AVForums Coverage from the International CES in Las Vegas, 6th-10th January 2008

[Phil Hinton]

For the very first time in AVForums history, we will be covering the International CES from Las Vegas 6th - 10th January 2008. In a series of podcasts, written articles and Breaking news threads throughout the show, you will be able to get a UK angle on the latest and greatest AV products and those big news stories that are bound to break.

We will be doing our best to get you exclusive interviews with those people who really count in the industry, as well as covering every major press conference and the big keynote from Bill Gates on Sunday evening (6th).

The coverage will begin Sunday evening (UK time) in the soon to be opened CES sub forum. (please note that coverage will be 8 hours behind UK time).

If there are any must have or must see events you want the latest news from, let us know here and we will do our very best to try and cover those events.

We hope you enjoy the coverage that will be brought to you as it happens, all from an AVForums perspective.

[sneill]

Hi Phil,

I don't know if they will have specific events but if you could check out some of the manufactures for any news on AV processors scheduled to come out this year that will have DTS HD-MA / Dolby True HD decoders that would be great, I believe the below should be there on display/announced:

* Classe SSP-800
* Denon AVP-A1 HD
* Primare SP32
* Cary Cinema 11a + 11v
* SimAudio Moon CP100

Enjoy the show

[meansizzler]

Any coverage/pics of PC Related HD Components would be great...

I hope someone has a HD Cam with them to film the show floor,

[Stuart Wright]

Originally Posted by meansizzler

I hope someone has a HD Cam with them to film the show floor,

What's the point? Any uploaded video file is likely to be less than SD resolution anyway. Looked at this issue re video podcasts and reviews. No point in using HD camcorders.

[pixelpixel]

Can I have a 'free' t-shirt xl would do nicely Any random thing will be fine

Wow UK CES coverage

I think the future of HD-DVD would be a big

[Dr Force]

Fantastic effort thanks.

I am particularly looking forward to the HD news for 2008 and the 1080p PJ advancements.

[roydonaldson]

HI there,

Any chance you could have a look at the Naim stand that they are having there.
They should have their new NS servers on show !

Thanks,
Roy.

[Tejstar]

This is great news, does this mean we should expect that there will be coverage at all major AV show during the year including CeBIT etc?

[RaymondW]

Any news from Panasonic and Pioneer regarding their flat panels would be welcome.

Just finished reading this ( see post #12) , it sure looks promising

[preludecrazy]

Originally Posted by RaymondW

Any news from Panasonic and Pioneer regarding their flat panels would be welcome.

I echo that! I'm especially interested in hearing if Pioneer have plans to release a 1080p version of their PDP-428XD later this year. BTW, I'm planning on buying a PDP-428XD, but might be willing to wait if the are....

Thanks.

[Stuart Wright]

Originally Posted by RaymondW

Any news from Panasonic and Pioneer regarding their flat panels would be welcome.

Just finished reading this, it sure looks promising

Bad link - got a working one?

[RaymondW]

Checked the link earlier today and it worked, now it doesn't anymore. Strange. I think they took it offline for some reason.

Below is what should be there to read:

Pioneer Announces KURO Flat Panel Technology Concepts That Will End the Contrast Ratio Discussion and Show an Ultra Thin 9MM Thick Display

Exploiting the advantages of self-emitting plasma technology, Pioneers takes “Seeing and Hearing Like Never Before” to Greater Heights, Previewing 50-inch Project KURO Concepts Showing Extreme Contrast and Advanced Design

LAS VEGAS, CES Booth #9827 1/6/2008

Pioneer Corporation today unveils concepts for future display technologies under the code name “Project KURO.” After a year in which Pioneer proved that its award-winning plasma technology is leagues above the rest of the HDTV industry in picture quality, Pioneer engineers today will preview future Project KURO concepts showing extreme contrast and advanced design that will further the idea that plasma is the best high-definition television technology and that the future is black and thin.

