLED or LED that displays 4K movies. It is disgusting to see manufacturers get away with the lies and marketing. Plasma still rules. I dont see why any one with choice would get an LED or OLED, they should get Plasma if they still had the choice.

It means nothing. Seeing is believing and LED and OLED TVs suck! My Plasma beats every 4K TV out there. 4K quality on my LED is horrible with proper 4K movies while standard definition and HD beats that on my Plasma anyday.

I hate my LED 4K TV. Display quality is horrible compared to my Plasma.

My Plasma TV displays standard definition and HD about 3-10x better quality than all 4K LEDs and OLED displays Ive seen. Plasma still rules in every area.

Upgrading your entire system and library every few years is wasteful and dumb. Think about it 2k or more for a 4k tv with high ratings 2k or more new sound system for the new ultra hd sound and speakers that supposedly Wil be able to reproduce those sounds,we probably can't hear,just animals . Then 3k or more to replace entire library of movies 800 on bluray and hd dvd.. I say if it's not broke don't fix it. Let 4k prove itself in quality and reliability and make sure it doesn't go the way of hd dvd and beta. Right now the 4k programming is so limited it makes no sense to upgrade. NOT TO MENTION THE DISPLAY PORT LIKE PANASONIC IS PUSHING FOR HIGHER RESOLUTION Tv's.Look at 3d been around awhile but only a fraction of high definition movies come in 3d and usually at a significant premium. Not to mention wearing those glasses frequently are probably not good for your eyes. I for one am tired of being a fanboy of the latest technology. Time to go get the new iPhone ,lol kidding.

Missing is "better picture quality". I guess that's why videophiles will keep their Kuros until something that actually looks better comes out.

Love to see what plasma could've done with UHD. It would have been BEAUTIFUL

Plasmas tend to "look" real. All others(especially LED/LCD), IMO, tend to look a little like a computer game (too much color and grainy) to me. Picture is so "sharp" it scratches you LOL! Looks very unnatural.

Jerry what model Sammy 4k did you pick up

Jerry has it right. I attended a Sony demo of their 4K projector on a 120" screen last year. My first question was, "Are more colors being displayed than is displayed in 1080P projectors?" Forget the added resolution, you probably won't notice it on your 42" plasma. What you will notice are the colors!

Ultra HD? Who cares? 4K where? Dumb TV's? Who cares? Get a Roku/AppleTV/etc. (they are better than any TV anyway) 5 inch thick TV vs 2 inch thick TV vs 1 inch TV - whoop-de-do (They all look the same on a wall) Yup older plasmas use more power - still better picture - that's worth $15-$25/year EASY Repairs - that's always a personal cost/reward balance Used market? I guess, why sell a superior TV? Pretty weak six reasons IMO. Upgrade to upgrade? 4K? Where? I don't have the OLD Kuros - but I'll keep my 2 Panny Plasmas 50inch 2006 and 65inch (2011?) p65vt30 they still look WAAAY better than current TV's. LCD/LED TV's are a big step backwards. THEY ALL LOOK HORRIBLE My 2011? p65VT30 is nearly as thin, about one inch most of the TV, 2 inches at bottom, doesn't use significantly more power, and Panny is already killing off my "smartTV" functionality anyway - on a 4 year old TV. I only really used it for Weather, anyway. LOL!

Another 2014 Samsung 8500 owner. Picked it up new for $2489 as a close out model last October. Best TV I have ever owned! Even the guys on the showroom floor said the picture on this set beats everything on the floor. If it breaks we'll have to replace it with an OLED set. As a former Mitsubishi promise sucker, my early adopter days are long gone.

To prove my point - I just sold my Panny 65 inch ZT (to a local reader) via Craigslist and I think I may have given it away at $1,500. I had EIGHT PEOPLE in one day willing to take it off my hands. One person said they would FLY DOWN from SF to pick it up and drive it back. My ZT was the best TV I've ever owned. I got fair value from it and it owed me nothing after two years. It can do today's 1080p like nothing else but its time to move to the next gen technology. With that said MAN do I need a calibration on my 85 inch Samsung UHD.

