Pioneer Introduces Project KURO 9mm-thick Plasma Display

As I said, this year's Consumer Electronics Show is all about thin TVs and displays, and here's one from Pioneer that you won't be able to purchase this year, but at least you can get excited. Pioneer is previewing the ultra thin, 9MM thick KURO flat panel display concepts with extreme contrast.

Is this thin, or what?

Under the code name "Project KURO" this 50-inch plasma HDTV is said to be the industry's first plasma that is absolute black with no measurable light emitting from the television. As you would expect, this display is extremely light weight for its size, at 18.6kg, or 41lbs.

"To put this into perspective, consumers need to understand the contrast ratio debate. Contrast ratio is defined as the ratio of the luminosity of the brightest color (white) to that of the darkest color (black). While manufacturers all measure this differently, they agree that a high contrast ratio is desirable to recreate ideal picture quality. In televisions, the truer the black, the more accurate the color. Black encompasses the entire color spectrum and is produced in the absence of light. By nature, televisions produce luminance (light) and this dilutes black and color. That is why it is so important that Pioneer can achieve absolute black in the Project KURO extreme contrast concept. The display is so black that even when it is on with no image displayed, the television is invisible when you walk into a completely dark room. It has a contrast ratio that is literally beyond measurement, rendering the debate of contrast ratio irrelevant and providing the consumer a rich picture filled with vibrant penetrating color."