CES 2009: Pioneer Booth Tour
HomeCES 2009: Pioneer Booth Tour
Posted January 9, 2009 03:30 PM by Ben Williams
Pioneer Electronics continues their mission to bring the highest quality video and audio products into home theaters at this year's CES. Pioneer has become synonymous with quality in recent years; their Kuro line of plasma displays are the gold standard for reproducing Blu-ray content in the most accurate way possible. Pioneer has taken this legacy seriously and their 2009 slate of products showcases this commitment to quality.
Visitors to the Pioneer booth at CES are treated to a 20 minute film that showcases the many relationships Pioneer has fostered with creative professionals in the film industry. Cinematographers Wally Pfister (The Dark Knight, The Prestige) and Lance Acord (Lost in Translation, Being John Malkovich) were prominently featured in this video. Both men have worked with Pioneer in their Kuro Loft (A loft in Los Angeles where filmmakers can view their work on a variety of displays). Mr. Pfister confirmed that he mastered the Blu-ray edition of The Dark Knight on a calibrated Kuro display. Those of you watching The Dark Knight on a Kuro are seeing the film exactly as Mr. Pfister intended for you to.
Pioneer has a slew of new receivers hitting the market in 2009 and their new Blu-ray slate brings long awaited features to the Pioneer line. Pioneer is introducing the BDP-120, BDP-320, the Elite BDP-23FD as well as their flagship Elite BDP-09FD in 2009. Every one of these new players is BD Live equipped and each player comes loaded with a full gigabyte of internal storage. Pioneer has also equipped each player with USB capabilities so that storage can be upgraded via USB hard drive to a full 2 terabytes, should sufficient BD Live content become available.
Pioneer's full press release follows:
NEW PIONEER BD-LIVE PLAYERS DELIVER CINEMATIC-QUALITY PERFORMANCE
Expanded Line Lets Enthusiasts Create Unique Interactive Home Theater Experiences
LAS VEGAS, CES BOOTH #9827 – (January 8, 2009) – Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. today unveils a complete series of BD-Live Blu-ray Disc players for entertainment junkies who seek cinematic-quality performance along with a premium and unique user experience. The two Pioneer® BDP-120 and BDP-320 models and the Elite® BDP-23FD are outfitted with expandable or built-in memory to deliver on the promise of BD-Live™ right out of the box. Pioneer's players combine supreme features, sophisticated internal construction with a rigid chassis design ensuring the highest quality playback of Blu-ray Disc, DVD and CD entertainment. With RS-232, the Elite BDP-23FD offers seamless home automation design that simplifies custom installation projects.
“In our relentless pursuit to envelop home audiences in their movie and music selections, Pioneer designed a new Blu-ray Disc player lineup that incorporates an extensive series of customization capabilities and best-in-class performance features that compliment consumers' entertainment and installation needs,” said Chris Walker, senior manager of Blu-ray Disc marketing and product planning for Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc.
Immediate BD-Live Enjoyment
BD-Live is the interactive component of the Blu-ray Disc format that gives home audiences the innovative opportunity to download and enjoy bonus trailers and movie features, participate in online gaming as well as synchronize viewing, chat live and video message with other BD-Live players. Providing immediate enjoyment of these exciting entertainment capabilities, Pioneer plans to introduce its BDP-120 with a one gigabyte (GB) flash drive*, while the BDP-320 and Elite BDP-23FD both feature one GB of internal on-board memory, eliminating the need for consumers to purchase additional memory for basic operation of BD-Live. An integrated USB port in all three players allows connection to flash drives as well as hard drives for additional BD-Live storage. An Ethernet connection port lets owners seamlessly upgrade their player with the latest firmware updates as soon as they are available online.
Premier Picture and Sound Quality
The new models combine a state-of-the-art chip set and video processing solutions with Pioneer's 1080p True24FPS (frame per second) feature to deliver detailed, natural imagery that is unmatched by other players.
