The Doc’s Lab

By: Dren AhmetajChronicle Staff Writer Home theater purchasing can be a tough decision due to so many models from so many companies out there. In this edition of the Doc’s lab, I will be looking at the Pioneer PDP-5070HD, which is by far one of the top High Definition Plasma televisions. Pioneer is a Japanese company, which is well known for making innovative technologies from audio equipment all the way to plasma televisions. The Pioneer 5070HD is a 50 inch plasma television; it measures at 48.2 by 33.1 by 12.7 inches. It comes in a glossy solid back that stands out great in your living room. It also comes with built-in detachable speaker, which are located underneath, (although I recommend hooking it up 5.1 surround sound system), and comes with a remote control. Let’s see what internal features this big screen has going for it. The Pioneer 5070HD has a high resolution of 1,365 by 768 pixels; the television utilizes each pixel to bring the picture to life. It has built in picture in picture, making it possible to view watching programs at once. It has two inputs for HDMI, three inputs for component video, two inputs for composite video, two inputs for S-Video, two inputs for RF, one input for USB connection, and a 15-pin input for a VGA input for PCs. I strongly recommend connecting the plasma via HDMI, which is a new video connection format cable for either cable or satellite that gets full resolution and not just composite. Accessing the menu via the remote control, (or side panel), gives full control adjusting the varies options of the plasma screen, like changing the color, contrast, etc. HD channels look better by adjusting your screen to match the conditions in your living room. Plasmas televisions are meant for low dim light areas. The 5070HD can be mounted on the wall and also comes with an alternative stand. If you are hardcore gamer, this plasma television would be very appealing, especially when playing great games, such as Halo 3 on the Xbox 360. Now that the format war is over with Blu-Ray being clear winner, the picture looks crystal clear, especially when watching a movie such as 300; of course, regular DVD’s look great too. The pricing for the pioneer 5070HD is around $2,300 dollars, which is not bad considering the declining prices from few years ago when they were first introduced. Overall, the pioneer 5070HD delivers the punch, and if you have been waiting to get the right plasma HDTV, this is it. The Doc gives the Pioneer 5070HD 5 out of 5 bear paws. Source:http://www.tvsnob.com/archives/images/pioneer_pdp5070hd.jpg