The vast amount of comments here should finally put to rest any notion that Jerry is smarter than his readers.

Bit pointless really imo getting rid - with the advances in calibration technology Kuro's are ridiculously low in the delta error department... 0.2 and below not unheard of nowadays. So with colour accuracy that blows everything else away along with unmatched image and 'correct' and true movie processing then anyone who knows what makes a truly quality display will do well to hang on to it. No other 1080P display shows as much detail/textures as KURO. Let's not forget the Kuro's unmatched micro contrast along with it's best in class pixel structure. The list goes on... OLED is riddled with issues. UHD 'is' a waste of time under 80" without HDR. It's (should be) all about the art, not the "technology"

oxymoron: "I don't mean to be an a-hole but you are not to bright." s/b "too"

I have also seen sites where it says our government was responsible for 9/11. Doesn't make it true. Don't believe every stupid thing you choose to read from the stupid sources you call news/entertainment. Infowars/Alex Jones is a joke. If you believe anything that moron says, you're just as stupid. The guy is a fear monger and outright liar. Lots of Google links to support that as well. If you bring Alex Jones into a Home Theater review page and tell us that it's the reason why you are selling your TV, then maybe you should leave this site. I don't mean to be an a-hole but you are not to bright.

As a certified cheap-o, I think the most important point is this: don't buy something new if you're happy with what you've got. I don't have a Kuro, but I do have an old 65" DLP rear-projection TV. It still looks fantastic to me, and I intend to use it until the day it dies (and since I have no problem replacing the bulb and DLP chip, that could be a while). And I still use a 35" tube tv in my bedroom; it fits perfectly in my armoire, and is good enough for watching The Goldbergs and Nightline. One day it will die and I'll upgrade, but until then, I'm happy. The manufacturers need to make a more compelling case for UHD with content and displays. Until then, it seems silly to spend money in the hope that your new purchase will make you happier in the future than you are right now for free.

It's unfortunate that your piece here doesn't tell the entire story. No matter how many dots a modern LCD/LED TV has, the picture quality DOES NOT APPROACH plasma. Anyone can add an Apple TV for about $100.00 and then it becomes a "Smart" TV. Repair Bills? No such thing with plasma, as it was the most reliable TV format ever produced. Modern TV's on the other hand are FAILING AT AN ALARMING RATE. Going Green? More BS. Yes an LCD is more energy efficient than a plasma. BUT, the plasma set uses about 1/20th the amount of electricity as the old tube tv we used for years. There is a good reason that a honda gets better gas milage than a Ferrari. Plasma has gone away because the American consumer doesn't seem to want quality. The Entire TV Industry has Catered to this customer base by racing to the bottom of the barrel with the cheapest quality products they can produce. Modern TV's are Poorly made, unreliable, and look terrible.....But you can stream youtube videos!

How about writing a rebuttal with "Six reasons to keep your Kuro"? That could be fun... The switch to higher resolution is inevitable. While most people won't benefit from it, resolution sells. The 'killer app' remains the larger color space, once properly supported from source to screen. When should the plasma crowd jump in? While you have a point around resale value, your article would benefit from addressing image quality and defining an a suitable upgrade path. - DMX -

All your reasoning is flawed and misleading. I would advise the exact opposite on every single point you made. I own the P65VT60, and the only reason I would give it or a Kuro up is for the OLED LG EC9300, even though it's smaller. Any new 4K LED/LCD TV after a Kuro or a VT60 is a downgrade! 1)Your 4K options today or in the foreseeable future are Very limited. Almost all the big shows and channels are in HD. By the time 4K becomes mainstream, your 4K display will be three or four generations behind. Stupid investment. 2) You do not need a smart TV. You are better off using a 3rd party device like the $30 Google Chrome. When new technology is available, you only need to change it instead of the whole TV. Now you tell me where is the smart in smart TV? 3) Thinner TVs? No, we enjoy the picture, not the frame. Silly point. 4) Nice try using the environment to further your case. OLEDs are better than anything in green energy. It will more than make up for the long years I'll spend enjoying my Beefy Plasma. 5) Buying instead of fixing? This applies to every electronic thing today. I'm hoping my Viera breaks. I need a reason to get that LG OLED! 6) You want me to sell my TV? F*** You! Do us a favor and stop writing. It isn't fair to the uneducated consumer who makes an effort in research/reading before spending his or her cash.

