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We got to plant our eyeballs on Pioneer’s second-gen KURO plasma display (bottom center), along with all that other new gear Pioneer released today. While all by its lonesome the new flagship display is no doubt impressive, when stacked up against the competition it becomes quite clear that this new KURO is the one to beat. Granted, this was Pioneer’s own setup designed to make us believe precisely that, but we certainly did find the new display notably blacker than its predecessor, and quite a lot better than the competing offerings Pioneer had on display. The new KURO projector was also quite impressive, and we even got treated to the much-improved start times of Pioneer’s new Blu-ray players.

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Quite a lot has gone on in Pioneer’s world since it wowed us all with the Project KURO at CES, but one thing hasn’t changed: it’s dedication to world-class black levels. Announced alongside several other fine pieces of kit today in NYC, the 2008 KURO family will posses black levels “five times deeper than the previous KURO.” According to company bigwig Paul Meyhoefer, the ultimate goal is “pure, absolute black,” and it’s well on its way with the latest line. You’ll also find a feature dubbed Optimum Mode, which “simultaneously monitors video and room light conditions” and then makes the most appropriate adjustments based on what it senses. Sadly, most of the nitty-gritty details have been omitted for now, but you can count on the June-bound models checking in at just 3.7-inches thick, sporting 1080p panels alone (no 720p), coming in 50- ($4,000) / 60-inch ($5,500) sizes (no 42-inch) and arriving with a new remote / redesigned HD interface. Jump on past the break for the full release, but we’re warning you, there’s an awful lot of gloating down there.
PIONEER CONTINUES TO SURPASS BLACK LEVEL PERFORMANCE WITH NEW LINE OF 2008 KURO TELEVISIONS

Pioneer’s 2008 KURO Displays Boast Industry Leading Black Levels and Richer Color to Create an Unmatched Emotional Entertainment Experience

NEW YORK (May 7, 2008) – Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. today announces a new line of KURO plasma displays featuring black levels five times deeper than the previous award-winning KURO. Widely recognized for its commitment to creating entertainment experiences that transcend the ordinary, Pioneer takes yet another groundbreaking step towards HDTV perfection with this new line of 2008 KURO flat panel televisions.

“The game-changing performance our KURO displays brought to the marke last year revitalized the landscape of high end home theater in a way that was never thought possible. The introduction of this year’s KURO televisions is another step toward our ultimate goal of pure, absolute black that will fulfill the true potential and all the promise of high-definition entertainment,” said Paul Meyhoefer, vice president of display marketing and product planning, home entertainment business solutions group, Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. “Our goal is to listen and fully understand the minds of creative professionals and their craft. When great entertainment comes together something truly magical happens, the boundaries of technology fall away and you’re left with a truly unique experience. This is the hidden key to the power that KURO possesses and ensures the integrity of the artist’s vision is never compromised.”

Pioneer’s Philosophy is Absolute Black
The philosophy behind Pioneer’s Project KURO and the driving force is to achieve absolute, pure black. True, deep black creates a picture unlike any other that possesses finer detail, greater contrast, and more importantly, the ability to produce deeper colors not achievable before. This year, Pioneer pushes ever closer to their goal of absolute black by further reducing the idle luminance and improving black levels five times over the previous 2007 KURO models. This has enabled Pioneer to accurately reproduce deeper colors within the high-definition color spectrum and outdistance other display manufacturers.

Pioneer understands that color is a vital tool that creative professionals – from visual artists to film and television producers – use freely to evoke emotion and arouse our senses. With varying techniques from the most subtle to intense manipulation of color, artists can induce a very specific feeling within their audience. That feeling can be lost or diluted if a television cannot produce true, pure deep blacks and in turn reproduce an accurate color spectrum. The end result cannot be imitated and is beyond compare.

Evoking Emotion through Sound
Pioneer has incorporated six unique sound settings associated with each of the KURO video settings – standard, movie, sports, performance, game, dynamic – to ensure a customized listening experience that is specifically in tune with the type of programming on-screen.

The television employs an auto volume stabilization feature that further
controls the television’s volume level when switching between different types of programming; including network shows and commercials, broadcast channels or different input types to insure each experience remains true and distinct from one another.

Pioneer has included the most advanced SRS® WOW HD technology in the new KURO models by incorporating SRS Definition, a high frequency enhancement that provides finer control and adjustment to manage low, mid and high audio frequencies. The result adds to the virtual surround sound effect and produces clearer, more precise audio in mid to high frequency levels.

A Truly Intelligent Television
The KURO employs a unique automatic adjustment feature called Optimum Mode that simultaneously monitors video and room light conditions. The KURO then seamlessly adjusts the picture and sound settings by even the slightest variation to provide an experience specially tailored to each type of programming. The result is movies that reproduce a film-like quality, sports that feel like you’re on the field and crisp clear narration from newscasts that focus on the reporter, not ambient background noise.

