News Release：Pioneer Introduces the "PDP-502HD" XGA Hi-Vision 50-inch Wide Screen Plasma Display System

TOKYO, Japan, June 10, 1999 ----- Pioneer Electronic Corporation announced its introduction of the "PDP-502HD" XGA Hi-Vision 50-inch Wide Screen Plasma Display System, to the Japanese domestic market.

PDP-502HD

Pioneer's State-of-the-art technologies have given the consumers an opportunity, to fully enjoy the up-coming Hi-definition digital media broadcast. The PDP-502HD is full of technologies and functions, to allow the user to see Hi-Definition broadcast programs at its best.

Compared to its predecessor, the PDP-501HD, the PDP-502HD obviously surpasses in picture brightness and contrast. Not only superior in picture technology, but an astonishing 30% lower price has been achieved.
The newly developed "50-inch XGA-Type Wide Panel" and "CLEAR* Panel Drive Method" will provide a Hi-brightness and Hi-contrast. Compared to the PDP-501HD, the 502HD is 1.8 times brighter, 2.8 times superior in contrast ratio, and shows a high quality whiteness of 5,400 to 11,500K color temperature.
"50-inch XGA-Type Wide Panel" adopts the "Waffle-Structured Barrier Ribs", forming the barrier ribs into a well curb like the surface of a waffle, which prevents the light and rays to leak out from the neighboring phosphor cells. Therefore, each individual cell will produce a clear and bright light with no interference from the neighbor cell. With the new "Black Stripes" applied on the front-panel glass circuit, the external light reflection level has been lowered to result in improving the bright contrast ratio. By combining the 'Waffle-Structured Barrier Ribs' and 'Black Stripes', the vertical resolution has been improved also. The improvement of 'phosphorescence material' achieved a much more realistic color of white. (see sketch 1)

sketch 1

PDP displays need a number of times to reset discharge emission on each picture field, in order to constantly show a clear picture. But this caused a weakness in the appearance of the color black. The newly developed "CLEAR Panel Drive Method" technology solves the weakness of black color appearance, by reducing the number of times to reset discharge emission to a minimum. This method drastically improves the dark contrast ratio to produce a stable black image. The new method also overcomes the false contour, which was one of PDP's peculiar characteristics.

CLEAR*; Hi-Contrast & Low Energy Address & Reduction of False Contour Sequence

The 502HD is also applied with "Digital High-Density Progressive Technology", which converts video signals to a hi-density quality picture that will suite the 50-inch XGA-type Wide Panel.
The industry's first "HDTV Progressive Process Technology" with motion adaptive scanning line compensation, will double the video signals' density level, which is an ideal level to be shown on the hi-definition display. The user will be able to enjoy a high-detailed and 'realistic' picture that is as clear as that of CRTs.
"8-Fold Density Progressive" will double the level of horizontal and vertical signals of NTSC signals to total the data level to 8 times its origin. This will lead to a clear and smooth hi-definition picture quality that meets the XGA-type display. (see sketch 2)

sketch 2

"Digital Film Mode" will automatically detect the encoded signals' patterns of DVD or video software that were originally produced from film sources, and processes these signals progressively to show a smooth and natural picture.

The PDP-502HD is ready to receive Digital BS broadcasting, which is scheduled to start in the upcoming year 2000, and also ready for territorial digital broadcasting formats (480i, 480p, 1080i) that follow later. HDTV broadcasts like Digital BS broadcasting (1080i) can especially be enjoyed with the hi-density converted signals by the Hi-definition XGA-type Wide Panel and Digital High Definition Progressive technology.

Digital Hi-Definition broadcast can also be easily enjoyed by connecting a digital broadcast adapter with a single cable to the system's D3 input terminal, which is the industry standard for digital hi-definition broadcast.

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