T
he evolution of plasma television has
been interesting. First came sets with
dark images, horrible black levels, many
picture artifacts, and lousy colors. (As
an added bonus, they generated enough
thermal energy to warm your cold hands simply
by holding your mitts in front of the screen.)
With each succeeding generation, picture, con-
trast, efficiency, and color have improved.
Pioneer Electronics has been a wild card in
the progress of HD plasma. Like a small scrappy
fighter compared to Goliaths such as Matsushita
and Hitachi, it has led the way with many prod-
uct improvements and innovations. The PRO-
1110HD claims further breakthroughs, includ-
ing true 10-bit color processing, improved scal-
ing, built-in ATSC tuning, and 3-3 pulldown. I
set out to examine if and how these improve-
ments advance the state of the flat-panel art.
The first thing one notices about the 50"
widescreen PRO-1110HD is that it’s finished in
elegant piano-black lacquer, like a giant onyx
American Express card. For awhile, it seemed as
if almost every new set was silver or accented in
silver—a trend I hated, since I prefer the way
black frames an image, the way it improves con-
trast between the set’s borders and the active dis-
play. The panel is supplied with a tablestand,
also finished in piano-black, which I attached to
the plasma with the help of friendly delivery-
men. The glossy black side speakers come with
two sets of attachment brackets—one for a flush
look, the other for a recessed appearance. I chose
the flush-mount.
G a r y M e r s o n
Pioneer Elite PRO-1110HD, 50" Plasma TV
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