Pioneer launches its 8th generation (8G) plasma range on May 8th in Rome. "This revolutionary new technology,"says Pioneer, "will change the competitive market place for flat panel TV."
Speaking at CES earlier this year, Pioneer revealed that it has reinvented its plasma TVs. Its 7G plasma line-up (including the PDP-427XD and the PDP-507XD models) was based on established 6G technology. Although impressive, these 7G screens didn't provide a big leap in performance. At least not when you compare Pioneer's 6G TVs to their 5G predecessors.
Chasing a better black
What made Pioneer's 8G prototype stand out at CES was the Colombian coffee richness of its blacks. Pioneer claims that black levels in its forthcoming displays far exceed those in its previous plasmas. This has been accomplished by reducing the luminance levels by a massive 80 per cent.
Pioneer has apparently achieved this by discharging the screen's electrically-charged cells when pixels are in an 'off' state. In combination with a new anti-glare filter, Pioneer's new TVs can retain rich, deep blacks in any lighting conditions. Their contrast ratios, as yet unspecified, should be impressive.
The new 8G plasma line will also include a brand new ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit) video processor. This, says Pioneer, will dramatically improve noise reduction and video scaling. Expect three HDMI connections and an integrated digital tuner to come as standard too.
Pioneer has told tech.co.uk that its 8G displays are the result of a year's work and 12 years of R&D into flat panel technology. For now, it's keeping the technical details under wraps until the official launch. But we're expecting new 42-inch, 50-inch and 60-inch 1080p plasma TVs to be unveiled next week.