What I posted is true. I tried to post the links here but this site want let me. You can do a startpage search "patraeus dishwasher spying on you" and many links come up. If you put that and then infowars you will get their article. Try "Samsung tv spying on you" and you will get many articles. I would suggest adding infowars to the search so you can get their article. If you don't know about this and really want to know the world you are living in, you should be at infowars too. The corporate owned news media didn't tell you. I understand most want the blue pill. One can do that until one can't. I will keep my Kuro and leave this site for good.

Do not sell anything!!! If I like it u keep it ? And continue too enjoy it! This is just another way to get U the big t.v. box buyers to go out and.but a new 60 inch and up. They call this Psycho Analytic sell tactics! Lol.. Just them having made this statement was enough on hopes u think of it later and then act. I'm just saying!!!

Second-hand prices for KUROs suddenly dive, as market flooded

Adrianne, I really hope you elect to place a disclaimer of some sort on this blog to educate and alert potential new buyers (early adopters) of the pitfalls of the new 4K sets....and to reinforce that these are Jerry's opinions as an early adopter. I think that would be responsible. We HTR readers know you fully respect the opinions of your staff, but this course of action may be warranted.

I have been giving this some more thought and I am glad Adrianne Maxwell commented and showed some prudence to help novice (and even experienced) readers/buyers make an informed decision. Yes, the promise of these technologies is great but they must mature and broadcasters (notwithstanding Netflix) and studios must provide content so it can be viewed by consumers natively without upconversion. Jerry's posting this blog and comments may be misconstrued by buyers not well informed about 4K, 10/12 bit color, HDR, etc. The uninitiated may think that native 4K content is plentiful and all these technologies are matured at the consumer level, which is not true. Adrianne, I really hope you elect to place a disclaimer of some sort on this blog to educate and alert potential new buyers (early adopters) of the pitfalls of the new 4K sets....and to reinforce that these are Jerry's opinions as an early adopter. I think that would be responsible. We HTR readers know you fully respect the opinions of your staff, but this course of action may be warranted.

Just like all technologies, OLED is still in it's infancy, while it's price-point is too prohibitive for the mainstream. I do believe that besides Samsung, if any company has the resources to propel the technology, it's LG. In my humble opinion, within the next five years OLED will make all other technologies either obsolete or undesirable.

By the way Jerry, how much are you asking for the ZT? I am in Nor Cal and I have a 55 Pani in my second room I would not mind upgrading to the ZT.

Jerry, I just asked a buddy of mine who is into this sort of thing more than I am. He says the new 4K TV's are good for 4K but not nearly as good as your VT is in 740-1080 modes.

Funny, the videophiles were saying the same thing about 720p vs. 1080p when there was the option but I never noticed the difference between my Panasonic 1080p plasma and the Kuro. I suppose if you are sitting close to an UHDTV you will notice the 4K difference but there is only so much resolution the human eye can discern when sitting 7-8 feet from the screen. Since I haven't been able to view any 4K video on my Sony UHDTV I can't give an informed decision. I'm hoping it will give me the visual experience the industry has been promising! And, to be honest, I don't know how much the benefit we will get from the new color profile on LCD technology - I still think it's inferior to plasma (even with 4K resolution). Your point about the retained value of our Kuro's is interesting and might be the only reason I would sell but not until 4K video streaming and TV channels are more common.

