I am the other calibrator involved in the shootout. Just to add my comments and observations. All the desplays had their strengths and weaknesses. After reviewing my ballot it seems like most I gave more scoring weight based on black level and dynamic contrast rather than color accuracy.
Their was only 0.8 points seperating the elite, panasonic and samsung on my score card. Yes the Elite had a visible color error but the panasonic also on certain material exibited an over saturation. The clear winner for color accuracy was the Samsung plasma but when viewing realworld material the black level and dynamic contrast changed the viewing enjoyment in favor of the displays with the higher dynamic contrast ratio.
LCD based displays even those with led zoned backlighting still suffer from off angle viewing issues (the color saturation starts to flatten out and black level rises). Did not measure the off axis angle but it was not much movement before you noticed a change.
Also something you would not notice normally unless you had sets side by side. Is that the LCD based technology represents a less lifelike/ dull picture compared to a plasma. Not by much but definatly noticable. The light spectrum emitted by a plasma just seems more pleasing to the eye compared to LED/CCFL technologies.
Commenting on the sony, yes changing the setting did lower the black level so it may have measured a slightly better contrast ratio. I am sure that adjustment to lower the black level also affected the sets calibrated gamma. But the set suffers from Halo/ blooming from the LED backlight zones. It became even more apparent with the darker black level. Something that was greatly reduced if not even visible on the Sharp elite.
The sharp elite is the first LCD I have come across that holds a true black level on an ansi cherkerboard pattern. Due to the design nature of LCD displays they all typically suffer from a rising black level when presented with this pattern as well as real world material (although not as obvious with real world material). Plasma technology on the other hand typically suffers from a decreasing peak luminance when presented with this pattern and real world material. But hold their original black level.
Which is the reasoning for plasma being better suited for a controlled light enviorment and LCD better suited for bright ambient or rooms where intruding light cannot be controlled.
Personally I favor Plasmas for their more natural look, ability to control their light output at a pixle by pixle level ( not limited by zones) and current black levels. I wish they could bring it down to the Pioneer Kuro levels. Someday in the future maybe.
If you sit fairly straight on to a display and they correct their color issue the Sharp elite is an LCD lED backlight display that almost equals the color rendering of a plasma with Pioneer Kuro black levels.
I think Robert Zohn offers the public a great opportunity to personally compare the top level latest model releases side by side. Under normal and controlled lighting enviorments. Calibrated to the displays best capability and hope he continues to do it in the future.
Ed Johnson