side by side the elite is soooooooooooo much better then the NEC. Last year's 61" pioneer looked good but not as good as the 50 or 43" because pioneer actually used a NEC panel in the 61" This year the new 61 and 61 elite are actually made by pioneer. Pioneer's panels are different then everybody elses panels, i think it because there cells are structured differently and are around 30% deeper as well. Also pioneer has some of the best video scalers in them so for non HD sources they will outperform most panels out there. Also pioneer actually uses tinted glass panes to give you the deepest blacks on the market as well as less glare. dont know how much the nec is but if i had to choose on any plasma on the market i would get an elite.
~Brian
MHT pro2
