Pioneer Kuro KRP-500A (50-inch plasma)

Print

Email

Bookmark

Share

Features

Having touched on the superficial stuff, what really matters are the enhanced G9 plasma panel and video processor beneath. According to Pioneer, these deliver five-fold better black than the past G8 iteration and an extreme contrast to boot. Adding to the combination is a new direct color filter which substitutes conventional glass layer fronting the fragile panel. It's made to suppress not only glare from ambient lighting, but also internal reflections observed on lesser plasmas. In a nutshell, the Kuro should maintain its color vibrancy in day or night regardless of room lighting.

Remember the Optimum mode we mentioned earlier? Pioneer has revised this function to provide real-time audio and visual optimization. Based on actual played back content and built-in light sensor analysis, it minimizes users' guess work in the art of TV fine tuning. This puts aside the hassle of toggling between picture modes for different program genres, too. For those who prefer to go all out, you can purchase an optional color sensor probe which attaches to the panel. This adds another dimension to the overall accuracy by factoring the actual in-room color temperature.

Onboard JPEG playback compatible with a barrage of USB devices.
(Click for larger image)

Another performance-centric improvement is the powerful 36W audio subsystem and woofers inherited from its TAD professional audio speakers division. As with past Pioneer HDTVs, you could upgrade the TV's low-frequency response by hooking up a powered subwoofer. This is possible courtesy of a relevant sub out which filters bass to external boom boxes. On the software processing front, this Pioneer is one of few to offer SRS Surround, TruBass, Focus and Definition functions. The latter two functions are designed to boost both vocal and music instrument clarity.

Touching a bit more on connectivity options, we've only three 1080p24-ready HDMI 1.3 inputs on the KRP-500A--one short of the competition. Then, there's the less than optimal signal support for its dual component-video and PC jacks capped at 1080i and 1,360 x 768-pixel, respectively. In the same light, it is puzzling for Pioneer to restrict its USB 2.0 port to JPEG playback, though MP3 provision is pretty standard nowadays. Anyway, the Home Gallery system is compatible with thumbdrives, card readers and digital cameras with photos previewed in 4 x 4 thumbnails.

Tags: TV, 3M Co., loudspeaker, cable, noise reduction

« Design | Performance »