Other World Computing on Tuesday announced that it is now offering a Mercury Pro external Blu-ray drive with a quad interface. Users can choose between USB 2.0, FireWire 400, FireWire 800, or eSATA connection methods. The company claims the Pioneer BDR-205 can reach burn speeds of up to 12X on Blu-ray discs, 16X with DVDs, 4X on DVD-DL media, and 40X for CDs.
Electronics maker Pioneer has launched a free GPS application for the iPhone, AVIC Feeds. Unlike titles from companies such as TomTom, which provide full GPS functionality, the Pioneer software is designed strictly as a companion to the company's AVIC-U310BT and AVIC-Z110BT in-dash navigators. Users of the app can locate points of interest or other custom destinations in advance.
Pioneer will soon release two new digital turntables that do not require a PC, including the CDJ-2000 and the CDJ-900. The former sports a 6.1-inch, 480x234 LCD that displays waveforms, album art, and song info. Below the screen is a Needle Pad touschstrip that lets DJs drag directly to the part of the song they wish. An SD memory card and USB port lets users play music without the need for a connected PC. The CDJ-900 makes do with a dot matrix display instead of an LCD screen, an SD memory card reader or an optical disc drive.
Pioneer at the CEDIA expo today provided demonstrations of its first networked media hub. The concept device shown on the floor, so far known only as the Entertainment Tap, still has a Blu-ray player but is intended for online media playback first and foremost: it can recognize media from DLNA-ready devices over Ethernet or Wi-Fi and has access to Netflix movies, Picasa photos and YouTube videos. Mobile control is also a high priority as the Tap can not only stream its content to a handheld over the Internet but could use an iPhone or iPod touch as a remote control for all of its functions.
Pioneer used the CEDIA expo today to dip into bookshelf-sized iPhone and iPod speakers for the first time in the US. Having just entered Europe a week ago, the XW-NAS3 and XW-NAS5 are both single-piece units but are designed for better sound than usual in the class with 2.1-channel, digitally amped 60W output. They both also have stealth displays behind the grill and optionally support Bluetooth for streaming stereo music, including from an iPhone or iPod touch.
Pioneer on Monday introduced the DJM-5000 DJ mixer made for portable use. Apart from newfound multi-zone support that lets users send two audio sources to a separate area, the DJM-5000 has three microphone inputs, 96kHz/24-bit sampling, a built-in sound card and a MIDI mapping capability. The mixer is designed to be rack-mounted.
Sharp and Sony on Thursday announced they have entered into a joint venture agreement related to the production and sales of large LCD panels and modules. Sharp's under-construction LCD production plant in Sakai City, Japan was transferred to Sharp Display Products Corporation (SDP) on July 1st, with opening scheduled for October. On December 29th, Sony will invest 10 billion yen ($105 million) into SDP for shares, which will be the first step towards reaching the final 66% Sharp, 34% percent Sony split. This initial investment will make SDP a joint venture company of Sony as well as Sharp.
Pioneer today helped fill the need for external optical drives among netbooks and ultraportables by releasing the DVR-XD09. Replacing the earlier XD08, it writes and reads single-layer DVDs at 8X but has a footprint only slightly larger than the disc itself, making it even smaller than the older model. It's similarly light at half a pound and uses top loading instead of the usual front drive bay.
Pioneer on Wednesday brought out four new home theater receivers to its flagship Elite lineup, including the top-rung SC-27 and SC-25, as well as the slightly lower-end VSX-21TXH and VSX-23TXH. All four have a customized USB/composite cable that allow users to integrate their iPhones and iPods into their home theater audio systems. Once connected, the Apple devices can be controlled via the systems' remote controls, and their content sent to 2nd and 3rd zones setup in the home. The SC-series units are meant to reproduce Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio soundtracks found on more advanced Blu-ray discs. Both have a Direct Energy HD Class D amp based on ICEpower.
Pioneer announced four new double-DIN in-car navigation and entertainment systems over the weekend, including the flagship AVIC-Z110BT which sports a 7-inch touchscreen with 1024x768 resolution that tilts out to reveal the optical drive slot. Behind that screen is 4GB of internal storage space, an optical drive capable of reading CDs and DVDs and Bluetooth functionality. There is also an optional MSN Direct tuner that gets traffic, weather and other information, though this service requires a subscription.
