In case CNET's pics of the upcoming Pioneer KURO LCDs weren't enough to get your wild speculation going, and you can't get over to Germany to pick one up for yourself, some more photos of the KRL-32V, 37V and 46V sets have emerged from the CEATEC show. Getting good photos from the tradeshow floor is tough, but these pics (especially the ones against a black backdrop) look promising in terms of black level, at least. The linked post hints that the LCDs may not have quite measured up to the namesake plasmas, so remember what we said about show floor pics. Still, even if Pioneer is sourcing the panels from Sharp, we're encouraged by the focus on image quality over slim profiles. Hit the link for more eye-candy and let us know what you think.

On the whole, we'd say KURO plasma owners are pretty stoked about their sets. Those who'd prefer a KURO-branded LCD, however, have been waiting anxiously to hear something more from ole Pioneer for months. Thankfully, the firm has finally spoken, and while it doesn't mention any brand / model names specifically, we can assume that those LCD HDTVs we saw emerge in Europe will be gracing US shores in mere months. During the first half of 2009, Pioneer LCD HDTVs will be loosed in North America and Asia, and unless plans change, the panels within will actually be supplied by Sharp. Might we be on the lookout for a sneak peek at CES '09?

Pioneer got official with its 50-inch KRP-500A and 60-inch KRP-600A over in Europe earlier this summer, and just as each set got set to ship, the firm felt it necessary to bring 'em to Japan. Best of all, AkihabaraNews was able to see just how deep those blacks really were at a recent press event, and it was kind enough to host up a plethora of photographs for us common folk to gaze at. If we just rang your bell, pop down into the links below for specs and images galore.

Read - Camera flash, capture Pioneer's new plasmas
Read - Formal introduction in Japan

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.

Pioneer's top of the line Elite Signature Series Kuro plasmas are finally officially priced and shipping, but make a decision quick, word on the street is these "limited run" screens have been finding their way into more than a few installers pipelines over the last few weeks. At 2.5-inches thick, these panels -- hand selected for the deepest blacks and accurate colors --- will fit anywhere you'd like to have them installed, and each unique serial number gives access to a Pioneer website for that specific monitor's certified factory white balance setting. A slew of tweaks and calibrations for your guy to run through when he's putting this in are also part of the package, ultimately contributing to a $5,500 (PRO-101FD, 50-inch) or $7,000 (PRO-141FD, 60-inch) price tag. Pros only, please.

Lookee here, our first sight at what Pioneer's bringing to CEDIA. For the audio crowd, it's unveiling a mind-boggling 16 new speaker models including four floorstanding subwoofers. The new line of "dynamic architectural loudspeakers (pictured after the jump) come in three different performance levels – Elite EX Series, Pioneer CST and plain ole Pioneer. As you can likely imagine, we don't have the luxury of space here to cover the sweet sixteen, but everything is laid out nicely in the link below. In somewhat related news, the outfit has also announced a new KURO brand campaign that "embodies transformation." We'll spare you the marketing hoopla, but there's a nice link down there should you want to dive in.

Read - 16 new speaker models
Read - New KURO campaign

Philips marketing exec Danny Tack is pulling no punches at IFA, proclaiming the company's new LCDs are better than the vaunted Pioneer Kuro plasmas. Measuring -- by his own estimation -- on par with the 9th-gen Pioneer plasmas on black levels, and better brightness, natural motion and motion sharpness, he's ready to call LED-backlit LCDs and OLED HDTVs the long term winners, with plasma relegated to only the biggest screens. The read link points to his comments in full, but most importantly, do you have a side, or are you waiting to get eyes-on the new Essence and FlatTV models first?

Not that we weren't expecting Pioneer's much-anticipated KURO LCD to emerge in Europe sometime this month, but early August sure beats 11:59PM on August 31st. Due to obvious language barriers, it's a bit hard to tell where exactly this 37-inch KRL-37V is in Germany, but it's obvious that it's for sale. Initial reports suggest that image quality rivals that of a KURO plasma, but with more reflections. Yeah, we can buy that. More images where this one came from are down there -- do tell when one pops up on US soil, alright?