The extreme contrast concept will challenge the contrast ratio debate by producing the industry’s first plasma that is absolute black with no measurable light emitting from the television. At the same time, Pioneer is previewing an advanced design concept that is the world’s thinnest 50-inch display at only nine millimeters (mm) thin. It seems that Pioneer is only improving on its own achievements in picture quality and design, but Pioneer’s true engineering passion is to deliver an emotional entertainment experience through the development of the highest picture quality.

“For more than a year, Project KURO has been a brand mantra within Pioneer that represents our commitment to deliver the most passionate and emotional entertainment experience possible,” said Russ Johnston, executive vice president of marketing and product planning for the Home Entertainment and Business Solutions Group at Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. “The KURO technology concepts demonstrate how we are continuing to challenge the industry and stay above the commoditized flat panel television market – by literally ending the conversation about contrast ratio, a debate that has been in existence since television was first introduced, and creating a flat panel display so thin it becomes a canvas for entertainment.”

To put this into perspective, consumers need to understand the contrast ratio debate. Contrast ratio is defined as the ratio of the luminosity of the brightest color (white) to that of the darkest color (black). While manufacturers all measure this differently, they agree that a high contrast ratio is desirable to recreate ideal picture quality. In televisions, the truer the black, the more accurate the color.

Black encompasses the entire color spectrum and is produced in the absence of light. By nature, televisions produce luminance (light) and this dilutes black and color. That is why it is so important that Pioneer can achieve absolute black in the Project KURO extreme contrast concept.
The display is so black that even when it is on with no image displayed, the television is invisible when you walk into a completely dark room.
It has a contrast ratio that is literally beyond measurement, rendering the debate of contrast ratio irrelevant and providing the consumer a rich picture filled with vibrant penetrating color.

“Thanks to the self emitting principle of plasma, we were able to crack the code on plasma luminance. Pioneer technology has advanced to the point where we have achieved virtually zero idling luminance in more than six million cells, previously thought to be impossible. The result is, in essence, absolute black with no measurable light coming from the television. For consumers, this creates the experience that the image is floating in space, with a picture that has exceptional detail and vivid color. Ultimately, our goal is focused on bringing to market a new KURO that unifies the extreme contrast and advanced design concepts to transcend anything currently possible in home entertainment. We feel that this will not only surpass our previous best, it will completely change the playing field.” said Yoichi Sato, senior executive officer and chief technology executive at Pioneer Cooperation.

Pioneer’s concept for the world’s thinnest 50-inch flat panel display is also part of Pioneer’s engineering passion.
At only nine millimeters (mm) thin, this groundbreaking Project KURO technology results in a picture that appears to be floating on a wall
, creating an experience for consumers where the television becomes simply a canvas for great entertainment. In addition, its extremely light weight (18.6kg/ 41lbs) allows the television to be easily wall mounted, contributing handsomely to interior décor without distracting—providing a spectacular setting for watching films.

These fully-operational concept televisions will not be commercially-available in 2008.

Pioneer Corporation is a leading global manufacturer of consumer- and business-use electronics products such as audio, video and car electronics. Its shares are traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

PIONEER and ELITE are registered trademarks of Pioneer Corporation.

[meansizzler]

Originally Posted by Stuart Wright

What's the point? Any uploaded video file is likely to be less than SD resolution anyway. Looked at this issue re video podcasts and reviews. No point in using HD camcorders.

Youtube quality video is not what I had in mind, you can upload it when you get back to the UK, coverting to WMV 1280*720@ 4mb/s is more than enough... or send me the footage and i'll do the conversion and upload...

Am only asking for like 45 minutes or so of video, 1 or two minutes to cover each major product....

[meansizzler]

Originally Posted by Tejstar

This is great news, does this mean we should expect that there will be coverage at all major AV show during the year including CeBIT etc?

CeBIT is the best one....

[Stuart Wright]

Originally Posted by meansizzler

Youtube quality video is not what I had in mind, you can upload it when you get back to the UK, coverting to WMV 1280*720@ 4mb/s is more than enough... or send me the footage and i'll do the conversion and upload...

Am only asking for like 45 minutes or so of video, 1 or two minutes to cover each major product....

Mute point anyway since Phil is now in the US and the HD camcorder is right here.