Pioneer this afternoon said it had started shipping the three Blu-ray movie players it first introduced at CES this year. The Elite BDP-23FD is its flagship with both expected BD Live support as well as a Precision Quartz Lock System the company says avoids jitter in audio playback; it also has "audiophile-grade" capacitors and better-than-average construction. The BDP-23FD carries 48-bit color, 7.1-channel audio and RS-232 support for its $599 price.
Sony is bringing its TransferJet wireless data transmission technology closer to production by announcing recently it is now accepting licensing applications from interested companies. A Wednesday report has Sony taking "adopter" membership from companies that are interested in incorporating TransferJet into their products. TransferJet, which operates on a 4.5GHz radio frequency, lets users transfer data between portable devices at up to 375Mbps when they are about an inch apart. It is faster than wired USB 2.0 and FireWire connections and is supported by Japan, the US, European Union members and South Korea.
Digital map and dynamic content creator Tele Atlas on Wednesday announced it will soon offer 3D, photorealistic images of major European city centers called Advanced City Models. Meant for in-car and portable navigation systems, the highly detailed images match the actual surroundings and help users find locations and services. The images were developed in conjunction with Norway-based BLOM, which provided Tele Atlas with aerial imagery of the city centers.
Carmaker and Toyota offshoot Scion announced on Wednesday it is putting in a redesigned base head unit to all 2010 Scion xBs without raising the car's price. Compared to the head unit it replaces, both of which are manufactured by Pioneer, the new stereo has an organic electroluminescent (OEL) display, a USB connection and a subwoofer RCA output. The USB port is located in the center consoler, along with a cable for iPods and an 3.5mm aux-in jack. Pioneer also integrated an Advanced Sound Retriever (ASR) software into the head unit that aims to restore the full range of a compressed digital audio track.
Pioneer on Tuesday announced the release of its latest Blu-ray, DVD and CD writer, the BDR-2203. The SATA-attached burner can write to dual-layer Blu-ray discs at up to 8x speeds. This translates to filling up a single-layer 25GB Blu-ray disc in just 15 minutes, and about 30 minutes to completely fill up a dual-layer disc's 50GB of data capacity. DVD recordable discs can be written at up to 16x speeds, with maximum speeds for dual-layer DVDs topping out at half of that. CD-Rs can be recorded at 32x speeds, with maximum speeds for rewritable CDs rated at 24x.
Pioneer more formally bowed out of TVs today by launching four final Kuro models in Japan and setting out formal plans for its exit strategy. The external-tuner-equipped KRP-500A and KRP-600A as well as their all-in-one equivalents, the KRP-500M and KRP-600M, all produce 1080p images at 50 and 60 inches respectively. Although their contrast ratios aren't mentioned, they all have four HDMI inputs with support for deep color, support media from a USB port and have input over D4 (component) as well as VGA.
Japan's Pioneer is searching for a partner in the auto electronics business, according to Nikkei Business Daily. The company is currently said to be in negotiations with three main contenders -- Alpine, Clarion and Mitsubishi Electric -- in a bid to work on new auto electronics, such as car navigation systems. The company's reputation may also steer it further into the realm of audio, though no information to this effect has been revealed.
Last week, a Pioneer Electronics USA executive talked about the company abandoning the TV market and said it is considering applying its high-end Kuro brand from the high-end discontinued TVs to other products in its range. Andy Parsons, the senior VP of the company's advanced product development and corporate communications, said the company had to give up on selling TVs due to the tough economy, despite plasma displays accounting for a quarter of the company's operating revenue.
LG may be the next to discard plasma TVs, company vice president Lee Gyu-hong says. The executive has told Kyodo News that a sustained poor world economy would make it unprofitable to keep developing and selling the more expensive display technology. If no recovery seems likely, Lee estimates that plans to exit plasma would be made public before the end of the year.
Pioneer Europe on Wednesday announced it is shipping its BDR-203BK Blu-ray disc writer that is capable of recording single- and dual-layer BD-R discs at up to 8X speeds. The burner can also record to BD-RE discs at 2X speeds, as well as DVD-Rs at 16X speeds. Dual-layer DVD-Rs can be written at 8X speeds, with CD-Rs at 32X. Pioneer integrated a few of its technologies into the burner, including Ultra DRA vibration-suppressing tech borrowed from the company's DVD burners.
