Pioneer PDP-508XD

With so many different TVs doing much the same thing, it can be difficult to separate the best from the rest. But Pioneer's 50-inch plasma work of art is undeniably that - the best looking and most technologically advanced television with the best picture ever produced. But hold your horses, because it won't come cheap! (Compare Prices)

The current trend in television technology and sales shows LCD TVs are far more popular than plasma, with most manufacturers opting to concentrate on the former whilst still producing a limited run in larger screen sizes of the latter. Not so Pioneer, which has opted to concentrate solely on its plasma line-up with simply amazing results. As the HD specialist website hdtvorg.co.uk comments, “Over the years Pioneer have built a reputation as one of the finest producers of Plasma TVs in the world.”

The 50-inch PDP-508XD is the middle screen size - alongside 42 and 60-inch models - and represents the company's eighth generation of plasma technology that brings with it a total redesign of the technology from the roots up.

Design-wise the 508XD wears Pioneer's trademark and extremely cool glossy piano-black surround, uncluttered with logos and control keys, keeping to the current trend for minimalist chic. But its true beauty is only evident once you plug it in, turn it on and breeze through the simple set-up menus. The picture you are presented with is utterly and completely beguiling in its quality and vibrancy.

Branded as Project KURO (Japanese for black), Pioneer's new TV range has been created with all new technology to solve plasma television's biggest sticking point - accurately reproducing blacks without losing contrast, brightness and colour reproduction elsewhere onscreen. And it does just that, creating black levels 80% deeper than in previous models, resulting in an astonishing contrast ratio of 16,000:1.

What this translates into is a picture that is virtually flawless when hooked up to a good High-Definition source like a Blu-ray DVD player, and not far off when fed standard definition images like regular analogue and digital programmes. Not content with that though, Pioneer has endowed the 508XD with its usual processing technologies for picture enhancement as well as the all-new HD Digital Film Direct. This essentially means that with this TV alone you will be watching exactly what the director intended you to see, as it plays source material at the 24-frames-per-second it was filmed at as opposed to the sped up 25-frames-per-second that most PAL and DVDs are played - so footage is smoother and dialogue is exactly at the pitch at which it was recorded.

Well connected
The 508XD comes with a full array of connections, including three HDMI inputs for connecting all your HD peripherals, three SCARTS, component video, S-Video, PC input, digital audio out, USB 2.0 and common interface slot. Such connectivity only increases the diversity of the Pioneer as a display for every conceivable viewing purpose, making it a truly versatile and comprehensive screen. There's also a digital TV tuner incorporated featuring Electronic Programme Guide.

Home cinema
When it comes to bypassing a trip to the cinema in favour of watching films at home, you're going to need some serious kit. The 508XD mixes the aesthetics needed to make it a viable everyday television with the image quality of a high-end installation. Its bountiful connection options mean you can hook up pretty much any next-generation or current AV peripheral to it, and that means you have access to 50 inches of pure visual perfection - the ultimate home cinema screen.