Recognizing that high end home theater is as much about sound presentation as on-screen images, Pioneer utilizes professional-grade digital audio decoders (DAC) and jitter-reduction advancements in all three Blu-ray Disc players for noticeably enhanced movie and music sound reproduction. With full support of all new high resolution audio formats, the models also provide Dolby® TrueHD and DTS®-HD bitstream output while top two models offer 7.1-channel analog output.
Premium Convenience Features
Pioneer's Blu-ray Disc players provide functional advantages when used in conjunction with Pioneer's KURO displays. KURO Link is an exclusive synergy feature that allows users to easily maneuver between the connected Pioneer products with just a single remote control. A continued commitment to improving overall player operation, the three models deliver significantly reduced power on, disc load and power off times.
Customizable Viewing Experience
For those updating a home theater system, the Pioneer BDP-120 and BDP-320 feature sleek, slim form factors and give consumers the confidence that comes with a heralded 30 year leadership in optical disc innovations. The Pioneer BDP-320 model gives cinephiles a series of picture adjustment features for an optimum customized entertainment experience including:
48-Bit Deep Color Support – By improving subtle color gradations, this feature produces an unprecedented level of hues and shades that ensure a vibrant viewing experience
Picture Control Suite – Users can tweak 13 video adjustments to create a finely tuned image, delivering on the promise of stunning HD picture quality Noise Reduction Circuits – Offering three different adjustments, the enhanced circuitry significantly updates the image quality of lower-quality DVD content
Blu-ray Disc Developed for Home Integration
Pioneer has designed the new Elite BDP-23FD exclusively for the custom installation market and builds upon the advanced features of its Pioneer brand players to incorporate industry-leading capabilities such as: RS-232C Interface – Custom installers have the ability to further simplify the user experience with this home automation interface that provides complete control of the player when integrated in a larger home theater system KURO Link Picture Mode – When the player is connected to a KURO television an entirely new, dedicated A/V mode is activated on the flat-panel display that optimizes video reproduction between the two devices to deliver a perfectly synced image *KURO LINK Picture Mode is also deployed BDP-320 Precision Quartz Lock System (PQLS) Multi-Channel – Elevating the current level of PQLS performance, users gain jitter-free audio transmission of all advanced audio formats including Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master
The Pioneer BDP-120 and BDP-320 models as well as the Elite BDP-23FD Blu-ray Disc players will begin shipping in May 2009 with pricing to be determined.
Visitors to the Pioneer booth at CES are treated to a 20 minute film that showcases the many relationships Pioneer has fostered with creative professionals in the film industry. Cinematographers Wally Pfister (The Dark Knight, The Prestige) and Lance Acord (Lost in Translation, Being John Malkovich) were prominently featured in this video. Both men have worked with Pioneer in their Kuro Loft (A loft in Los Angeles where filmmakers can view their work on a variety of displays). Mr. Pfister confirmed that he mastered the Blu-ray edition of The Dark Knight on a calibrated Kuro display. Those of you watching The Dark Knight on a Kuro are seeing the film exactly as Mr. Pfister intended for you to.
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Pioneer's new Blu-ray lineup. |
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Pioneer has a slew of new receivers hitting the market in 2009 and their new Blu-ray slate brings long awaited features to the Pioneer line. Pioneer is introducing the BDP-120, BDP-320, the Elite BDP-23FD as well as their flagship Elite BDP-09FD in 2009. Every one of these new players is BD Live equipped and each player comes loaded with a full gigabyte of internal storage. Pioneer has also equipped each player with USB capabilities so that storage can be upgraded via USB hard drive to a full 2 terabytes, should sufficient BD Live content become available.
Pioneer's full press release follows:
LAS VEGAS, CES BOOTH #9827 – (January 8, 2009) – Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. today unveils a complete series of BD-Live Blu-ray Disc players for entertainment junkies who seek cinematic-quality performance along with a premium and unique user experience. The two Pioneer® BDP-120 and BDP-320 models and the Elite® BDP-23FD are outfitted with expandable or built-in memory to deliver on the promise of BD-Live™ right out of the box. Pioneer's players combine supreme features, sophisticated internal construction with a rigid chassis design ensuring the highest quality playback of Blu-ray Disc, DVD and CD entertainment. With RS-232, the Elite BDP-23FD offers seamless home automation design that simplifies custom installation projects.
