Pioneer PDP-508XD Review
Pioneer, the company that introduced the first plasma television in 1997, has done it again. It’s KURO PDP-508XD flat-screen TV is nothing less than stunning. The reason is that the maker has achieved a technical breakthrough that produces rich and vibrant colour images second to none in the bigscreen TV world.
This Kuro (the Japanese word for black) is the result of 10 years of research and development by Pioneer. The company says its secret is the generation of deeper blacks, as much as 80 percent deeper than other systems. Whatever the cause, the result is breathtaking; on your screen magically appear the purest, richest colours in amazing detail. Reds and greens are especially vivid.
The original goal, according to Pioneer, was to devise a flat-screen TV with the best possible picture quality for film in order to appeal to movie lovers. They certainly have succeeded, as the experience of viewing a Hollywood production on the Kuro is the next best thing out there to the silver screen itself.
Actually, a portion of that credit may belong to the audio system, which includes a Bass Boost feature that enhances the sensation of being in a cinema with its rich audio texture and an effective noise-reduction system.
It’s the colours on the screen, however, that are the real triumph here. Pioneer says the Kuro system captures every hue between black and white that the human eye can distinguish. You will also love the impressive Intelligent Brightness control, which automatically adjusts screen brightness to ambient room lighting conditions, which are subject to change over time.
There are other reasons to applaud the Kuro, such as built-in USB capability to support viewing other digital images and photos from a memory stick or card reader. That’s not to mention three HDMI inputs, flicker reduction, an energy-saver mode, and, of course, multi-screen options including picture-in-picture and split-screen views. But these are just more icing on an already great cake.
All of these features make for a viewing experience second to none. Based on what we have seen, the Kuro should be called “black magic.” And once again, Pioneer continues to live up to its name as a technology trailblazer.