News Release:Pioneer to Introduce 2008 KURO Line of 1080p Plasma Televisions in Japan

Information contained in the news release is current as of the date of announcement.
It is subject to change without prior notice.

Pioneer
September 11, 2008
Pioneer Corporation

Pioneer to Introduce 2008 KURO Line of 1080p Plasma Televisions in JapanAllowing viewers to see, hear and feel an emotional experience like never before
by the unparalleled ability to reproduce deeper black levels in a 64-mm thick slim body

KRP-600A

KRP-600A

KRP-500A

KRP-500A

September 11, 2008, Tokyo, Japan - Pioneer Corporation announced today the introduction of two new KURO 1080p plasma televisions, the 60-inch KRP-600A and the 50-inch KRP-500A, featuring black levels five times deeper than the previous 2007 KURO models*1 and brilliant color reproduction as well as superb sound quality, for the Japanese market.

The Pioneer 2008 KURO televisions feature the stunning expressive power of deeper blacks and brilliant color reproduction as well as superior sound quality. Specially, Pioneer has taken the sound of flat panel TVs to new heights by capitalizing on a host of proprietary audio technologies it has developed for high-end speakers. Consequently, the two new TVs create an overwhelming sound space that provides greater sound clarity.

On the basis of these innovations in picture and sound quality, Pioneer has also upgraded the Optimum (Living-room) Mode. With this function, the intelligent KURO televisions simultaneously monitor program scenes and room light conditions, and then automatically optimize the picture and sound settings in real time to deliver a new flawless viewing experience for each type of content.

The Pioneer KRP-600A and KRP-500A will be available in the middle of October 2008 for a suggested retail price of 940,000 yen and 670,000 yen (including tax) respectively.

Main Features:

1 ) New panel designed for high picture quality with deeper blacks and richer, brilliant colors

  • Black levels five times deeper than the previous KURO panels:
    Pioneer has greatly reduced the idle luminance by combining the new panel and newly-developed drive system, thus improving the black levels five times than the 2007 KURO models. Deeper blacks enhance contrast and deliver intense, sharper images.
  • Subtle gradations in dark scenes precisely reproducible to faithfully express emotion and feelings in movie scenes:
    Pioneer's proprietary drive system for smooth, high-density gradations of black has further evolved together with the new panels. Besides realizing deeper black levels, setting more detailed gradation steps in areas of low luminance results in smoother gradations in dark scenes.
  • Advanced Direct Color Filter to minimize external light reflections:
    The new panel's Direct Color Filter greatly minimizes external light reflections on the screen. Even in bright living rooms, viewers can enjoy sharp video images with intense blacks and vivid colors. In addition, the application of a film on the front filter instead of glass has overcome focal problems caused by multiple reflections occurring between the front filter glass and the plasma panel.

2 ) Further advanced video processing

The fully-digitalized video processing maximizes the performances of the new KURO TVs by including the following technologies:

  • Pioneer's proprietary High-performance 3D I/P (Interlaced/Progressive) Conversion realizes clear video images by eliminating comb-shaped noise seen in scrolling text and other areas on the screen or minimizing jaggies along diagonal lines.
  • High-performance Noise Reduction System effectively minimizes block noise that easily occurs in moving images, small dot-shaped mosquito noise occurring along the periphery of the image, compression noise contained in digital sources, and noise remaining in analog video sources. It also effectively reduces noise that tends to occur when conventional TV images are converted to a high-definition size.
  • Film Smooth Motion Mode reproduces 24-fps video material with smoother movements. This new technology uses a proprietary algorithm to automatically generate intermediate video images when frame-rate converting 24-fps (frames per second) film material to 60 fps. It suppresses awkward movements (judder) during conventional 2:3 pull-down conversion to achieve smoother movement between frames.