“In our relentless pursuit to envelop home audiences in their movie and music selections, Pioneer designed a new Blu-ray Disc player lineup that incorporates an extensive series of customization capabilities and best-in-class performance features that compliment consumers' entertainment and installation needs,” said Chris Walker, senior manager of Blu-ray Disc marketing and product planning for Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc.
Immediate BD-Live Enjoyment
BD-Live is the interactive component of the Blu-ray Disc format that gives home audiences the innovative opportunity to download and enjoy bonus trailers and movie features, participate in online gaming as well as synchronize viewing, chat live and video message with other BD-Live players. Providing immediate enjoyment of these exciting entertainment capabilities, Pioneer plans to introduce its BDP-120 with a one gigabyte (GB) flash drive*, while the BDP-320 and Elite BDP-23FD both feature one GB of internal on-board memory, eliminating the need for consumers to purchase additional memory for basic operation of BD-Live. An integrated USB port in all three players allows connection to flash drives as well as hard drives for additional BD-Live storage. An Ethernet connection port lets owners seamlessly upgrade their player with the latest firmware updates as soon as they are available online.
Premier Picture and Sound Quality
The new models combine a state-of-the-art chip set and video processing solutions with Pioneer's 1080p True24FPS (frame per second) feature to deliver detailed, natural imagery that is unmatched by other players.
Recognizing that high end home theater is as much about sound presentation as on-screen images, Pioneer utilizes professional-grade digital audio decoders (DAC) and jitter-reduction advancements in all three Blu-ray Disc players for noticeably enhanced movie and music sound reproduction. With full support of all new high resolution audio formats, the models also provide Dolby® TrueHD and DTS®-HD bitstream output while top two models offer 7.1-channel analog output.
Premium Convenience Features
Pioneer's Blu-ray Disc players provide functional advantages when used in conjunction with Pioneer's KURO displays. KURO Link is an exclusive synergy feature that allows users to easily maneuver between the connected Pioneer products with just a single remote control. A continued commitment to improving overall player operation, the three models deliver significantly reduced power on, disc load and power off times.
Customizable Viewing Experience
For those updating a home theater system, the Pioneer BDP-120 and BDP-320 feature sleek, slim form factors and give consumers the confidence that comes with a heralded 30 year leadership in optical disc innovations. The Pioneer BDP-320 model gives cinephiles a series of picture adjustment features for an optimum customized entertainment experience including:
48-Bit Deep Color Support – By improving subtle color gradations, this feature produces an unprecedented level of hues and shades that ensure a vibrant viewing experience
Picture Control Suite – Users can tweak 13 video adjustments to create a finely tuned image, delivering on the promise of stunning HD picture quality Noise Reduction Circuits – Offering three different adjustments, the enhanced circuitry significantly updates the image quality of lower-quality DVD content
Blu-ray Disc Developed for Home Integration
Pioneer has designed the new Elite BDP-23FD exclusively for the custom installation market and builds upon the advanced features of its Pioneer brand players to incorporate industry-leading capabilities such as: RS-232C Interface – Custom installers have the ability to further simplify the user experience with this home automation interface that provides complete control of the player when integrated in a larger home theater system KURO Link Picture Mode – When the player is connected to a KURO television an entirely new, dedicated A/V mode is activated on the flat-panel display that optimizes video reproduction between the two devices to deliver a perfectly synced image *KURO LINK Picture Mode is also deployed BDP-320 Precision Quartz Lock System (PQLS) Multi-Channel – Elevating the current level of PQLS performance, users gain jitter-free audio transmission of all advanced audio formats including Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master
The Pioneer BDP-120 and BDP-320 models as well as the Elite BDP-23FD Blu-ray Disc players will begin shipping in May 2009 with pricing to be determined.