Confirming rumors, Pioneer today said it would exit TVs altogether in a bid to recover its business from an approximately $1.44 billon loss in the past year. The move will see the company quickly shut down its Castleford, UK and Pomona, California factories that make TVs and eventually phase out TVs altogether by March 2010. The departure is directly pinned on the US economic crisis and its impact on demand for TVs.
VIZIO today said that it would phase out plasma TVs entirely. Speaking to the New York Times, company executive Laynie Newsome justifies the move by noting that LCDs sell much more quickly than plasma. The difference is attributed to the perceived quality in-store: although plasmas often have deeper blacks, the brighter store lights tend to favor the lower-contrast LCD sets. In exchange, VIZIO plans to improve the features of the LCDs themselves, which lately have gained the same 240Hz and LED backlights as on high-end rivals.
Japan's Nikkei paper today warned (subscription required) that Pioneer is likely to exit the TV business. While the company has already said it would end plasma production and enter into LCDs, the new report has the electronics giant ending its TV efforts entirely and entering into a joint venture with Sharp for its DVD movie player business. Pioneer has been suffering losses despite the critical success of its Kuro plasma TVs and is also at least indirectly threatened by the current world economic crisis.
At the CES show, Pioneer showed off a number of new products for the home theater crowd. Made up of four new A/V receivers and three new Blu-ray players, the products bring new features at a lower price level than before. Among the new Blu-ray players is the flagship DBP-09FD with DVD upscaling to 1080p resolutions and 24fps. It is BD Live ready and support Bonus View. Apart from 48-bit deep color support, there are dual HDMI 1.3a outputs and a Pioneer 16-bit video processor.
Pioneer on Friday has announced the launch of its previously announced high-definition home theater system, the LX01BD. Comprised of a Profile 1.1 Blu-ray disc player and a 5.1-channel speaker and 400W amplifier combination, the set-up won't be able to connect to BD-Live and access movies' Bonus View content from the Internet. What the player does offer, however, is 1080p resolution via its pair of HDMI 1.3a Deep Color connections.
Pioneer Electronics on Thursday announced an addition to its ProDJ line-up of gear with the HDJ-2000 reference-grade headphones. Pioneer developed the headphones after receiving requests from professional DJs who demanded high-quality sound reproduction combined with a comfortable fit and durable design. To address these wishes, Pioneer used thick 35μm Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) for the construction of the diaphragm to provide a solid base necessary to create a powerful lower frequency response and get rid of unwanted resonance. Pioneer then filled each diaphragm with a large 50mm (nearly 2-inch) dome driver.
Pioneer today officially took the wraps from the XMp3, the company's first portable satellite radio since the long out-of-sale Inno. The new handheld is unique in its ability to record five separate XM stations at once, guaranteeing that listeners can preserve more than one show at the same time. It also takes a cue from Slacker in an automatic buffering mode that holds as much as 30 hours of programming at any given time to keep radio going when a subway tunnel or other interference cuts out the satellite signal.
Pioneer has teamed up with Qflix to allow users to create DVDs from downloaded content from the video download site, the electronics company announced on Tuesday. The two Pioneer drives, the internal DVR-2920Q and external DVR-X162Q, feature Qflix DVD Download & Burn technology that allow users to save the downloaded movies and TV show collections from CinemaNow on a format that is easy to store, find and play. Like the Dell drives with Qflix technology introduced last month, the Pioneer burners will require special blank discs in order to create movies.
Pioneer recently announced it would start selling its LCDs in North America and Asia during the first half of 2009, after unveiling the 32- and 37-inch models in Europe last month. CE Pro reveals that Pioneer will follow up the North American and Asian releases with Japan in 2010, opting to focus mostly on small- and medium-sized LCDs for the Japanese. Pioneer also said it would offer a high-end range of LCDs, manufactured with Sharp LCD panels.
XM's XMp3 handheld satellite radio has surfaced today in a Best Buy listing that confirms much more about the device. The device is now known to have been made by Pioneer, which made the preceding Inno, and will work as a traditional MP3 player as well as a tuner. A microSDHC slot should hold at least 8GB of MP3 or WMA tracks, including those recorded from XM itself.
