Live coverage from Pioneer's press conference
Yup, we're here too. Pioneer's CES 2008 press conference is just about to kick off. Hold tight, we expect to hear more about their high-end Blu-ray players, SyncTV, and more in just a few.
8:47am (PST): New age Theremin music playing in a dimly lit room. Will Frankenstein rise!?
8:55am: Zzzzz, brains... brains!
9:02am: Larry Rougas on stage, VP marketing and product planning. Taking about in-car products, "the coolest ever brought to market" launching today.
Discussing history of innovation: first in car CD player, first navigation system for consumer use. "But it's about the ride, we're car people. Let's face it, the bottom line is pulse rates, not bit rates." Go Larry, go, read those cue cards!
9:06am: Next generation of navigation will do more and be more. AVIC LINC, launched today. AVIC-F500BT is dash mounted and portable with intuitive interface. A control center which links consumer gadgets. A gateway for your personal technology. Large DB with 12 million POIs, text to speech, Bluetooth, SD slot, USB, voice recognition, OEM integration. Plugs into an AUX jack on your vehicle or via custom integration. Conversation commands, "I want to listen to Justin Timberlake." Yes, it will control your phone and iPod, just speak your commands.
9:10am: "We're an MP3 nation, which demands portability." This compromise of compressed music however is the death of hi-fidelity. New line-up of SCD models with Advanced Sound Retriever promises a fuller, richer, more dynamic sound. Or so they say, from those same compressed music files.
9:13am: Talking about Basalt "rock" technology in their speaker cones. "Rock beats Paper"... guffaw.
9:14am: Mr. Ken Shioda on stage, general manager of display products. Pioneer will prove once again that they are the leader in home entertainment today. Well, let's see Mr. Ken.
9:18am: Project KURO has resulted in unprecedented black levels in plasmas. "True black, remains the holy grail of HDTV."
9:22am: Video hyperbole in full swing now. Product launch imminent.... Instead, Russ Johnston, exec VP just came on stage. Pioneer's technology "will end the discussion of contrast ratio." The "extreme contrast concept model" eliminates all idling luminance. They have the holy grail!! (or so they say).
9:23am: Also announced is this second plasma display: 9mm thin. Thinner than an iPhone and 50-inches wide. We will not see these in 2008, it's a glimpse of the future.
9:31am: New device class announced: TAD, Techincal Audio Device Labs for high end audiophiles.
That's it, we gone!
