Press Room
HD: Living The Future
The times when we had to wait for months before a film came out as a home movie now seem like a very distant past. But, it wasn't that long ago that going to watch a film meant synchronizing our schedules with show times at movie theaters. Today, most people would rather enjoy a good film or listen to music relaxing on their favorite coach—whenever, however, and with whomever they choose. Since High Definition (HD) came to the home, not only has each household become a private movie theater or audio hall—in order to adjust to current trends, the movie industry has also revolutionized its distribution processes.
Clearly, to be able to provide a seamless entertainment experience at home, we had to overcome the image and sound quality gaps between movie theaters and home image/audio equipments. Pioneer took care of things through the creation of an absolute entertainment experience, where technological innovation focuses on the customer's lifestyle. These developments became a breakthrough: High Definition TV, Surround Sound and Blu-Ray. A triple-play that allows the most demanding expert and the most exacting music lover to enjoy the most coveted image and sound fidelity. At home. HD—as much in TV, as in audio and Blu-Ray—offers the best viewing and audio quality at home to enhance our daily lives.
Blu-Ray technology has captivated many a movie professional, who have been dazzled by Blue-Ray's image excellence. Rob Cohen, director of Stealth, The Fast and the Furious and The Mummy 3, among other movie hits, believes his films are best enjoyed with Blu-Ray, instead of traditional movies, due to visual effects best viewed with high definition devices. “I believe there are parts of the movie—visual effects designed for high definition—that we can enjoy much more, because we can see all the details in the shoot,” said Cohen. “Compared to movies, even lights and shadows are clearly better when viewed with Blu-Ray.”
Currently, the Big Screen operates under the same HD standard, since Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures and Universal said their movies would be launched exclusively in Blu-Ray format. “Consumers have clearly chosen Blu-Ray. And, honoring their choice is a logical step,” highlighted Kevin Tsujihara, President of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, in February. Driven by their customers' clear preference for Blu-Ray technology, large retail chains, such as Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Circuit City and Amazon, have taken the same steps.
Blu-Ray discs have already surpassed the old DVD. Not only because its 1080p definition provides unparalleled quality standards—its enormous storage capacity (25G minimum) also does away with the need to compress movies, thus preserving absolute image clarity. Pioneer Players are the first to operate at 24 frames per second: The same quality offered by the HD movie industry. “Blu-Ray technology offers the advantage of compatibility with DVD's, improving quality and allowing viewers to enjoy their old collections with enhanced sharpness, since these players expand and maximize images,” explained Kazumi Takenaka, General Manager, Marketing Department, Pioneer International Latin America S.A.
Understanding the needs of the market, Pioneer also decided to take high definition to plasma. This is why Pioneer developed the screen they named Kuro ('black,' in Japanese) , which provides viewers with an unparalleled viewing experience. This new "Extreme Black" plasma technology—which Pioneer presented during the International Consumer Electronics Show 2008—was described as a dazzling innovation, since it can produce absolute levels of black and every hue of every color, providing greater color depth—30 and 36 bits.
This image excellence deserves nothing less than an equivalent sound quality. And it found its perfect ally in the creation of TODOROKI, a sound system with technical and aesthetic features that resound with the Latin American musical identity. The powerful audio component system that Pioneer launched this year in the Latin American market was designed to appeal to the taste of young lovers of club and dance music, heavy basses and exciting trebles.
All these inventions have changed our entertainment habits forever and have strengthened Pioneer's worldwide leadership. A leadership endorsed by customers, who have celebrated the absolute success of Pioneer's product technologies. High Definition has revolutionized the entertainment world; so much so that TV sets today are only manufactured for HD—a trend that has become a law. The entire movie industry and large retail chains are focusing on offering Blu-Ray products, and high definition sound is increasingly becoming available to the general public. Pioneer's passion for the development of audio and video products has turned the classical saying into reality: The Future is Already Here.