3 ) High-quality sound enabling overwhelming, transparent spatial expression

  • New Speaker circuits, for clearer sound in the mid-to-low range:
    Thin, low-distortion custom coils, newly developed, reduce distortion and improve channel separation to deliver clear sound. In addition, new thin, low-impedance electrolytic capacitors stabilize the amplifier's power supply to reduce noise.
  • Newly-developed speaker units, for greater linearity in amplitude and reduced distortion in the high and low range:
    The new KURO TVs have newly-developed woofers with a corrugation edge structure - adopted in Pioneer's EX-series high-end speaker systems and TAD drivers. This boosts amplitude linearity and delivers crisply clear low-range sound. The tweeters use a tangential rib to minimize vibration separation, thereby reducing distortion in the high-frequency range.
  • New sound-adjustment modes:
    Unique optimum sound settings have been preset for each of the picture modes. In the movie mode, for example, the system is automatically set to deliver dynamic lows and increase surround sound effects, thereby enhancing sound presence and improving the clarity of the actor's lines.
    Auto Volume Control stabilizes the television's volume level when switching between different types of program content: e.g. dramas and commercials, or broadcasting channels and different input types.

4 ) Upgraded, intelligent adjustment Modes

  • New Optimum (Living-room) Mode simultaneously monitors each of program scenes (not program contents e.g. movies, sports, and live performances) and room light conditions, and then automatically optimizes the picture and sound settings in real time:
    The new Intelligent System monitors the images area by area in the program content, and finely optimizes the image's color hue, contrast and sharpness in real time. At the same time, the built-in luminance sensor detects the room light conditions to adjust brightness, color shades and other parameters. In addition to picture quality, sound quality is automatically optimized for program content according to the viewing environment. The system gradually creates sound and sound fields that are perfect for program content in a way that the change cannot be detected by the ear. In this mode, the Optimum Mode Monitor displays the analysis data on the screen.
    Furthermore, with an optional color sensor, the KRP-SE01, the new KURO can optimally adjust white balance by estimating the color temperature based on light sources, including lightings, sunlight and reflected light.
  • Director Mode for custom fine-tuning of picture quality
    This mode is designed for viewers who pursue faithful reproduction of input signals on their own. Viewers can customize various video settings, including color hue and color correction, as if they were video editors.

5 ) 64-mm thick slim body with glossy black, high-grade simple bezels enhances viewing comfort

  • The thickness of the main body has been downsized to 64 mm- about half of the 2007 KURO models - by completely redesigning the circuitry and the radiation. The weight has been reduced to 49.9kg for the KRP-600A and 31.4kg for the KRP-500A.
  • Unwanted elements have been eliminated from the bezels wherever possible. This sophisticated design allows users to concentrate more easily on the video contents.
  • The remote control employs aluminum plates to add a touch of class.

6 ) A variety of easy-to-use features including KURO LINK control

  • KURO LINK control enables the basic operation of the KURO-LINK-compatible devices*2, such as the Pioneer HDD/BD recorder BDR-WD900 and A/V multi-channel amplifier SC-LX81, on the remote control of the KURO televisions via an HDMI™ connection. Also, by pushing the PLAY button of the connected KURO-LINK-compatible device, the KURO TV will automatically turn ON, and input will be switched to the selected device.
  • Four HDMI terminals support 1080p/60-Hz and 1080p/24-Hz input signals, and Deep Color 36-bit color depths for color reproducibility of greater detail.
  • G-GUIDE
  • Expanded Electronic Program Guide is suitable for large screen TVs. TV Programs for the user's favorite eight digital broadcast channels are displayed on the entire PDP screen. The EPG function for analog broadcasts supports the G-Guide*3 technology.
  • Double Digital Tuner enables users to enjoy two different digital broadcasts on the multi-screen mode at the same time.
  • Surround sound effect SRS WOW HD™ including SRS FOCUS, SRS, SRS TruBass and SRS Definition technologies
  • Home Gallery for viewing photos with USB connection to a digital camera

7 ) Lower power consumption*4

Highly efficient luminance technology and other various power-saving technologies allow the new KURO televisions to consume the lower power:

KRP-600A: Annual power consumption 488 kWh/yr, rated power consumption 533W
KRP-500A: Annual power consumption 428 kWh/yr, rated power consumption 436W

The power consumption in the standby mode is 0.3 W.