Pioneer's efforts at the CEDIA show were unveiled today and focused on updates to its Elite Blu-ray and plasma lines. The releases are led by an addition to its Elite Blu-ray players of the BDP-09FD, its new top-end reader. The device is claimed as a first in the category and adds a new 16-bit imaging engine that it says improves video decoding, particularly for upscaling; most high-end readers still use 14-bit hardware. It also stands as Pioneer's first Blu-ray Profile 2.0 player with the option of Internet features as well as upgrading the player's firmware online.
Pioneer today revealed that it has already developed a major improvement on optical technology it created just last month. Having already established a 400GB disc, the company now says it has produced a disc read by blue lasers made up of 20 25GB layers, fitting exactly half a terabyte of data on a single-sided disc. The size and technology are described as technically compatible with Blu-ray and could be used in a future reader able to recognize that amount of data.
Sirius and XM today formalized their FCC-approved merger, ending an approximately 16-month wait since the union was first proposed early last year. The combined entity will now be called Sirius XM Radio and has about 18.5 million total subscribers, turning it into the second-largest radio outlet in the US. The company says it will quickly live up to its promises announced at the start of the merger and will let subscribers to either Sirius or XM service subscribe a la carte, hand-picking channels rather than requiring a set block of stations.
Pioneer this morning promised to expand removable storage with one of the largest confirmed optical storage capacities available. By cutting back on the potential for interference from different layers on a given disc, the electronics maker says it can manufacture readable discs with 16 layers; at 25GB per layer, this equates to 400GB on a single disc.
XM Satellite Radio is gearing up to launch a handheld radio and media player combo that would finally take over from the phased out Pioneer Inno (pictured) and Delphi's Sky-Fi radio, according to a leak floated by Orbitcast. Codenamed Phoenix, he portable would be smaller than the Inno but put in a jogwheel for navigating stations and tracks much like the iPod as well as Delphi's Sky-Fi 2.
Pioneer is likely to release mid-size LCD TVs, the company said late yesterday when discussing its latest financial results. Breaking with its tradition of selling plasma TVs almost exclusively, the Japanese electronics maker says it will start offering LCDs larger than 40 inches starting from August. This will most likely include a 46-inch set, the company adds. Sharp is producing the actual display panels while Pioneer handles much of the design.
As part of its home theater product launch on Wednesday, Pioneer USA introduced four new A/V receivers to its Elite line. The SC-07, SC-05, VSX-03TXH and VSX-01TXH feature 7.1-channel surround sound connections and support DTS HD Master Audio, DTS-HD High Resolution, Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Digital Plus lossless audio formats. The SC-07 and SC-05 benefit from the same Direct Energy HD amplifier with ICEpower analog class D technology Pioneer uses in its flagship SC-09TX receiver.
Pioneer USA on Wednesday announced the Elite BDP-05FD and Pioneer BDP-51FD BonusView Blu-ray Disc players have been added to its line-up. Both receivers are said to offer the next generation in Blu-ray playback quality, with HDMI 1.3 technology, four Wolfson Professional Audio 12-bit digital-to-analog converters, and 1080p / True 24fps output. The players are designed to complement Pioneer's other home theater products, including the KURO line of plasma HDTVs and Elite receivers, to bring users a movie-theater like entertainment experience.
Pioneer this morning overhauled its KURO and Signature Series lines of plasma HDTVs as well as introducing a new 1080p projector. While not going into specifics, the Elite line now has better contrast ratios to produce deeper black levels as well as improved colors; the new models are also much more customizable and also pack an Optimum mode that automatically checks both the environment and the content itself to adjust both the image and audio quality on the fly, saving viewers from having to make manual adjustments at different times of the day or as they switch channels or movies.
At the High End trade show today in Munich, Pioneer announced its return to the projector market with the KURO KRF-9000FD home theater projector. The Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCoS) KRF-9000FD is capable of displaying 1920x1080 pixel progressive video at sizes up to 14.5 by just over 8 feet. This translates to a TV screen size of 200 inches, with the minimum projected image equivalent to a 60-inch TV screen. A 2x motorized zoom lens allows a large image to be displayed in smaller rooms. The contrast ratio, at 30,000:1, is one of the best in the industry.
