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Pioneer's Kuro PDP-6020FD plasma gets reviewed
Home Theater magazine got its hands on Pioneer's 60-inch KURO PDP-6020FD plasma, and surprise, surprise -- it's the set to beat for now. By now, KURO black levels and contrast are so well established that not much ink needs to be spilled over them, except to say that the ninth generation 6020FD bested the reigning champ Elite PRO-150FD, but the review does a good job of finding nits to pick. Most notably, infinitely tweakable parameters like color temperature and sharpening are missing; we're guessing these are design choices made to leave room for the Pioneer Elite models. We have to wonder, though, how many high-end plasma shoppers (at $5500, are there any other kind?) will be willing to give up full calibration capability.
Second-generation Pioneer KURO unveiled: 5x deeper black levels
Quite a lot has gone on in Pioneer's world since it wowed us all with the Project KURO at CES, but one thing hasn't changed: it's dedication to world-class black levels. Announced alongside several other fine pieces of kit today in NYC, the 2008 KURO family will posses black levels "five times deeper than the previous KURO." According to company bigwig Paul Meyhoefer, the ultimate goal is "pure, absolute black," and it's well on its way with the latest line. You'll also find a feature dubbed Optimum Mode, which "simultaneously monitors video and room light conditions" and then makes the most appropriate adjustments based on what it senses. Sadly, most of the nitty-gritty details have been omitted for now, but you can count on the June-bound models checking in at just 3.7-inches thick, sporting 1080p panels alone (no 720p), coming in 50- ($4,000) / 60-inch ($5,500) sizes (no 42-inch) and arriving with a new remote / redesigned HD interface. Jump on past the break for the full release, but we're warning you, there's an awful lot of gloating down there.
