kuro

Down the line: 2008 Pioneer Kuro plasma HDTVs

Pioneer's long-awaited announcement regarding its 2008 Kuro-branded plasmas, the successors to our favorite TV of 2007, the PDP-5080HD, includes a total of six new models. The company is claiming that the 2008 HDTVs produce "five times deeper" black levels than the 2007s, and during a side-by-side demo that included both 2007 and 2008 models, the new display certainly appeared a bit darker in the blackest areas--although it couldn't muster the essentially absolute black we saw demonstrated at CES and during our review of Sony's OLED TV. We have recently reviewed the 50-inch model, and while it did impress us with its extremely deep black levels, find out why it still didn't make the cut for our editor's choice award this year. Here's a rundown of the company's new line.… Read more

Pioneer's new twist on black-and-white TV

Pioneer's HDTVs get high marks from Crave's resident TV expert David Katzmaier, so we're not sure why it would want to mess with such a good thing. But it seems that every electronics and computer maker must have a limited edition these days, so it must just be following the pack.

The most notable aspect of Pioneer's special offering, which is headed for the U.K. market, is the color of its frame: white. Other than that, the TV seems to have the same specs as its standard 50-inch plasma, with 1080p resolution and a lighting … Read more

Pioneer gets to absolute black with plasma prototype

LAS VEGAS--Pioneer's latest plasma prototype: you could even say it glows.

The high-end audio and video company is showing off two new Kuro concept TVs at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that push the barriers of thin and light, the company says. The Extreme Contrast TV gets to absolute black, says Pioneer. No light leaks out from the back of the TV.

That's because there is no backlight. Chemicals embedded in the panel emit the light to illuminate the images. Thus, when there is no signal, no light gets generated and absolute black, created by a … Read more

CES: The guys who decide what gets on the shelves, and yes, they're guys.

So what do the other fellow geeks at CES look like? Predominantly youngish to middle-aged male (white or Asian), blazer and jeans, and almost certainly on a cell phone. Vendors at the CES have certainly kept that in mind. Whether its attractive women wandering the floor (I still have no idea what the cheerleaders were selling), sports stars opining on this year's Superbowl at Samsung (Randall Cunningham), or cars galore (everywhere you look), vendors know their market, but in what sense? Of course there are women attendees here, and of course these decision-makers will sift through market data and … Read more

Pioneer concept plasmas promise 'absolute' blacks

Pioneer consistently makes some of the best plasmas on the market, such as our current Editors' Choice PDP-5080HD plasma, and today it demonstrated two new "Project Kuro" technology concepts that are among the most exciting displays shown by anyone at CES. Unfortunately, neither will make it to market in 2008.

The first, designated the "Extreme Contrast Concept" plasma, is said to be capable of producing an "absolute black with no measurable light emitting from the television." The ability to produce a dark shade of black is one of the most important ingredients in picture quality.… Read more