"Smart" TVs are overrated, my 2012 VT50 hasn't seen many updates and is far exceeded by plug ins such as the Amazon Fire HD, TiVo, Blu-ray player, and HTPC. I'd rather have my TV be the ultimate reference monitor instead dealing with old versions of Netflix and a clunky browser, and stereo only via ARC. I think you should do a counterpoint post on why NOT to sell the Panny and Pio plasmas right now. I bet you would be able to make way better proof points than you did in this article.

I have one of those last great Panasonic plasma screens (a 50" 1080p model) and you can have it when you pry it from my cold dead hands! Or replace it with a bigger UltraHD screen with the same gorgeous blacks. That'll probably have to wait for either 4k OLED or projectors to come down in price some more.

I am running out of spots for large TVs when I move (in a few days). I am going to put the 60 inch Panny in the gym but that's a tiny room. 60 is overkill. 65 is even more overkill. Ironically 85 doesn't look THAT BIG (its big) in my living room now as there are high ceilings

Alex Jones is a whacko. Less AM radio for you sir!!!! :)

I am selling my ZT panny next week. 65 inches. Low hours. Great shape. Calibrated by David Abrhams from AVICAL. LA pick up. I paid $4,800 for it. Make me a fair offer as my 85 inch Samsung UHD is hung and rocking. It is badly in need of a calibration.

UHD sets when calibrated look more like the master than anything 1080p. What I've learned about retail is that these sets are set on STUN MODE (think dynamic) to woo people with brightness and cartoon-like color. A good calibrator can get you back to SMPTE standards in an hour or two of working on your next set whenever you have a chance to upgrade.

You are totally missing the point of the story. This IS ABOUT spending your money wisely. You buy a Kuro for $4,500 7 years ago knowing that TVs have a finite lifespan and get 7 years of TOP NOTCH performance from it and today its worth say $2,000 or even $1,500. You don't think reinvesting that $$$ back into a next gen technology is a smart move? I do - thus the story.

I wish OLED has more momentum. At CES only LG was working with the technology and it looked good. CRAZY BRIGHT. I am not sure LG can go it alone with OLED but it is more "plasma like" if you will but with UHD abilities

Smart TV is only one small factor. The key reasons to upgrade are: - Your KURO is getting old and plasma repairs are costly. I have done them on an old Panny Pro plasma which was stupid. - 400% more resolution. - BILLIONS more colors - HDR content I do agree there is little content out there. I like House of Cards but I am going to watch it all over again in UHD? Unlikely. My DirecTV Genie can do UHD content but let's see what's on there. The key is the new Blu-ray players that are on their way. That will be killer. I need K-scape in the UHD game. That would be huge.

Everyone has different tastes and standards. If you are telling me you don't need 400% more resolution, 7 billion more colors and HDR then stick with what you got. For me, I think blind people can see the difference as its THAT dramatic. 10 or 12 bit color will be even better. With that said - my contractor at my house said to me last week "I saw Blu-ray in your old screening room (professionally calibrated D-ILA projector on a 110 inch screen in a light controlled room circa 2008) and it wasn't that impressive so I just stuck with DVD. Its good enough." Scary. And "good enough" isn't what we write around here. My point with the article is to show the value of KUROs this late in their lifespan thus allowing a trade to a next gen technology without much $$$ pain. Its like a great stock trade.

