Pioneer's new home theatre range
Pioneer has announced its new audiovisual lineup for 2007 which includes the new ultra-black Kuro televisions, DVD recorders and receivers.
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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 plasmasKuro 1080p 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 |
DVD recorders
 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 |
 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 |