News Release：Pioneer Releases World's First 50-inch 1080p Plasma Monitor

PDP-5000EX

April 19, 2006, Tokyo, Japan - Pioneer Corporation today announced the world's first*1 50-inch 1920 X 1080 HD Plasma monitor employing new "HD P.U.R.E.*2 Black Panel", which creates a 1080p native resolution with more than 2 million pixels on a 50-inch screen. In addition to originally-conceived advantages to plasma displays, such as high contrast, outstanding color reproducibility, and high resolution for motion pictures, the PDP-5000EX offers the great advantage of 1080p high definition, capable of reproducing high-quality images with overwhelming texture to leap beyond that of conventional plasma displays.

The smaller the screen size, the more difficult it was to create a 1080p plasma display panel. To overcome this big challenge, Pioneer has developed a "Crystal Emissive Layer", which can drastically boost the luminance efficiency and discharge speed of a PureVision plasma panel. When combined with the "Direct Color Filter," "Flex Clear Drive" and other technologies that Pioneer has accumulated over many years, this technology has resulted in this world-first breakthrough for 1080p 50-inch PureVision plasma monitor.

The current rapid spread of digital broadcasting and optical communication services allows customers to easily receive high-quality video material. As this kind of infrastructure continues to grow, the customers' demand to enjoy high picture-quality content on a large screen is now increasing. Also, content utilizing the most advanced high-definition signal format of 1080p will soon be available on a Blu-ray Disc, heralding a new age of advanced picture quality for the home.

To quickly respond to such customer demands, Pioneer will launch the Pioneer PureVision PDP-5000EX in early June, 2006 in Japan at the suggested retail price of 1,050,000 yen (including tax).

Main Features:

1) New "HD P.U.R.E. Black Panel" to create a 1080p native resolution - the world's first in 50-inch class

The Pioneer PDP-5000EX employs a New "HD P.U.R.E. Black Panel", the world's first 50-inch plasma panel featuring a 1920 x 1080 HD resolution with 2.07 million pixels. This pixel density is approximately double that for the previous XGA panel. Therefore, the new 1080p plasma monitor can realize clearer image expression with improved clarity of details as well as minimizing noises from reproduced images.

2) "Crystal Emissive Layer," innovative technology for a 1080p plasma panel

Pioneer's innovative "Crystal Emissive Layer" technology, which has been inherited from the sixth generation panel, is indispensable for the realization of the world's first 1080p plasma display in the 50-inch screen size. In addition to reproduction of blacker blacks and details of dark areas often found in movie scenes are well reproduced, this technology has contributed to the new 1080p plasma panel at the following points:

• Improving luminance efficiency
  With the adoption of a 1080p native resolution panel, the pixel size should be half that for the previous XGA panels in the same screen size. The conventional panel technology (without a Crystal Emissive Layer) has the difficulty that sufficient brightness could not be obtained when pixels are downsized. The Crystal Emissive Layer technology has drastically improved luminance efficiency, resulting in sufficient brightness even from smaller pixels.
• Increasing discharge speed
  As the number of pixels in a 1080p plasma panel is about twice that for the previous XGA models, the scanning speed needs to be improved accordingly. The Crystal Emissive Layer technology has shortened a statistical delay in electrical discharge to 1/100, and reduced the scanning time required for one line from 2_s to 0.7_s, which is almost a threefold boost in speed.
• Stabilizing electrical discharge
  Mistaken discharge across cells, which may occur when the cell is downsized for a 1080p plasma panel, is one of issues to be tackled. Pioneer has successfully diminished light leakage from neighboring cells by further optimizing our proprietary Crystal Emissive Layer for a 1080p plasma panel.

3) New "HD Direct Color Filter" dedicated to a 1080p plasma panel for sharper video image

Pioneer's proprietary Direct Color Filter technology, which eliminates a glass for the front filter and is directly affixed the plasma panel, has also been optimized and employed in its 1080p plasma monitor. Achieving a wider color range of 107% compared with the NTSC standard - the highest level in the industry*3, the new plasma panel realize smooth color reproducibility coupled with rich color gradation expression, irrespectively of viewing angles. In addition, this technology not only decreases the panel's weight but also reduces the deterioration of focus quality caused by multiple reflections previously generated between the front filter glass and plasma panel. Moreover, as reducing the ambient light reflection rate and enhancing color reproducibility, the Direct Color Filter technology allow viewers to enjoy a fresh, sharper, crisper and more vivid video image even in a bright living environments.

4) "HD P.U.R.E. Drive" to maximize the performances of the new 1080p plasma panel

• Active Dynamic Range Expander (Active DRE) reproduces a crisp, contrastive picture quality. It increases the contrast ratio of the image by automatically detecting its characteristics and keeping optimal control of its dynamic range, peak brightness, and gradations in its dark area. It makes possible delicate expressions that vividly accentuate the shades of people's face expression or the daylight filtering through tree leaves.
• Color Management ensures brilliant color reproduction.
• Digital Noise Reduction (DNR) and MPEG Noise Reduction (MPEG-NR) ensure reproduction of clear and noiseless images.
• Flex Clear Drive technology achieves high density, smooth color gradation expression by automatically analyzing the characteristics of the image and adjusting the distribution of color gradations to optimize picture quality.

5) A wealth of input signal formats and digital interfaces supported

The PDP-5000EX is equipped with two HDMI*4 terminals and a DVI port, which are digital inputs necessary for high-end monitors, to support diversified high-definition digital video contents and digital output devices. The HDMI terminals supports signals of 1080p (60/50/24 Hz) video format*5 of the highest quality in the HDMI standards. In addition, they enable full-time 10-bit processing*6 throughout, from signal input to video display, to realize even greater high-definition video images.

Notes:

<< Main Specifications >>

Pixel size comparison between the Pioneer PDP-506HD and PDP-5000EX (graphic image)

The number of pixels for the PDP-5000EX is about double, and the pixel size is about half (about 47%) compared with that for the PDP-506HD launched in September, 2005,