Pioneer's new home theatre range

By Ty Pendlebury on 21 September 2007

Tags: 1080p | 720p | dvd recorder | kuro | pioneer | plasma | october

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Pioneer has announced its new audiovisual lineup for 2007/8 which includes the new ultra-black Kuro televisions, DVD recorders and receivers.

The range brings with it the launch of Pioneer's new slogan -- "Seeing and hearing like never before" -- and is part of the company's attempt to restore its reputation as a premium brand.

There are two different types of Kuro plasmas, with two XGA models -- a 42 Pioneer PDP-428XDA and a 50-inch Pioneer PDP-508XDA -- and two 1080p LX models -- the Pioneer PDP-LX508A and Pioneer PDP-LX608A . All feature contrast ratios of 16,000:1 or more, 3 HDMI ports, HD tuners, and improved video processing. Meanwhile, the flagship LX range adds a 1080p resolution and a greater 20,000:1 contrast ratio.

Pioneer's new AV range also includes two new DVD recorders with built-in SD digital tuners and 1080p up-scaling -- the DVR-550HX-S and DVR-LX60D. Both devices come with onboard storage -- a160Gb Hard Disc Drive (HDD) on the DVR-550HX-S and a 250Gb HDD on the DVR-LX60D. Users can rip CDs or copy MP3s from a USB source straight to the HDD to turn the recorder into a digital jukebox. Both players feature JPEG compatibility, which means you can also watch slideshows or even print photographs from the hard disk with a PictBridge compatible USB printer.

Also coming soon, are three new flagship A/V receivers -- the VSX-LX50, the VSX-LX60, and the VSX-LX70. In addition to the new piano-black finish, the receivers will feature onboard Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus and DTS HD Master Audio decoding for full compatibility with Blu-ray and HD DVD.

Kuro XGA plasmas
 
Pioneer PDP-428XDA
Pioneer PDP-508XDA
Price AU$4699 AU$5699
On sale October October
Size 42-inch 50-inch
Resolution 1024 x 768 1365 x 768
Contrast ratio 16,000:1 16,000:1

Kuro 1080p plasmas

 
Pioneer PDP-LX508A
Pioneer PDP-LX608A
Price AU$7499 AU$11999
On sale October October
Size 50-inch 60-inch
Resolution 1920 x 1080 1920 x 1080
Contrast ratio 20,000:1 20,000:1

DVD recorders
 
Pioneer DVR-550HX-S
Pioneer DVR-LX60D
Price AU$899 AU$1099
On sale October October
Storage space 160GB 250GB
Upconversion Yes, up to 1080p Yes, up to 1080p
DivX playback Yes Yes

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Keeper
19/12/2007 11:59 AM

Would of been nice to see a 42 inch in full 1080p!! A 50 and 60 inch is far to big for the common lounge room

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john
21/01/2008 11:37 AM

when will Pioneer launch a 42 inch in full 1080p?

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