Pioneer 50" 1080p Plasma Arrives

Razor05 · 07-14-2006, 07:09 PM

As per TeamXbox:

Pioneer 50" 1080p Plasma Arrives at Retailers Nationwide
By: César A. Berardini - "Cesar"
Jul. 14th, 2006 7:13 am

Pioneer will begin shipping the world's first 50" 1080p plasma display today. The new Pioneer Elite PureVision PRO-FHD1 is a technological milestone that doubles pixel density on screen to deliver ultimate resolution and the best flat-panel picture quality anywhere. The 50-inch plasma builds on all the proprietary technologies the company has developed since it began plasma R&D in 1991 to realize a native resolution of 1920 X 1080.

The challenge in creating a 50-inch plasma display with a 1080p native resolution was to reduce the pixel size by half in order to fit more than 2 million pixels in the screen. Pioneer used its 15 years experience developing plasma technology to manufacture the world's smallest pixels measuring .576 millimeters which results in a stunning on-screen picture. The depth of picture, particularly when viewing original content in 1080p/24Hz, such as a movie on Blu-ray Disc, gives a truly 3-D effect.

Viewers can see tiny beads of sweat on an athlete's face as well as the stitches on the football as it flies through the air. Some say it makes it easier to tell when the lead actor takes a break and lets the stunt double take over.

A high precision video scaler is used to up-convert 480i, 720p, 720i and 1080i signals to 1080p, increasing the resolution and virtually eliminating the interlacing motion artifacts seen in some other displays. The display also relies on Pioneer's many proprietary technologies including deep encased cell structure, crystal emissive layer and improved phosphors to create the sharpest, brightest images with excellent color accuracy.

The Pioneer Elite PureVision PRO-FHD1 is now available at specialty retailers for a suggested price of $10,000.

eHDMI · 07-14-2006, 09:23 PM

10g's! Wow..wait a few years..will be nearly 1/2 that price.

BobY · 07-14-2006, 09:23 PM

This is my dream display (except the price

).

It even supports 3:3 pull-down with a 72Hz refresh rate to display 24Fps movie content without the motion judder introduced by 60Hz refresh.

We're going to see more of these displays at more reasonable prices going forward!

µCOM-4 · 07-14-2006, 09:54 PM

Pioneer has had 3:3 pul down in their plasmas for years. Anyway, IMO 50" for a native 1080p display is too small. It has to be at least 60" IMO.

BobY · 07-16-2006, 05:50 PM

None of their plasmas have ever been 1920 x 1080 in the past, that's why this is my dream display. 50" is fine for me, the price of a 60" 1080p plasma will be astronomical for many years to come.

**rbinck** · 07-16-2006, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by µCOM-4

Pioneer has had 3:3 pul down in their plasmas for years. Anyway, IMO 50" for a native 1080p display is too small. It has to be at least 60" IMO.

Hook a computer to it and you will appreciate the 1920x1080 vs. 1366x768 even in a 32" display.

µCOM-4 · 07-16-2006, 11:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rbinck

Hook a computer to it and you will appreciate the 1920x1080 vs. 1366x768 even in a 32" display.

That's true but my computer is already hooked up to a nice 24" 1920x1200 native LCD which only sits about 4' from my face.

If I had a native 1920x1080 plasma it would strictly be for HD movies etc not computer work. Doing computer work on a plasma is a no no anyway (burn-in).

fryet · 07-17-2006, 11:51 AM

This display does sound fantastic to me as well. For me, a display larger than 50 inches would not fit in my entertainment cabinet anyway (in fact, I am not sure if that display with the wide sides would fit either). I am also excited about the ability to have a 72 refresh rate. I also love plasmas (I currently own a plasma EDTV). It looks like this will be my first HDTV, well at least once the prices drop to 5k or less.

fryet · 07-17-2006, 12:02 PM

The only flaw in this TV is it probably doesn't have HDMI 1.3. I imagine, though, that by the time the price drops to 5k, HDMI 1.3 will be a standard feature.

Chanute · 07-17-2006, 01:29 PM

Do you have the complete model number or a link? I can't seem to find any specs. with the model number posted. I also am wondering about the HDMI 1.3. Maybe the product is so new specs. aren't available yet. Thanks in advance.

mfabien · 07-18-2006, 06:18 AM

...and can you explain why it would be important for a TV to have HDMI 1.3? What would a TV equipped with 2 speakers do with the new lossless codecs?