While many consumers will rely on this unique feature, the 2008 KURO models still have the ability to switch between six finely tuned pre-set modes including: standard, movie, sports, performance, game, dynamic for consumers who prefer the ability to manually adjust their KURO television according to their particular taste.

Enhanced Consumer Convenience Features
The introduction of the 2008 KURO 1080p line creates the perfect synergy between film, video and high quality sound, helping blend these into a new world of seeing and hearing like never before. Pioneer has built a reputation for providing best-in-class products that evoke emotion and surpass typical high- quality sight and sound specifications, adding enhanced features such as these to the 2008 KURO line:

• Pioneer KURO televisions are now only 3.7 Inches thick, reduced by nearly 20 percent
• New remote control and redesigned high definition graphic user interface for ease-of-use and seamless integration with other a/v equipment
• Networked Home Media Gallery for playback of digital assets such as HD movie, music and photos from a PC or via USB
• Pioneer KURO televisions are DLNA compatible and Windows PlaysForSure™ compatible

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Sure, those flashy new KURO plasmas or that new array of receivers may have taken you by surprise, but don’t pretend you didn’t know this one was coming. Known simply as the Elite KURO projector, this 1080p beamer incorporates LCoS technology, dual HDMI 1.3 ports, wide lens shift capacity, a trio of viewing modes (standard, dynamic and movie) and a real semblance to JVC’s DLA-HD100. According to the firm, it’s designed for “high-end cinematic installations and supports advanced calibration,” and of course, you can’t escape a KURO release without a little bragging about black levels. We’re still waiting on a finalized specifications list, but ’til then, you can chew on that $9,000 price tag and wait for these to hit dealers next month.

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Not content with just busting out a new pair of Elite KURO plasmas, Pioneer has separately introduced four 1080p Pro models for those with (even more) exquisite tastes and deep wallets to back it up. The whole lot enjoys the firm’s highly touted Optimum Mode, which “simultaneously monitors video and room light conditions” and then makes the most appropriate adjustments based on what it senses, and “industry leading” calibration features. As for the 50-inch PRO-111FD ($5,000) and PRO-151FD ($6,500), you can expect a bolstered two year warranty and a ship date to be determined, while the Signature Series PRO-101FD (50-inch) / PRO-141FD (60-inch) units will arrive in October and August (respectively) with prices not yet disclosed.

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Aw yeah, that sexy-on-paper Kuro projector you’ve been dreaming about the past few weeks just got real today in Munich, as Pioneer made official (even more official?) the KRF-9000FD. Said beamer will be packed with LCoS technology, twin HDMI outputs to go along with the component / composite / S-Video sockets, full 1,920 x 1,080 native resolution, 600 lumens and a 30,000:1 contrast ratio; you’ll also find a RS-232c control port, a noise level of just 24-decibels in normal operation and a striking likeness to JVC’s DLA HD100. Here’s to hoping you weren’t expecting this thing to be a bargain, however, as it’s all set to land in the next week or so for a stiff €8,000 ($12,460).

[Via Heise]

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Pioneer and Matsushita (Panasonic) have finally hammered out the basics of a deal that will allow the latter to supply panels for future Kuro plasma displays, and plasma HDTV fans to breathe easy again. Pending a final agreement in May, dollars and cents remain undisclosed, but we can expect a fusion of Panasonic’s current “Neo PDP” technology from its Viera line when they begin production May 2009 in Amagasaki before hitting shelves in the fall. Kuro will still be maintained as a premium brand (with a premium price) with different image processing, while both companies plan to keep working together on reducing power consumption and the infinite black level plasma. Pioneer still plans future Kuro LCD HDTVs based on panels from Sharp,but it’ll also apparently have access to IPS technology from Panasonic’s tie-up with Canon and Hitachi. See? We told you it’d be okay.
[Via AV Watch]

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Pioneer’s 5080 offer one of the most stunning pictures for a plasma TV. It envelops a clean image with little noise and has a deep shade of black, depicting shadows in above average detail. The screen is doesn’t reflect light and judders are removed by smooth video processing mode. 

The design is minimalist and simplistic. The 50-inch screen is adorned none other than the glossy black entirety and the Pioneer logo. A matching stand is also included, allowing the removal of speaker below situated below for those who prefer an external audio system instead. The glow-in-the-dark remote control is easy to navigate with buttons for aspect ratio selection and picture mode included. The menu system is definitely user-friendly.

Resolution is 1,388 x 768 pixels, like most 50-inch plasma TVs. One of 5080’s good features is that it automatically adjusting the image that responds to the bars to either side of 4:3 broadcasts. It also has a Cable Card which can be installed in the 5080HD’s slot that lets the TV receive digital cable and channels directly.

The only drawback is that it won’t reach to everyone. Price range is from $2,250 - $3,500. This is definitely exclusive for those who are willing to spill out some money for a quality TV, and well, those who simply can afford.