Plasma TVs are not for all. there are people that still think LCDs looks better. those are the people that just power on the tv with 8000K Dynamic mode and mostly watch tv in daytime with some bad SD feed :) My sister borrowed my modified KRP-500A with blacks close to 0 but still she thinks her old LG 47LX950N Infinia Fald LCD looks better. i asked why and it came down to the Flickering and the PWM noise on the Plasma. she also thought the contrast was too High on the KRP. But then i explained that the KRP has an more organic and lifelike picture with much higher contrast compared to the LCD. those are the things that makes the picture pop out of the screen and gives it the 3d effect. but she didnt noticed it. so it depends on how you look at an image and what you appreciate. if you like the clean artificial picture with no flicker that the LCDs has then it can be hard to get used to a Plasma tv. i just bought a KRP-500M here nothing comes close to the picture quality of the 500M if i can say it. but then i know all the tech stuff and can see the faults right away on an LCD or even OLED. i have also calibrated tvs for about 8 years so i know how a picture should look like. The picture on the 500M is the closest to reference i have ever seen and it also doesnt have any faults in it. and you dont sell a TV that hasnt got any faults right? that would be a downgrade. the LCD tv that i talked about here is from 2010 and was my tv back then. how can anyone think the picture beats a Kuro with that LCD ;)? i have comparision photos right here. LG FALD LCD: https://www.avsforum.com/photopost/data/2297343/4/4d/4dbf01ef_LG2.jpeg Kuro: https://www.avsforum.com/photopost/data/2297343/d/d5/d5ea4d98_kuro2.jpeg anyone can see the huge difference in contrast...but no not all it seems ;) its like removing a blur filter on the Kuro! the 500M will be used here until it dies in about 10-20 years. then i will use the 500A ;) Final Words and a photo of my Modified KRP-500M with lowered blacks: Long Live the KURO https://privat.bahnhof.se/wb192876/500M_1.jpg

Well said - all valid points. For the record, I happen to own a 2014 Samsung 8500 series plasma, and am utterly thrilled with the picture quality. Other than not being able to render an Ultra HD image, this set wants for nothing to keep from categorizing it as a videophile's delight. Will it hold it's value as well as the 'legendary' Kuro? Probably not. But by the time I'm ready to upgrade, I'm sure it will be to plasma's rightful successor, OLED. Until then, back to binge watching on Netflix! ;)

OK I know the newsletter is a cheering section for the latest and greatest but money should be spent wisely. Selling a TV on the used market for pennies on the dollar is not smart even a KURO. Better to donate it to charity and claim it as a donation on your income taxes This assumes you have extra cash to buy brand new TV start with. If you bought a $4500 TV you probably have the cash. There is something to be said for holding on to a TV or any device until it becomes unreliable. I agree that dumb TVs have a lot gong for them. I have a very dumb rear projection Samsung that is going on 10 years. The satellite box is smart enough for me and I don't have to worry about a TV app going dark like U tube. Unless you are a hopeless couch potato I doubt the extra watts consumed are significant. If you sell your plasma on Craigslist make sure the deal goes down in the lobby of you local police station

You're right Jerry, you are going to get a lot of grief over this article. My 720p Kuro looks as good as my Sony 4K UHD TV. Right now, 4K sources are extremely limited - even my Sony 4K can't stream 4K content from Netflix or Amazon because they didn't put the necessary hardware into the TV to do this! I don't use 99% of the apps in my Sony "smart tv" (only Netflix and Amazon) and these apps I could easily use through my XBox or Blu-Ray player. I won't be selling my Kuro any time soon!

Jerry and I have agreed to disagree on this subject. For me, picture quality is still the number one factor, and I have no intention of parting with my Panasonic ST plasma until it dies on me. I have Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon boxes for smart TV services, and form factor and energy consumption don't outweigh performance. This is the first year I'm really intrigued by UHD TVs, due to the arrival of HDR and quantum dots, but the asking price is just too high to get those technologies right now. As a reviewer, I'm fortunate that I'll get to see them in action right away. But as a shopper, I could easily wait a couple more years to take the UHD plunge.

This is crazy talk! My Kuro is still the best looking set I own. Better than my Panasonic. There isn't nearly enough 4k content at this point. And we are still a ways off... My Panasonic is a smart TV and I don't use it at all. I have HTPC's on my TV's. Not to mention gaming consoles, Chromcasts, Roku's. That is a very poor excuse to upgrade. Being able to tweak my settings with my phone is pretty cool though... The only reason, at this point, that would cause me to replace my Kuro would be if it broke.

