Pioneer continues to surpass black level performance with new line of 2008 KURO televisions

    Pioneer's 2008 KURO Displays Boast Industry Leading Black Levels and
    Richer Color to Create an Unmatched Emotional Entertainment Experience

    NEW YORK, May 7 /CNW/ - Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. today announces a
new line of KURO plasma displays featuring black levels five times deeper than
the previous award-winning KURO. Widely recognized for its commitment to
creating entertainment experiences that transcend the ordinary, Pioneer takes
yet another groundbreaking step towards HDTV perfection with this new line of
2008 KURO flat panel televisions.
    "The game-changing performance our KURO displays brought to the market
last year revitalized the landscape of high end home theater in a way that was
never thought possible. The introduction of this year's KURO televisions is
another step toward our ultimate goal of pure, absolute black that will
fulfill the true potential and all the promise of high-definition
entertainment," said Paul Meyhoefer, vice president of display marketing and
product planning, home entertainment business solutions group, Pioneer
Electronics (USA) Inc. "Our goal is to listen and fully understand the minds
of creative professionals and their craft. When great entertainment comes
together something truly magical happens, the boundaries of technology fall
away and you're left with a truly unique experience. This is the hidden key to
the power that KURO possesses and ensures the integrity of the artist's vision
is never compromised."

    Pioneer's Philosophy is Absolute Black

    The philosophy behind Pioneer's Project KURO and the driving force is to
achieve absolute, pure black. True, deep black creates a picture unlike any
other that possesses finer detail, greater contrast, and more importantly, the
ability to produce deeper colors not achievable before. This year, Pioneer
pushes ever closer to their goal of absolute black by further reducing the
idle luminance and improving black levels five times over the previous 2007
KURO models. This has enabled Pioneer to accurately reproduce deeper colors
within the high-definition color spectrum and outdistance other display
manufacturers.
    Pioneer understands that color is a vital tool that creative
professionals - from visual artists to film and television producers - use
freely to evoke emotion and arouse our senses. With varying techniques from
the most subtle to intense manipulation of color, artists can induce a very
specific feeling within their audience. That feeling can be lost or diluted if
a television cannot produce true, pure deep blacks and in turn reproduce an
accurate color spectrum. The end result cannot be imitated and is beyond
compare.

    Evoking Emotion through Sound

    Pioneer has incorporated six unique sound settings associated with each
of the KURO video settings - standard, movie, sports, performance, game,
dynamic - to ensure a customized listening experience that is specifically in
tune with the type of programming on-screen.
    The television employs an auto volume stabilization feature that further
controls the television's volume level when switching between different types
of programming; including network shows and commercials, broadcast channels or
different input types to insure each experience remains true and distinct from
one another.
    Pioneer has included the most advanced SRS(R) WOW HD technology in the
new KURO models by incorporating SRS Definition, a high frequency enhancement
that provides finer control and adjustment to manage low, mid and high audio
frequencies. The result adds to the virtual surround sound effect and produces
clearer, more precise audio in mid to high frequency levels.

    A Truly Intelligent Television

    The KURO employs a unique automatic adjustment feature called Optimum
Mode that simultaneously monitors video and room light conditions. The KURO
then seamlessly adjusts the picture and sound settings by even the slightest
variation to provide an experience specially tailored to each type of
programming. The result is movies that reproduce a film-like quality, sports
that feel like you're on the field and crisp clear narration from newscasts
that focus on the reporter, not ambient background noise.
    While many consumers will rely on this unique feature, the 2008 KURO
models still have the ability to switch between six finely tuned pre-set modes
including: standard, movie, sports, performance, game, dynamic for consumers
who prefer the ability to manually adjust their KURO television according to
their particular taste.

    Enhanced Consumer Convenience Features

    The introduction of the 2008 KURO 1080p line creates the perfect synergy
between film, video and high quality sound, helping blend these into a new
world of seeing and hearing like never before. Pioneer has built a reputation
for providing best-in-class products that evoke emotion and surpass typical
high-quality sight and sound specifications, adding enhanced features such as
these to the 2008 KURO line:-   Pioneer KURO televisions are now only 3.7 Inches thick, reduced by
        nearly 20 percent
    -   New remote control and redesigned high definition graphic user
        interface for ease-of-use and seamless integration with other
        a/v equipment
    -   Networked Home Media Gallery for playback of digital assets such as
        HD movie, music and photos from a PC or via USB
    -   Pioneer KURO televisions are DLNA compatible and Windows
        PlaysForSure(TM) compatible

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Brand       Model No.    Screen Size            Resolution  Availability
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Pioneer     PDP-5020FD   50-inch Class          1080p       June
                             (49.85-inch Diagonal)
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Pioneer     PDP-6020FD   60-inch Class          1080p       June
                             (59.58-inch Diagonal)
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------Pioneer's Home Entertainment and Business Solutions Group develops high
definition home theater equipment for discerning entertainment junkies. Its
flat panel televisions, Blu-ray Disc players, A/V receivers and speakers bring
a new level of emotion to the HD experience. The company brands include
Pioneer(R) and Elite(R).
    More details can be located at www.pioneerelectronics.com.

    PIONEER, the PIONEER logo and the ELITE logo are registered trademarks of
    the Pioneer Corporation.
    SRS, TruBass and FOCUS are trademarks of SRS Labs, Inc.

For further information: For Canadian enquiries - Andrew Murphy, (905)
479-4411 or [e-mail]; For U.S.A. enquiries - Christina
Ramirez, [phone] or [e-mail]