Pioneer has started the week today with introductions for three high-end AVIC navigators. The DVD-equipped F900BT and Premier F90BT, as well as the CD-only F700BT, all offer in-dash mapping on a 5.8-inch wide touchscreen and support comparatively advanced GPS features such as Traffic Message Channel and support, an advanced voice command system, and text-to-speech to read out street names. Each, however, is built just as much for media playback: any can read discs with DivX, and MPEG-4 video as well as AAC, MP3, and WMA audio, while 2GB of built-in memory as well as slots for both SD cards and USB that provide both audio and video support from flash storage. Both connect to most iPods and support not just playback but also direct control of the Apple players.
A patent infringement claim may lead to blocks against importing both Blu-ray technology as well as cellphones and other storage, the US International Trade Commission said today. The potential impasse has its roots in a complaint by patent holder and Columbia University emeritus professor Gertrude Rothschild, who claims that bringing numerous foreign-made devices with short-wave lasers and LEDs violates her own claims to the technology in the US. Most companies affected by the dispute are those producing Blu-ray optical storage drives and involve chief backer Sony as well as LG, Pioneer, Samsung, and Sharp.
Pioneer on Friday morning said it would stop manufacturing its own plasma TV panels in an attempt to reverse mounting losses at the company. While the KURO maker intends to stay in the plasma TV industry, it hopes to create a "leaner" business focused primarily on design and will outsource production of the screens themselves to other firms. Current expectations have the company drawing on Panasonic as the source for Pioneer's displays.
Electronics multinational Pioneer may be nearing an end to its plasma TV business, according to reports. The Japanese business paper Nikkei reports that the company may completely cease production of plasma panels as soon as this year, and instead turn to ones produced by Matsushita Electric Industrial, the world's largest plasma supplier. Pioneer representative Ema Suzuki, meanwhile, tells the Associated Press that the company is reviewing the nature of its plasma business, given faltering sales.
Previous reports that Toshiba will end its efforts in HD DVD are accurate, according to a report by Japanese broadcaster NHK as well as additional sources. The electronics maker is poised to both stop future development as well as ramp down manufacturing of HD DVD players, recorders, and PC drives. The move will be one of Toshiba's costliest to date and should cost hundreds of millions of dollars, according to the Japan press outlet. Toshiba has not responded to the claims, though sources have suggested an official announcement will be made soon.
Netflix hopes that changes in two formats will prove to be catalysts for its business in 2008, the company said late yesterday in its quarterly results call. Following a year in which the company profited by 97 cents per share and added 1.2 million subscribers, the rental firm says it intends to offer a Mac version of its web-based Watch Instantly feature sometime this year. Though it did not say how it would reach this goal, the company explained that the move would reflect a larger trend towards web video in general by expanding the available audience.
Pioneer this morning opened up the NAMM music expo with two digital offerings in its Pro DJ lineup. The MEP-7000 (shown) is aimed at a modern DJ who may never bring stacks of vinyl or regular CDs to a set. Dual DVD drives allow it to play and mix both traditional music CDs as well as AAC and MP3 tracks, while USB connections allow flash drives, external hard disks, and other removable storage loaded with AAC/MP3 as well as raw AIFF or WAV cuts -- including from Mac-formatted drives, according to Pioneer. Connecting to a Windows PC also provides direct control over Pioneer's own DJ software as well as other live DJ or music editing tools.
Pioneer at CES has unveiled a slew of in-car devices for both navigation and music, including a unique hybrid device that can work outside of the car. The AVIC-F500BT (pictured) is tailored for drivers who want the features of an in-dash GPS and stereo unit but also the ability to take it on the road; although the 5.8-inch touchscreen device can connect to an existing head-end unit through an auxiliary input jack or a mounting kit, it can also detach and run independently on a battery.
Pioneer's contribution to CES 2008 is headlined by new technologies that will form the basis of its KURO plasma HDTVs for the near future. Nicknamed the Extreme Contrast Concept, the first technology is the only flat-panel set known to have a theoretically infinite contrast ratio: unlike any other LCD or plasma, the ECC can completely shut off lighting to parts of the screen. This provides an absolute black where virtually every other set can only reach dark grays, Pioneer claims.
Universal Music and XM Radio have settled a lawsuit over a piece of third-party hardware, reports say. The item of contention was Pioneer's Inno player, which is able to record XM broadcasts in addition to playing MP3s; the problem is that it can naturally record Universal artists without permission, something the record label objected to. Under the terms of the settlement, Universal will be the first company signed to a multi-year agreement covering all XM radios with "advanced recording functionality," potentially opening the door to safe recording on many other devices.