Seriously? Alex Jones? The guy is a complete idiot. If you're listening to that moron, I or anyone with a brain cannot help you.

I would not sell the ZT Pani for a set now. The set's now are not that good. Wait for the OLED sets. Your ZT is FAR better than any set you could get now anyways. You would be going backwards for a very small content in 4k.

Watching my Panasonic Viera 50" plasma last night and thinking of the UHD t.v.s I've seen demoed recently I found it hard to see why I would need to upgrade. From what I've seen of the demoed UHD's they're almost preternaturally bright and ... harsh, to me, in their image. There's no content out there yet for them, who knows what an UHD disc player will cost and the discs to play on them. I don't do streaming as there's still not as much content streaming as can be rented or bought on disc...and my Panasonic is a Smart t.v., enough Smart for my purposes. I've only had the Viera for about 2 1/2 years now and cannot see any reason, one way or another, to replace it with the high-priced UHD's. I don't like the idea of talking to the t.v.s or waving my arms as a command to change channels or whatever....(such silly stuff) and am happy with my finger friendly remote. If and when my Viera gives up the ghost I will replace it and if UHD is the only choice out there that'll be the route I'll go....and by then the prices should have dropped to a more reasonable (sensible level).

I am in no way going to replace my ZT Pani nor should anyone with a Kuro sell their set for a new UHD set. I don't use the "smart" features of my set anyways, that's what my oppo and my HTPC is for. I don't need a smart TV. In fact I would rather see a OLED TV in the future be a little cheaper in price and not have all those silly features I will never use. This is the wrong time to buy a UHD TV anyways. OLED when it finally is proven, that's when I will upgrade, not with any of these stupid curved TV's or back lit LCD's that look terrible.

I own the last gen Kuro- the KPM-500. The picture is still awesome. Led doesnt come close. Forget about off angle viewing on an led. I know it is dumb, as a monitor, it has no tuner or speakers. Duh. My cable box acts as the tuner. My blu ray player( under$100) makes my Kuro as smart as any other tv out there. Plus i can stream Pandora etc.. with the tv off. This stays in my man cave until either it, or I die!

I have a Sony 4k and it's awesome as long as you sit dead center. I love my Pioneer Kuro, it's not fore sale still the best overall TV. I also buy my tv's based on picture quality not wiz bang gizmos.

Just like to briefly add to most of the pro plasma comments They still have BETTER PICTURE QUALITY than all the other available technologies I see demonstrated in the shops which generally look larger than and artificial rather than that lovely Plasma involvement and believability. Also regarding the projector world and black levels,well just try one of the later JVC's and be amazed.

I've put off upgrading my plasma because I can't stand the "soap opera effect" inherent in LCDs and LEDs. Word is there are work-arounds to eliminate it, and some brands might be better than others, but I'm still very hesitant. Any recommendations from others who hate the SOE? And does OLED eliminate it, and if so, should I go OLED?

"Six Reasons", but picture quality (such as black levels and angle viewing) is not one of them:). I still prefer the quality of my Plasma to all these new LEDs. And actually my Samsung 64" plasma is smart enough: it has web browser, Netflix, Youtube, Spotify and all other major apps. I can easily play content from my Samsung phone and tablet. 4K content is not available much today and I can't see the difference from the distance anyway. I am interested in OLED eventually.

Many of these Chinese Quality sets are in the city dumps already.....what chinese crap lasts more than a few years?

I never expected to see Alex Jones in a home theatre post. He is quite the whack job. He is to the fringe right as MSNBC is to the left, as in pay no attention to either. My 64" plasma is one of the last ones. Smart TV? I've got a Roku, a Tivo, and the ability to control it all remotely. The plasma is what call a value transition purchase at $1200. Hard to beat. I'll wait for prices to come down on new tech. I am a conditional early adopter. Being first? When you care enough to pay too much for bragging rights. To me that translates to not too schmart...