The real answer will be an a/v with HDMI 1.3 input and output and incorporating the new lossless codecs. These new codecs will not be limited to HD DVD and BR players, one day there will be DTS-HD Music disc, for instance.

fryet · 07-18-2006, 11:11 AM

HDMI 1.3 would ensure that the TV can handle a 1080p input. As I understand current technology, many of the 1080p TVs can only receive 1080i input. (Note: I am stating this poorly, as I think 1080p24 is a required standard, however the TV downconverts it or something because it was not really designed to support 1080p).

**rbinck** · 07-18-2006, 11:55 AM

The 1080p/24 is a required standard for the ATSC tuner but not a signal coming in from an external source. Nobody is broadcasting 1080p/24 so it really does not matter.

I'm thinking that even if the display should support 1080p/60, which is what I guess everybody is in a twist over, the important thing would be to be sure the display supports 1280x720p/60 and scales up to 1920x1080p/60 properly and the 1080i/30 is deinterlaced properly. Other than computer displays and gameboxes there is not going to be a 1080p/60 source for the display that would matter.

Now the ability to handle 1080p/24 input is another matter. That would be nice for the future when some of the high definition DVD players add the 1080p/24 outputs.

stchman · 07-18-2006, 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Razor05

As per TeamXbox:

Pioneer 50" 1080p Plasma Arrives at Retailers Nationwide
By: César A. Berardini - "Cesar"
Jul. 14th, 2006 7:13 am

Pioneer will begin shipping the world's first 50" 1080p plasma display today. The new Pioneer Elite PureVision PRO-FHD1 is a technological milestone that doubles pixel density on screen to deliver ultimate resolution and the best flat-panel picture quality anywhere. The 50-inch plasma builds on all the proprietary technologies the company has developed since it began plasma R&D in 1991 to realize a native resolution of 1920 X 1080.

The challenge in creating a 50-inch plasma display with a 1080p native resolution was to reduce the pixel size by half in order to fit more than 2 million pixels in the screen. Pioneer used its 15 years experience developing plasma technology to manufacture the world's smallest pixels measuring .576 millimeters which results in a stunning on-screen picture. The depth of picture, particularly when viewing original content in 1080p/24Hz, such as a movie on Blu-ray Disc, gives a truly 3-D effect.

Viewers can see tiny beads of sweat on an athlete's face as well as the stitches on the football as it flies through the air. Some say it makes it easier to tell when the lead actor takes a break and lets the stunt double take over.

A high precision video scaler is used to up-convert 480i, 720p, 720i and 1080i signals to 1080p, increasing the resolution and virtually eliminating the interlacing motion artifacts seen in some other displays. The display also relies on Pioneer's many proprietary technologies including deep encased cell structure, crystal emissive layer and improved phosphors to create the sharpest, brightest images with excellent color accuracy.

The Pioneer Elite PureVision PRO-FHD1 is now available at specialty retailers for a suggested price of $10,000.

10K for a 50" 1080p display is ludicrous. Who is going to spend that kind of money when you can get a 70" 1080p for about $4000. I know plasmas have a nice bright display, but they are not that nice. 10K is for someone that has more money than sense. For 10K I could get 4 56" HDTVs.

fryet · 07-18-2006, 04:13 PM

Bigger is not always better. For one thing, larger displays may not fit your home. In addition, those other displays that you list, will have juddering when trying to show film shot at 24 frames per second, on a display that is 60 frames per second. This TV will be able to avoid that (it may be the only 1080p TV that can?). Being plasma, it will have rich color, excellent blacks, and a fast refresh time. I suspect that the other TVs that you are thinking, would not be able to match all of that.

So is it worth $10k? For those that want the absolute best, and do not consider bigger = best, it may well be. For me personally, I think I will be waiting for the price to drop to at least $5k before I get one. (: This is the only HDTV that I would seriously consider buying, assuming that it has HDMI 1.3 support. So for me personally, all of the other TVs that you can get for much less are not ones that would satisfy me long term. I would buy them, and be wanting to get a new one when 1080p72 becomes more common place. If I bought this TV, I don't think I will have regretted buying it 10 years later (sure, there will be some other improvements to TVs in that time period, but I don't think it will be anything that I must have, except maybe CableCard 2.0, and that can be handled by an exterior device).

07-14-2006, 09:23 PM	#2
eHDMI Vizio 37 LCD Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 1,648	10g's! Wow..wait a few years..will be nearly 1/2 that price. __________________ Discount HDTV Accessories HDFury

07-17-2006, 01:29 PM	#10
Chanute How can anyone watch standard def? Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 29	Model Number Do you have the complete model number or a link? I can't seem to find any specs. with the model number posted. I also am wondering about the HDMI 1.3. Maybe the product is so new specs. aren't available yet. Thanks in advance.

