Best new 70" to 80" display

The Sharp "Elite" has recently garnered very high praise from those that regularly review and/or calibrate such devices, a rather novel result for an LCD. Of course such results come at a premium price, and value didn't seem to be a consideration.

Having seen pretty much every display out there, including the Elite LCDs at CEDIA, the Elite is in a different class than most of them right now. It looked far better than any LCD I've seen for black level, off-axis viewing, contrast ratio, etc... There was no noticeable haloing or blooming around objects despite the use of backlit LEDs, even on fireworks.

I haven't seen it next to a VT30, but the VT30 certainly didn't have the Wow factor that the Elite did upon seeing it. It's very expensive, but it's the best out there.

The 80" regular Sharp looks really horrible I found, very bad as soon as you move off-axis at all, a little dull and washed out.

There is a new Sony that is truly outstanding. Its a 3D tv ( I don't care for 3D ) but you can turn the 3D off

I was unaware that sony made anything larger than a 65", the 929. Is this true? Thanks for everyone's responses.

Sony's largest and supposedly "best" is the 65" XBRhx929. As a long-time XBR guy, I was really hoping to like and buy it, but it left me totally unimpressed. Lots of blooming and arguably a step backward from Sony's NX line.

The PRO Elite 70 is a different animal, being a joint venture between Pioneer and Sharp. The combination of Sharp's adding yellow to the RGB pixels and Pioneer's processing and local area LED dimming (apx 6x the number of zones as the Sony) make this a pretty spectacular TV. The support is outstanding and the factory warranty is 2 years and 3 months. Although Pioneer is no longer in the TV business, this TV has been in joint development with Sharp for the past 2 1/2 years, finally out this September. The goal was to build the best TV on the planet, with Pioneer contributing lots of technology and processing power gleaned from its Kuro series.

Admittedly, this is an expensive TV and probably a bit overpriced in today's market. I've decided to go with the superior technology and larger screen, ordering my 70" Pro Elite this past weekend. I'm sure it will cost less in 6 months, just like everything else, but I don't want to wait. It is replacing a Sony 60" KDL-60A3000 SXRD TV in my living room and should be here in a week or so.

I would at least try to see this TV before making any decisions. I just found out about it a week ago!