Buy Kuro now?

[CrimsonChaos]

We were thinking of buying a 42" Kuro Elite ($2700).

Will the 8G panels go down in price when the 9G's come out, and if so will the 8G's still be available? Should we wait and just buy a 9G -- will the 9G have any vast improvements over the 8G?

Also, do the Kuro Elite's have any problem with glare -- this is going in my living room where there is a considerable amount of sunlight.

(FYI, 42" is unfortunately the largest size set that will fit into our cabinet, so please don't recommend anything larger).

 

[FP]

Why do you want an Elite?

Yes, the Kuro's have more glare than say an LCD but it isn't that bad unless you have sunlight hitting it directly.

Yes, the price of the 8Gs will probably go down when the 9Gs are released.

Not sure of the improvements over the 8G... but I will tell you I am 40000% satisfied with my 8G 50" 1080p non-Elite Kuro. It is one of the best purchases I have ever made.

 

[CrimsonChaos]

Originally posted by: binister
Why do you want an Elite?

Yes, the Kuro's have more glare than say an LCD but it isn't that bad unless you have sunlight hitting it directly.

Yes, the price of the 8Gs will probably go down when the 9Gs are released.

Not sure of the improvements over the 8G... but I will tell you I am 40000% satisfied with my 8G 50" 1080p non-Elite Kuro. It is one of the best purchases I have ever made.

Thanks for the input.

First, the place I'm going to (local store) only cares the Elite -- they do not cary the normal Kuro. Second, I read somewhere that the Elite have better "anti-glare" than the non-Elite versions. Is this true?

Sunlight will be directly hitting the television unfortunately. We're going to try to get something to hang over the top portion of our windows, but even then I'm guessing some sunlight will get through and shine onto the TV.

Edit: If I think of it I will post pictures later when the sun moves into the correct position.

 

[uli2000]

If you want one, I wouldnt wait. Pioneer isnt gonna produce their own pannels anymore, but instead use Panasonics.

http://whathifi.com/television...neer-kuro-plasmas.aspx

 

[BassBomb]

j/w why are the kuro's so expensive

 

[Wuzup101]

Originally posted by: BassBomb
j/w why are the kuro's so expensive

They are generally regarded as the best, and have a niche market. Supply and demand...

 

[ZetaEpyon]

Originally posted by: uli2000
If you want one, I wouldnt wait. Pioneer isnt gonna produce their own pannels anymore, but instead use Panasonics.

http://whathifi.com/television...neer-kuro-plasmas.aspx

This is true, but the 9G Kuros are still all in-house Pioneer. Beyond that, they won't be.

In any case, I don't think there is going to be a 42" 9G Kuro at all, nor a 720p 50". So perhaps that solves your dilemma.

 

[kalrith]

Originally posted by: CrimsonChaos
Second, I read somewhere that the Elite have better "anti-glare" than the non-Elite versions. Is this true?

I thought I read that too, but this post doesn't seem to make any mention of it.

 

[CrimsonChaos]

Originally posted by: kalrith

Originally posted by: CrimsonChaos
Second, I read somewhere that the Elite have better "anti-glare" than the non-Elite versions. Is this true?

I thought I read that too, but this post doesn't seem to make any mention of it.

Interesting.

Any idea what the 9G's will offer over the 8G's? If the 8G's are as good as they claim, shouldn't it be difficult to make a new generation of panels that are vastly superior to it and would justify the (I'm guessing) higher price tag?

 

[solog]

Unlikely that the 9G's will be vastly superior. Can't think of any example in tvs where one generation to the next was vastly superior

 

[krotchy]

Originally posted by: solog
Unlikely that the 9G's will be vastly superior. Can't think of any example in tvs where one generation to the next was vastly superior

Depends on your definition of Vastly superior, but IMO every generation of TV improves upon the previous years from pretty much every brand. I would never consider buying a previous year model when the new ones are out, because they pretty much always get better at a lower MSRP yearly.

 

[JackBurton]

Originally posted by: solog
Unlikely that the 9G's will be vastly superior. Can't think of any example in tvs where one generation to the next was vastly superior

Vastly? Not really. Improved? Definitely!

Some improvements:

1. 8G standby uses ~26W vs 9G standby of .2W
2. Deeper blacks
3. Brighter (some claim the 8G are rather dim)
4. Buzzing issue should be taken care of (but we'll see)

The 9G won't be as big of an improvement as the 8G was with the 7G, but there definitely is a nice improvement.

 

[kalrith]

Originally posted by: krotchy

Originally posted by: solog
Unlikely that the 9G's will be vastly superior. Can't think of any example in tvs where one generation to the next was vastly superior

Depends on your definition of Vastly superior, but IMO every generation of TV improves upon the previous years from pretty much every brand. I would never consider buying a previous year model when the new ones are out, because they pretty much always get better at a lower MSRP yearly.

I agree with you there. Around this time last year a bunch of people were picking up the 5070 for $2,300, which was quite a big mark down to get rid of last year's model. However, they were all kicking themselves when the 5080 could be had online for $2,600 the day it was released.

I would only get the 8g if you want a model that they won't have next year. For example, a lot of people picked up the 6070 even after the 6010 came out, because they sat 12+ feet away and couldn't fathom spending $4,800 for the 6010 when the 6070 was $3,000. If you want a model that won't be replaced, then it might be best to go with the 8g.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: Wuzup101

Originally posted by: BassBomb
j/w why are the kuro's so expensive

They are generally regarded as the best, and have a niche market. Supply and demand...

Yes, but after looking at dozens of different Sets in store, in home, side by side in controlled environments with calibrations etc. I really didn't see the price increase to be worth it. Ended up with Panasonic since the quality of their Plasma screens vs the price was above everything else.