The Future of Plasma TV–Project Kuro– Video as Poetry

Project Kuro was my pick for the most awe-inspiring video innovation at this year’s CES. Pioneer came out with their new line of plasma TVs that were completely re-engineered this past year called “Kuro.” At CES 2008, they unveiled their future concept plasma in a screening room. (Showing off what their technology can do, sort of like a concept car.) It’s so flat (thinner than an iPhone) that it practically disappears when you try to take a picture from the side. Still it’s style is commonplace among the LCDs that were shown and it’s form is the least of its impressive traits.

Pioneer demo’d the new prototype called “Project Kuro” in a small black screening room. In pitch-black darkness, they pulled back the curtains, and showed scenes on 3 screens. One on the left wall, one on the right and another in front of us, but to the left. I thought it odd that it wasn’t centered in front of us. They showed us beautiful video of cinematographers and other filmmakers talking about the importance of picture quality. Then it faded out. A white ring on a black background appeared on the screens. Then I noticed that there was another twirling ring to the right of the front TV. But it was just a twisting, twirling ring. It seemed to float in space. As the two rings danced in front of me, the one on the TV to the left and the one in space, my brain made the connection… There was another TV to the right of the one we had been watching. You could hear everyone in the room GASP!

NO WAY! Wait a minute. This floating ring was the demonstration of the new Project Kuro TV. The black in the picture that surrounded the object disappeared into the darkness. The TV emitted NO LIGHT from the black pixels so only the colors appeared before our eyes, making the object appear to float in space. Next came a floating, velvet red rose, fish swimming in the blackness in front of me, and other flowers. Try as I might, though I couldn’t have been more than 8 feet from this TV, I could not see the bezel (frame) of the TV nor any of the black screen. And the Blu Ray Disc footage was just as stunning–3 dimensional.

This black was like velvet, smooth, seamless. Watching the Project Kuro, I got tears in my eyes–as I do when looking at any thing of beauty. Other reporters described the hair standing up on their neck. This was not just a good picture…it was poetry.

In case you wonder how this is possible…it is all about self-emitting plasma cells. That is, rather than a cell creating the color “black,” when the cell gets the information to be black, it lets out no light at all. And in total darkness, those black plasma cells slip into the background. “>Here are the best pictures I could find that illustrates the difference between the current Kuro and Project Kuro.

I can’t stop reliving the awe of the Project Kuro and can’t wait until it is available. Another thought strikes me however. I think of people who discuss using inexpensive HDMI cables to save money. When I get a TV like this, I can’t imagine trying to save $50 or so and risk not getting all of that amazing picture (after all the picture has to come from a source). And it’ll be good to pair it up with the best Blu-ray Disc player I’ll be able to find at the time!

Luckily as time passes, I am able to go back to watching my Panasonic Plasma and enjoying its beauty for now.

150 Inch Plasma - Now that’s bigger! News from CES Keynote

Just got out of the the CES 2008 keynote address where Panasonic chairman Toshishiro
Sakamo talked about their newest and future technologies. I was so awestruck by the 150 inch plasma flat panel that I had to upload a picture. Pansonic sold 3,000 103 inch TVs in 2007. More than anyone expected.

While this 150 inch plasma will begin as a commercial panel. With 2k by 4k resolution (that’s 2,000 by 4,000 pixels or 4 times the resolution of current high definition– this is a common digital cinema format). So basically, it’s a huge tv that looks beyone amazing. Mind blowing.
Check out the 150 inch plasma picture
Would you ever want this in your home…well, I’m sure there are those who will. True home cinema that is 11 feet wide. (or like nine 50 inch plasmas side-by-side). The technology that makes quality big screen plasmas available are only certain to trickle down to better technology in smaller screens.

Ah, the search for bigger is better. I’m pretty sure that it’s a bit too big for my 14 x 20 living room!

Will write later with more innovations from CES 2008. And on wednesday jan 10, I’ll write about the simple technologies I’m seeing. Lots of people call things simple but are they?

Okay, maybe Bigger IS better–TV Size

Alright boys. You’ve been saying it for years…”I want the biggest screen I can afford” and then you grunt. It’s only been in the past couple of years that plasmas grew past 50″ screens. So bigger meant you had to buy a DLP TV or LCD projection. If you wanted them in 55 or 60 inches, you needed to be sitting far away or the picture was blurry (especially showing analog TV or anything other than HDTV). But now that plasmas and flatscreen LCDs are growing in size, and video processors are cleaning up the noise that makes an HD picture blurry…Now that there’s some good upscalers to make regular TV look good on the big screen HDTV…Okay, I’m changing my tune. Bigger is very cool.

If you love movies or want to feel like YOU ARE THERE. Get a bigger TV. I have a 55 inch Hitachi plasma living in my living room. I sit about 10 feet away from it and it’s completely the focal point in the room, but boy, I tell ya…turn down the lights and you are in a movie theater. Watch Survivor? You are on the island!

If you are watching high def or even a good DVD (better if the DVD player upconverts to show on HDTV)…you can’t have it too big. But don’t try it with an inexpensive TV, EDTV (with a resolution of 480 p not 720 or 1080), or probably not with anything other than a plasma or high end LCD flat panel (possibly a Sony Bravia LCD). Unless it’s a great picture, you want to move away from the screen. An unclear picture becomes sharper with distance.

Another odd phenomenon is that when I replaced my CRT (fat, picture tube TV) with a flatscreen, my surround sound became more clear, better separated. I’m told by my audiophile friends that it’s because there’s more room for the sound to bounce around the room.

You still may, however, have to talk to your spouse about the bigger is better idea. A huge TV may be disproportionate to a small room. It can overshadow the room so that you don’t feel that you can do other living in it. Don’t care? Just want the theater experience? Go for it.