Dumb TVs--you mean the ones that don't have voice commands and subsequently can be used to listen in on your conversations? Or the ones that duplicate the functions that you already have in your Roku, Apple TV, Firestick, your receiver, or your disc player? I'm all for dumb TVs. I just want a frickin high definition monitor.

According to Alex Jones, and he had footnotes, new TV's are and will be spying on you. I don't think my Kuro is doing that. I saw General Petraeus say before congress our dishwashers will be spying on us too. All of my appliance purchases will be used and reconditioned in the future as well all of my TV's. I will keep my Kuro as long as possible.

Shame to sell the ZT...only to get a 4K unit that doesn't have all the tech that I mentioned in my earlier post. I hate to see you have to buy another in 2 years time....but if you have the itch then go for it. I think I will let these products mature further before I get in the game and shell out $,$$$.

I am a Panny ST and VT owner BTW... I am going to sell one of them next week. Likely the 65 inch ZT as its worth more $$$. Adrienne has a plasma too and I think she's keeping it for a little while longer but she likely will comment here too.

I love my KURO but I would love a Ultra HD set, until the new TV's display the full Ultra HD signal I am not going to bother with one it must be 3D as well. Apparently REC 2020 will be achievable on TV's soon but all UHD sets at present are still REC 709, They also need 10bit colour and HDR all at 60fps for me to consider one.

I will eventually upgrade to a UHD display, but I think it's still too soon. I want a UHD display that can outperform my KURO in every way. I don't believe a UHD display existsts that can do that, yet. I do not like the "digital" look of LCD/LED displays. I am interested in OLED displays, but from what I have seen, they still have issues with motion and color accuracy. I want a display that makes movies and tv shows that were shot on film, look exactly like they were. This is something that I think KUROs do very well. As far as "smart" features in a tv goes, I could care less about that. I just want the tv or monitor to display the best and most accurate image that it is capable of. I would rather have a "smart" Blu-ray player. I currently use an Oppo BDP-103 and it does everything that I need. As far as the weight of a KURO goes, I agree that it is heavier than many displays out there, but it looks like a solid and high quality product. These modern thin displays look cheap in comparison to a KURO, in my opinion. I may be forced to go with a projector in the future. I like the look of DLP projectors the most, but typically, they don't have very good black levels. I would miss the deep blacks of the KURO. My KURO was calibrated by DeWayne Davis a few years ago and it still looks fantastic right now. People tell me that it looks amazing all the time. I have never really been an early adopter of new tech. I prefer to wait awhile and let the new tech mature before getting into it.

Not yet...and I think Tom Norton, senior video and technical editor at Sound & Vision and owner of a reference Plasma would agree...now I know your focus is on Kuro crowd but by implication a reader can also surmise that you mean Pansonic ST, VT and ZT owners. Why? Not all 4K manufacturers have implemented all latest tech (4k, HDR, P3 and 10bit color). Samsung demo'ed their SU UHD sets back in early April but there has been questions whether P3 and expanded color space/bit is making it from input to the screen. Thorough testing needs to be done by Adrienne, Tom, Geoff M., you and others. Plus most sets are still LED LCD which Steve Guttenberg once said is a flawed technology that is a band aid on top of a band aid. Plus, Tom indicated that LED LCD needs full array local dimming to correctly implement HDR which all LED sets don't have. OLED has yet to fully gets its legs and their long term reliability is still questionable. I say this because the KURO AND ZT audience to whom your comments are undoubtedly targeted are likely hardcore videophiles who want as close to perfection as possible. Plus, it will be a while before Ultra HD BluRay takes off. Eventually, once everything matures and "true" reference sets emerge, then we holdouts will migrate. Until then...not happening...and, ahem, we'll keep our Kuros, ZTs and robust power supplies. I would like to hear comment from Adrienne Maxwell on this blog too. You, Adrienne and the rest of the staff do really great work and we readers appreciate your knowledge, insight and thought-provoking commentary. Cheers.