In my review of the LG 50PG60 plasma, I identified its product line as one of only two with THX video certification. The other is Panasonic's PZ800 line, which includes a 58-incher as well as the 50-inch TH-50PZ800 reviewed here. Is its THX performance consistent with the 50PG60's? I was eager to find out...

Once More, With Feeling

My review schedule is starting to look a bit like the Pioneer Channel. But timing is everything. Pioneer is introducing a boatload of interesting new products, including the newest KURO flat panels. These include the upcoming Signature Series KURO monitor plasma models. Pioneer says these models will offer enough adjustments to inspire video calibrators to set up shop in buyers’ homes. “Will calibrate for room and board.”

As most home-theater enthusiasts know, THX has a long history of certifying audio products to conform to certain standards of performance in order to reliably replicate the content producers' intended experience at home. This was a natural outgrowth of the company's original mandate to do the same thing for mixing stages and commercial cinemas.

While LCD displays may dominate that video wall at your local Best Circuit Shack these days, don’t dismiss the benefits of plasmas. No company has put more R&D into plasma development than Panasonic, and it’s paid off. People may disagree about who makes the best plasma sets, but no one will dispute that Panasonic is in the thick of the action. When it comes to the breadth of its product range, Panasonic is the champ.

When Pioneer released its first KURO plasma sets last year, its eighth generation of plasmas overall, they met with nearly universal praise. Critics acclaimed the KURO series for the new standards it set with the depth of its blacks. Fittingly, the word “kuro” means deep, dark, and penetrating in Japanese.

As most home-theater buffs know by now, Pioneer's Kuro plasmas are widely regarded as the best flat panels money can buy. Last year's models, known as eighth-generation or 8G, were universally praised by reviewers and owners alike.

The Samsung PN50A550 is my favorite kind of product. This 50-inch, 1080p plasma TV sits one notch below the company's flagship model (the PN50A650), which means it has all the most important high-end features without a high-end price tag.