Tom Norton

I don't speak with any authority on this, but it would seem "easier" to produce a slim plasma than an LCD. A plasma panel is self-illuminating, but a LCD requires some sort of backlight. But JVC has developed a new slim backlight to solve that problem.

JVC is not the first name that comes to mind in the high-end AV receiver market, but this classy-looking design just might change that. As is often the case at CES, designs are shown to gauge the reactions of dealers and the media. While no production decision has yet been made, I'd say yea based on looks alone—but only if the performance and features measure up to the cosmetics. It's a tough market out there.

Pioneer’s current Kuro plasmas may be the hot ticket this year, but there’s more in store. It isn’t sure when we’ll see the result of the company’s latest design effort, the Extreme Contrast Concept, in stores. I’m hoping for this time next year, because this is what we have all been waiting for: blacks as dark and rich as the very best CRTs of the past. No, not <I>as</I> good. Even better.

Pioneer’s new DV-58AV ($499), shipping soon, is an upconverting DVD player. With its HDMI 1.2A output it can pass SACD and DVD-Audio as bitstreams over HDMI. And a number of Pioneer’s AV receivers can accept and decode them. Just at those high rez audio formats are loosing serious steam we’re beginning to have equipment that can handle them properly in digital form.