Pioneers back in black

Pioneer is back in black with the introduction of its latest PureVision-series plasma TVs here at Suntec Convention Centre, Singapore. Stealing the limelight were the long-awaited seventh-generation panels, hot on the heels of its award-winning PDP-5000EX full-HD sibling. The launch also coincided with the opening of a PURE HD World campaign spanning from October 5 to 8, 11am to 9pm, held at function room 325 and 326.

Available in 42- and 50-inch screen sizes, both panels bear a striking resemble to their predecessors. Draped in a classy black finish synonymous with its plasma lineup, these feature a suite of new technologies designed for enhanced visual performances. Most notable are the new Pure Black Panel II plasma panel and improved Pure Drive II video processing for deeper blacks and sublime colors. Pictures aside, the series also features a healthy price and power reductions of up to 20 and 14.4 percent, respectively.

Making a departure is the two-piece media box and panel design, now replaced by an integrated 115mm-thick chassis. Besides the new form factor, Pioneer has addressed its earlier series' connectivity bottleneck by offering a pair of HDMI terminals and two sets of component-video sockets. These are future-proofed with 1080p support compatible with native 24Hz motion picture frame rate, though sporting the older HDMI version 1.1 standard.

To maximize the potential of the new panels for its customers, Pioneer has also integrated the Imaging Science Foundation (ISF) Custom Calibration Configuration function. This enables optional onsite calibration by ISF professionals for customized video settings. One of each will be created for bright daytime and evening viewings to accommodate the varying lighting conditions in your entertainment room.

Priced at S$5,299 (US$3,901.40) for the PDP-427XG and S$7,999 (US$5,889.28) for the PDP-507XG, these new mainstream entries are costlier than most average Japanese and Korean offerings. That said, considering the company’s track records and performance-oriented philosophy, the new PureVisions are still considered an attractive option--particularly for those seeking fine aesthetics and visual deliverables.

Model name	In a nutshell
Pioneer PDP-427XG plasma TV Click for more information	Wow factor: Pioneer’s latest 42-incher with 1080p support and optional professional calibration capability. Other notable frills: 42-inch display size 1,024 x 768-pixel resolution 3,000:1 contrast ratio 1,100 cd/m2 brightness 884 billion colors Dual 1,080p-ready HDMI terminals Anti-reflection screen coating Low power consumption at 266kWh Expected: Now at S$5,299 (US$3,901.40)
Pioneer PDP-507XG plasma TV Click for more information	Wow factor: New-generation 50-inch plasma TV with higher-resolution panel and dual HDMI connectivity. Other notable frills: 50-inch display size 1,365 x 768-pixel resolution 4,000:1 contrast ratio 1,100 cd/m2 brightness 884 billion colors Dual 1,080p-ready HDMI terminals Anti-reflection screen coating Low power consumption at 365kWh Expected: Now at S$7,999 (US$5,889.28)