Pioneer HDTV

Plasma versus LCD – Which one should i buy? That is the question on many peoples lips right now.

Pioneer have jumped into bed with the Plasma display ever since they stopped producing LCD’s back in 2007. The vast majority of manufacturers went the other way and turned to LCD.

So why have Pioneer gone with the plasma – what makes the best plasma tv?

Well, the new line of Kuro displays are at the cutting edge of plasma technology and it is the features they brag about that drove Pioneer to stick with plasma. The blacks and contrast produced by these sets surpass anything before it and it would be difficult to replicate (at this point in time) on the best LCD television on the market. True blacks are one of the key points in the plasma versus lcd argument and as Pionner state black is everything. The Pioneer Kuro is one of the best plasma tvs on the market and it really does put up a good show in the plasma tv ratings.

So what are the other key things in the world of plasma tv vs lcd tv?

Cosmetically, both screens are flat screen technology and have a similar appearance but below the surface they are very different animals. Plasma uses gases and LCD uses liquid crystal – a very different material. Both however, are charged with electricity to enable them to give off light.

What advantages do the new pioneer plasma televisions have over the best lcd tv on the market?

• A plasma, as mentioned above, has the ability to produce much deeer blacks and have a higher contrast
• A plasma has a better viewing angle so the picture still looks good when you are off to the side and not viewing the screen squarely
• Brighter colours can be achieved from a plasma
• Response rates are generally much quicker on a plasma. This really helps when viewing fast moving images such as sports or games
• Plasma displays are generally cheaper than lcd

So there must be some things an lcd tv does better than a pioneer plasma right?

The gap between the lcs and plasma is getting narrower by the day. As lcd technology improves it is slowly catching up with plasma. Along with this improvement lcd prices are also staring to come down.

At the moment a lot of people and HDTV gurus would argue that lcds use less power – meaning they are friendlier to the environment. LCS’s also appear to have a longer lifespan which makes them more suitable to sustained use evironments. Another possible factor is plasma screens can suffer from burn-in which occurs when an image is displayed in a certain location for a long duration.

In a nutshell there are pros and cons of plamsa and pros and cons of lcd. The Pioneer Kuro and Elite are world class displays but you have to weight up what is right for you within your budget. Plasma technology looks like it is here to stay for a while yet and nothing they do to the tv signals will stop a 1080p hdtv plasma producing fine images for many years to come.

There are currently rumours flying about that Pioneer are to start outsourcing their display manufacturing to Panasonic. Whether this is true or not, Pioneer will still be in the business of selling hdtv’s and Panasonic make damn fine screens also.

Pioneer started out in a garage in Tokyo 1938 where they were formed by Nozomu Matsumoto.  They first made their name manufacturing and repairing speakers.  Nozumu’s passion for quality audio and visual products drove him to lay the foundations for the massive world wide organisation it is today.

The current Pioneer HDTV range is not as vast as some of their competitors – having gone down the route of quality not quantity.  Pioneer have brought the Pioneer Kuro HDTV to market to cater for three key product lines:

• Pioneer HD Televisions
• Pioneer HD Monitors
• Pioneer HD Projectors

Pioneer HD Televisions

Black is everything is the slogan used to describe these televisions. The 5x deeper blacks than ever before make for stunning pictures with a contrast never achieved before. The aesthetics of the units have also been upgraded and are now much slimmer – giving a sleek and refined look and feel.

There are two models available in the standard Kuro range:

• PDP-6020FD
• PDP-5020FD

Both models have flat panel plasma displays capable of 1080p HTDV. The display size is indicated in the model number – the PDP-5020FD being the 50″ display and the PDP-6020FD having a 60″ display.

Pioneer Elite HDTV

As with most Pioneer products they is a flagship range. The Pioneer Kuro HDTV is no different and this market is provided with the Pioneer Elite HDTV range. The extra features provided by the Pioneer Elite dont come cheaply so you have to weigh up if you really need the extra features such as the true 24fps signals. We will go into these extra features more closely when we take a look at specific models in the Pioneer Elite HDTV Range. The models we will be covering will include :-

• Pioneer Elite PRO-151FD
• Pioneer Elite PRO-111FD

Pioneer Elite Projectors

If you already have a snazzy audio system of the likes of a Pioneer Elite Receiver and speakers you may wish to go for something with simply visuals in mind. If so, the Pioneer Elite PRO-FPJ1 would meet and probably exceed your requirements.

Aimed at the extreme high end of the Audio Visual market the PRO-FPJ1 delivers an amazing performance but has a price ticket to boot at arround $9000. It is capable of true 1080p high definition resolution with unbelievable life-like black levels unachieveable with a standard television display. If you are serious about your visuals then this unit is highly recommended.

Should your budget not quite stretch to $9000 then Pioneer have put together a range of monitors to meet your needs.

Pioneer HDTV Monitors

Designed for the home theatre enthusiast without the room or the budget required for the PRO-FPJ1 projector, the Pioneer Elite range of high definition monitors have been designed to be the keystone of the home AV system.

Peak brightness levels and deep contrasting blacks make these monitors the ideal choice for those looking to put together a system that is set above the rest.

The Pioneer Elite Monitors we will be taking a closer look at include:

• PRO-101FD
• PRO-141FD