[Via HDTV-Space]

Now that you've seen what the Pro-111FD can do, how's about a closer look at the PDP-5020FD? A member of Pioneer's second-generation KURO plasma family, this display was held in high regards from day one, although a recent CNET review explains that may it have received a bit too much credit. Yeah, it did produce the deepest blacks reviewers had ever seen on a big-screen display, and color decoding was also pleasantly accurate. The port selection was praised alongside the gorgeous anti-reflective screen, but surprisingly, not all was well. For starters, Pioneer is charging a small fortune for this thing, thus every flaw is understandably magnified. Critics found that primary colors were "inaccurate," and they seemed to lament the omission of advanced picture controls. In the end, the unit still received an "Excellent" badge, but it's hard to say this one is totally worthy of the sky-high price tag.

[Thanks, Matthew]

Just under a month ago, Pioneer finally came clean with its KURO LCD rollout in Europe. Now, we're being treated to the first hands-on pictures of the 32- and 37-inch models, both of which are set to hit shelves next month. We'll let the photos do the talking from here. (Psst... they're in the read link.)

[Thanks, Chris]

You've got to respect the effort that Gary Merson, a.k.a. the HD Guru, puts into his TV reviews. Thorough and technically savvy, he relentlessly exposes the weaknesses of displays passing through his lab. His latest review is a showdown between two 50-inch plasmas vying for the top, the new Pioneer Pro-111FD and the Panasonic TH-50PZ850U. We've long heard about these 9th generation Pioneer plasmas, the last to come off of Pioneer production lines, so our eyes perked up at the comparison. We won't spoil the outcome of the "two plasmas enter, one plasma leaves" showdown (and that pesky $1500 price difference between the two units is significant), but we will say that the Pioneer lived up to the Kuro name by displaying blacks too dark for the Guru to reliably measure with his test gear. Oh, and the 10th generation promises to be darker still.

Just in case you didn't get a close enough look at Pioneer's next-gen KUROs earlier this year, the folks over at CNET UK managed to bring home a 60-inch PDP-LX6090 and snap a few pics. As expected, onlookers were thoroughly wowed after ripping it from the box and firing it up, with a tag line dubbing it "big, black and beautiful." See what they mean in the read link below.

[Thanks, John]

By the press release, it's officially official -- Pioneer has made good on its promise to get serious about LCDs, even though its intentions to bring out a 46-inch class display this year remain murky. Europe will see three new Kuro-branded LCDs: the KRL-32V and KRL-37V models (32-, 37-inch sizes, respectively) in August, and a 46-inch KRL-46V which still has a nebulous "later in the year" date. All models include a high-contrast filter up front, three HDMI ports and 100Hz processing (count on 120Hz if when released in the USA). No pricing has been announced, so we'll be curious to see what sort of markup is slapped on the Sharp-sourced panel. More interesting, of course, will be the picture quality -- have Pioneer elves worked any magic into the electronics, and will the LCD's black levels measure up to the Kuro name?

Not that Pioneer's KRP-600M KURO plasma was any huge secret, but across the pond, the outfit just got official with it alongside three other 1080p sets and a fantastically sexy media receiver. The 50-inch KRP-500A and 60-inch KRP-600A each boast a 64-millimeter thin enclosure, "extreme contrast" levels, DLNA certification and a trio of tuners including analog, digital (DVB-T for Europe) and digital satellite (DVB-S/DVB-S2). Furthermore, the two "A" models come bundled with a whisper-quiet media receiver that appears to be nothing more than a sexy 4-port HDMI switcher. As for the 50-inch KRP-500M and 60-inch KRP-600M, those should ring up slightly cheaper due to the exclusion of internal tuners and the fact that the aforementioned media receiver isn't packed in. Speaking of Euros, there's no mention of price, though release dates span from August (600M) to September (600A) to October (500A / 500M).

Here in North America, we already saw Pioneer get official with its second-generation of KURO plasmas, but today is all about Japan. Said outfit has just revealed the dazzling KRP-600M, which checks in at 60-inches diagonally and 64-millimeters in depth. Pioneer is being its typical self when it comes to specs by simply tossing the 1,920 x 1,080 resolution out there and insisting that it pretty much looks better than any other TV on the entire planet. Not that we really dig that Bose approach™, but at least we're told that there are component, VGA, DVI, HDMI, Ethernet, RS-232C, IR repeater and audio in / out jacks. The set should hit Japanese shelves later this month for around ¥850,000 ($7,970), while the optional table stand, wall mount and speaker system will run you quite a bit less.

[Via Tech-On]