Anyone remotely familiar with the
KURO brand knows that with it comes the expectation of awesomeness (and a large price tag), and the question on everyone's mind has been: will the
KURO LCD line live up to the name? According to
TrustedReview's critique of the 37-inch KRL-37V, the answer is a resounding "yes." The reviewers put together five long-winded pages detailing the ins and outs of this here set, but in general, they found that it produced better pictures than most other LCDs on the market today, and that's
saying something. Sure, it wasn't without its flaws -- there were occurrences where odd color tones popped up in SD footage, black levels weren't
astonishing and the viewing angles weren't the greatest -- but the colors in HD were simply terrific. 'Tis a shame we North Americans will have to wait until
sometime next year before we can even have a look for ourselves, but those in Europe may want to give this one some serious attention.
[Via
HDTV Lounge]
posted Nov 3rd 2008 2:06PM
a little small for a TV, a little low resolution for 37" monitor. any way, this looks awesome still.
I thought Kuro was FAIL!?
http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/18/mitsubishis-65-inch-laservue-hdtv-undergoes-further-testing/
Want, but $$$.
Of course it gets huge ratings. It has the same magic the plasma KUROs have: marketing
Well said. Kuro LCD? WTF? Next thing we'll see Kuro receiver and then Kuro can opener.
...and what's up with the writing here? "Other LCDs should be scared" and "it produced better pictures than most other LCDs on the market". I'll bet some better LCDs cost significantly less.
37"? What's that good for? A single viewer sitting 5 feet away?
The name Kuro is unfortunate. It sounds like Kuru, something like Mad Cow Disease that cannibals got after eating their enemy's brains.
FYI Kuro means "Black" or "Dark" in Japanese, which is fitting for its excellent ability to display true black color.
Other LCDs are probably not all that frightened considering most of them cost a fraction of this thing's massive price.
It saddens me to see the Kuro name on an LCD. :(
It disgusts me. F'n whores.
Didn't I read last year that they weren't going to be manufacturing their own screens anymore and would be using someone else's?
I bought a Samsung series 6 LCD after walking through Costco and staring rather blankly at all the TVs. The Samsung they had there (actually a Series 5) caught my attention because its contrast and color saturation seemed higher than all the others; there were no gray-blacks even in the brightly-lit store, there were actual blacks. I looked closer to see what it was (didn't realize it was a Samsung). I compared it to the Panasonic Viera TVs they had there, and its contrast was on par, but color saturation and brightness were higher. I didn't buy that particular TV because I wanted a bigger one.
Watching true HD content (HD-DVD, PC output), the image is eye-poppingly gorgeous. The Samsung 6 does have some failings; its internal image scaler is abysmal (ghosting on 720p broadcasts... WTF?), and its analog audio output is fixed-only. I imagine all of this can be fixed by a firmware update (will it? That's another question). I displayed pictures from my computer on it (component video input) and the very rich color gamut made photos -- particularly photos of flowers in sunlight -- veritably pop. It does over-sharpen, and the contrast is exaggerated... But for sheer spectacle, it's gorgeous to look it.
I guess all this is to say... If the KURO is based on a Sharp LCD as rumors have it... And if it has the same image quality problems as other Sharp LCDs I've seen (gray blacks, noise, slow pixel response time)... I think the Samsung TVs have little to be afraid of.
Just my 25.04 KRW.
I have to say that the high end samsung LCDs I've seen (LNT4071+, LNxxA650+) are all pretty damn awesome. Really, watching movies has always been more about watching them with friends than paying attention to the stunning detail of black coloration for me. Sure, I want things to look nice, but there's a limit to how much I'll pay for that. Making the current options cheaper would probably pay off better than making the super high end nicer since there's no obvious deficiencies with the present tech and a lot more people care about price than black crush.
In store comparisons are a difficult thing because you have no idea what settings each TV is using.
I have a Sharp. I dunno what you're talking about with about noise and slow pixel response time. Noise? It's an all-digital system.
My Sharp does have an awful backlight, and the blacks, well, they're good for an LCD.
$2400 for a 37", no thanks. Is it that much better than a top end Samsung or Sony 40" that you can get for $2400. Not to mention all of the 40-42" models you can get for $1200-1800.
A 42" KURO LCD should sell for $2500. That at least puts it in the same price range as an XBR or Samsung 7 Series.
The Kuro is 37" so no point in comparing it to 40+"
37" is below the magic 1 meter limit. I (European) will not buy a 40+" TV. I think there is a very limited high-end, sub-40 inch market in the US, reason why Pioneer is not selling these models in the US.
Actually, I was in shopping for a 37" yesterday. The Kuro 37v is on display in several shops. What was most disappointing for me was the limited view angle. In front of the TV's the Kuro matches the plasma quality. But stepping one step sideways, the Kuro failed miserably. So good if you watch TV alone, not so good if you watch with more people..
It might be the best LCD has to offer, it still doesn't match Plasma. I bought the standard-def Panasonic 37PX80 (plasma) instead. Will shop for full-def LCD next year and might move the Panasonic to the bedroom if the next generation is better.
This Televison sucks next-to the high end Samsung and Philips!! And the Samsung/Philips TV`s are much more cheaper than that pioneer crap lcd.. Stick to Plasma..
It is actually LG who has made this LCD-screen.. Just the fucking pioneer brand glued on, a shame for pioneer.. They should know better!!!
These TVs won't be available until next year... How do you know it's a crap LCD if you haven't even seen it yet?
@Adam: You can see them in Europe already.
Flame beat. It doesn't suck, it's worth the money if you want the best of LCD. I actually tried the Kuro this weekend (Netherlands).
This Kuro is very good, and looks well-build, but with my high expectations failed to impress me. It might be the best of LCD, it sill doesn't outshine a good plasma, esp. for high motion / bigger viewing angles.
And hence the Kuro name should not be on it.
We've got them in Serbia already, and they're not that expensive, around $1900.
http://www.electronica.rs/proizvod.php?cat=14&subcat=45&art=3
I'm very impressed with it. A little short on connectivity (plenty of HDMI, but no USB or Card Reader). I think the current SONY's are abysmal. Motion judder galore. This KURO 37" LCD is the best I've seen for and LCD when it comes to a natural, warm picture with very little or next to none motion problems. I rate the Samsung 7,8 and 9 series as very close in picture quality and beating the Pioneer on connectivity. My only problem with the Samsungs is their over-sharp, over-bright, high contrast displays. Very impressive on first or second viewing, but quite wearing on the eyes, in the end. Pioneer 37 is now selling for £1,100 in UK (£400 less than introductory price). I'm tempted, but have also heard that Pioneer may give it better connectivity and more importantly, LED backlighting (instead of fluorescent) in the next model, which may be out in March 09.