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To get the Best Plasma HDTV You'll Need to Spend Some Money

(Reviewed 7/14/06) The best plasma HDTV in this size is the Pioneer PDP-4360HD plasma TV (resolution 1,024x768). It’s the company's latest generation of plasma panels. Now Pioneer can finally say they deliver excellent black-level performance like the Panasonic plasma line.

The Pioneer PDP-4360HD offers extremely accurate color and has one of the best feature packages available. It is one inch larger then it brethren (42 inch plasmas) and has excellent connectivity (two inputs for HDMI, three for component video). It costs a bit more but if you want the best plasma HDTV with the works this is it.

The Pioneer PDP-4360HD has a glossy black frame around the screen with its table stand finished in silver. This gives the Pioneer plasma a high-tech look. It has black side-mounted speakers on either side of the screen. The panel measures about 42 (W) by 25 (H) by 4 inches (D). It weighs 57 pounds.

The fully backlit remote can operate a wide variety of A/V components with direct-access keys for all inputs. The internal menu system is intuitive and easy to navigate. Like all Pioneer plasma TVs the PDP-4360HD has an external media receiver where all the inputs and connects for the panel reside. The proprietary 10-foot cable connects to your flat panel.

Notable Features: Its feature package helps make it the best plasma HDTV. Like most 42 inch plasma TVs the PDP-4360HD scales all sources, including HDTV, DVD, standard-def TV, and computers, to fit its pixels. The Pioneer includes an ATSC tuner and has a CableCard slot which is really the plasma’s TV Guide (called an EPG). Its purpose is to make up for the loss of your cable company's EPG when you use the Pioneer CableCard.

The Pioneer PDP-4360HD has PIP with inset, split, freeze, and swap functions and a selection of five aspect ratio choices with standard-definition TV and four choices with HDTV. For audio there are several sound modes: SRS TruSurround, SRS Focus, and SRS TruBass for sound enhancement when using the set's stereo speakers.

There are three selectable color temps: Low, Mid, and High. Picture modes include the Standard, Game, and Movie. The Pioneer PDP-4360HD has a few power saving options such as two settings that limit peak brightness. There’s also a mode that automatically puts the panel to sleep after a period of inactivity.

Connections: The best plasma HDTV should be loaded with connections and the Pioneer PDP-4360HD delivers. It has these connectivity options on the rear of its media box. Input 1 accepts HDMI, component video, S-Video, or composite video; Input 2 accepts S-Video or composite video; and Input 3 accepts HDMI or component video.

You’ll find a pair of RF inputs, the CableCard slot, two FireWire ports, an optical digital audio output, a composite A/V output, and an RS-232 port on the back of the receiver. There’s a flip-down panel that houses another pair of inputs. Input 4 accepts component video, S-Video, or composite video. There's also a front PC input with a maximum input resolution of 1,280x768.

Conclusion: The Pioneer PDP-4360HD has extremely accurate color and to date is the only other plasma line that can reproduce deep blacks like the Panasonic plasmas. Although the Panny’s are cheaper - this Pioneer rates as the best plasma HDTV on the market. It has a solid feature package. The glossy-black finish gives the Pioneer a sleek high-tech look.

The Pioneer PDP-4360HD offers excellent connectivity with two inputs for HDMI and three for component video. Pioneer's PDP-4360HD has an excellent overall picture. If you want bang for your buck go with the Panasonic TH-42PHD8UK, otherwise the Pioneer PDP-4360HD is the best plasma HDTV available today. Its only real downside is it costs more than the competition.