Notes:

*1 PDP-6010HD and PDP-5010HD
*2 For the detailed models please refer to the Pioneer web site.
*3 The Electronic Program Guide (EPG) uses the G-GUIDE technology developed by Gemstar-TV Guide International, Inc.
G-GUIDE is an EPG service provided by Interactive Program Guide Inc. based on the technology developed by Gemstar-TV Guide International, Inc. G-GUIDE and G-GUIDE logo are registered trademarks of Gemstar-TV Guide International, Inc.
*4 Annual power consumption is based the Rationalization in Energy Use Law. It represents the amount of power consumed during a year calculated with a formula that uses figures for screen size, category of tuner, and average viewing time for a typical household.

HDMI: High-Definition Multimedia Interface. HDMI, HDMI logo, and High-Definition Multimedia Interface are trademarks or registered trademarks of HDMI Licensing LLC.
SRS Labs, Inc. is a trademark of SRS Lab, Inc.

< Main Specifications >

  KRP-600A KRP-500A
Power consumption in use 533 W 436 W
Power consumption in standby 0.3 W 0.3 W
Annual power consumption
in standard mode
488 kWh/year 428 kWh/year
Screen size 60 inches 50 inches
Effective screen size 1 319 mm (W) x 742 mm (H) 1 104 mm (W) x 621 mm (H)
Aspect ratio 16:9
Number of pixels 1920 (H) X 1080 (V)
Dimensions 1 677 mm (W) x 876 mm (H) x 64 mm (D) (w/speakers mounted) 1 399mm (W) x 723 mm (H) x 64 mm (D) (w/speakers mounted))
Weight of display
(w/speakers mounted)
54.0 kg 34.9 kg
Weight of display
(w/speakers removed)
49.9 kg 31.4 kg
Weight of Media receiver 4.6 kg
Power supply AC 100 V  50 Hz /60 Hz
Built-in tuners Terrestrial Digital (X 2), BS Digital (X2), CS Digital (X2), VHF/UHF, CATV (C13ch - C38ch)
Surround SRS/SRS TruBass/SRS FOCUS/SRS Definition
Actual max. audio out 36 W (18 W 18 W) (JEITA) 6 ohms
< I/O terminals >
Antenna input Terrestrial Digital (X1), BS/CS Digital (X1), VHF/UHF/CATV (X1)
Video input Video (X3), S2 (X3), D4 (X3), Audio (X4), HDMI (X4)
PC input RGB Video Mini D-sub 15 (X1), Audio (X1)
Digital broadcast out Video (X1), S2 (X1),Audio (X1)
Headphones output 1
Digital audio output (optical) 1 (square-shaped)
Video control terminal 1
LAN terminal 1 (10BASE-T/100BASE-TX)
Modem terminal 1
SR+ output terminal 1
USB input terminal 1 (USB 2.0)
Accessories Remote control, Owners' manual, etc.
< Media receiver >
Dimensions 420 mm W x 80 mm (H) x 278 mm (D)
< Speakers >
System type Bass-reflex 2-way speaker system
Speaker unit Woofer: 4.8 cm x 13 cm oval cone shaped, Tweeter: 2.5 cm semi-dome shaped
Mounting position At both sides of the panel (detachable)
Dimensions 105 mm (W) x  876 mm (H) x 64 mm (D) 82 mm (W) x 723 mm (H) x 64 mm (D)
Weight 1.75 kg/ 1 unit 1.5 kg/ 1 unit
Accessories Mounting plate, speaker cables, etc.
* Power consumption represents the total power consumption for display and media receiver.
* Annual power consumption is based the Rationalization in Energy Use Law. It represents the amount of power consumed during a year calculated with a formula that uses figures for screen size, category of tuner, and average viewing time for a typical household.
* The weight of speakers does not include that for mounting kit and screws.

Search for Other resources

Search for Keyword

Search by date