07-18-2006, 06:18 AM	#11
mfabien High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Montreal Posts: 1,087	...and can you explain why it would be important for a TV to have HDMI 1.3? What would a TV equipped with 2 speakers do with the new lossless codecs? The real answer will be an a/v with HDMI 1.3 input and output and incorporating the new lossless codecs. These new codecs will not be limited to HD DVD and BR players, one day there will be DTS-HD Music disc, for instance. __________________ Samsung LN52B750, SA8300HD, Energy speakers, Yamaha RX-V540, SVS PB12-ISD, Harmony 880, HD-A1, BDP-1400, Oppo DV-970HD, Zektor HDS4.1

07-18-2006, 11:55 AM	#13
rbinck Administrator Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Katy, Texas Posts: 12,338	The 1080p/24 is a required standard for the ATSC tuner but not a signal coming in from an external source. Nobody is broadcasting 1080p/24 so it really does not matter. I'm thinking that even if the display should support 1080p/60, which is what I guess everybody is in a twist over, the important thing would be to be sure the display supports 1280x720p/60 and scales up to 1920x1080p/60 properly and the 1080i/30 is deinterlaced properly. Other than computer displays and gameboxes there is not going to be a 1080p/60 source for the display that would matter. Now the ability to handle 1080p/24 input is another matter. That would be nice for the future when some of the high definition DVD players add the 1080p/24 outputs. __________________ www.highdefinitionblog.com www.BlogOfHawaii.com

07-14-2006, 09:23 PM	#3
BobY What's all this, then?... Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 6,197	This is my dream display (except the price ). It even supports 3:3 pull-down with a 72Hz refresh rate to display 24Fps movie content without the motion judder introduced by 60Hz refresh. We're going to see more of these displays at more reasonable prices going forward!

07-14-2006, 09:54 PM	#4
µCOM-4 High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 699	Pioneer has had 3:3 pul down in their plasmas for years. Anyway, IMO 50" for a native 1080p display is too small. It has to be at least 60" IMO.

07-16-2006, 05:50 PM	#5
BobY What's all this, then?... Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 6,197	None of their plasmas have ever been 1920 x 1080 in the past, that's why this is my dream display. 50" is fine for me, the price of a 60" 1080p plasma will be astronomical for many years to come.

07-17-2006, 11:51 AM	#8
fryet High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Bay Area, CA Age: 38 Posts: 632	This display does sound fantastic to me as well. For me, a display larger than 50 inches would not fit in my entertainment cabinet anyway (in fact, I am not sure if that display with the wide sides would fit either). I am also excited about the ability to have a 72 refresh rate. I also love plasmas (I currently own a plasma EDTV). It looks like this will be my first HDTV, well at least once the prices drop to 5k or less.

07-17-2006, 12:02 PM	#9
fryet High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Bay Area, CA Age: 38 Posts: 632	The only flaw in this TV is it probably doesn't have HDMI 1.3. I imagine, though, that by the time the price drops to 5k, HDMI 1.3 will be a standard feature.

07-18-2006, 11:11 AM	#12
fryet High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Bay Area, CA Age: 38 Posts: 632	HDMI 1.3 would ensure that the TV can handle a 1080p input. As I understand current technology, many of the 1080p TVs can only receive 1080i input. (Note: I am stating this poorly, as I think 1080p24 is a required standard, however the TV downconverts it or something because it was not really designed to support 1080p).

07-18-2006, 04:13 PM	#15
fryet High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Bay Area, CA Age: 38 Posts: 632	Bigger is not always better. For one thing, larger displays may not fit your home. In addition, those other displays that you list, will have juddering when trying to show film shot at 24 frames per second, on a display that is 60 frames per second. This TV will be able to avoid that (it may be the only 1080p TV that can?). Being plasma, it will have rich color, excellent blacks, and a fast refresh time. I suspect that the other TVs that you are thinking, would not be able to match all of that. So is it worth $10k? For those that want the absolute best, and do not consider bigger = best, it may well be. For me personally, I think I will be waiting for the price to drop to at least $5k before I get one. (: This is the only HDTV that I would seriously consider buying, assuming that it has HDMI 1.3 support. So for me personally, all of the other TVs that you can get for much less are not ones that would satisfy me long term. I would buy them, and be wanting to get a new one when 1080p72 becomes more common place. If I bought this TV, I don't think I will have regretted buying it 10 years later (sure, there will be some other improvements to TVs in that time period, but I don't think it will be anything that I must have, except maybe CableCard 2.0, and that can be handled by an exterior device).