The Sharp Elite PRO-X5FD, the first result of Sharp's licensing agreement with Pioneer to use the Elite name, won't do much to dispel those associations. This ridiculously expensive television is basically "The wealthiest 1 percent" distilled into flat-panel TV form, and we're betting very few of the 99 percent will splurge on one, especially with perfectly excellent alternatives available for half the price or less.
But if you're reading this review, you couldn't care less. What you came to find out is whether we think the Sharp Elite PRO-X5FD has better picture quality than those alternative TVs or even than the legendary and now extinct Pioneer Elite Kuro from 2008. Almost and no, respectively. The X5FD deserves a 10 in picture quality, tying the score of the Kuro and the 2012 Panasonic TC-PVT50 and beating every other TV we've ever reviewed.
The Kuro still produces a better picture overall, especially from off-angle, but that hardly matters anymore since you probably can't get one. And if you could, you'd still lose certain bragging rights to deep-pocketed Sharp owners since the X5FD is the only Elite TV that can handle 3D sources and comes in a 70-inch size. Panasonic's 2012 VT50 plasma, on the other hand, delivers very slightly lighter blacks than either but bests the Elite in other areas, particularly off-angle and color. If you don't mind paying any price to get the deepest black levels of current flat-panel TV, the Sharp Elite is for you.
