THAT WAS THEN
2007 PDP-508XD OCTOBER PIONEER
Pioneer’s PDP 508XD – the best plasma TV ever? Back in October 2007 we certainly thought so. The PDP508XD was the first set we reviewed from the famed Kuro range (the name derived from the Japanese word for black) and it set the standard for every flatscreen to follow.
We loved everything about this Pioneer, from its superb colour rendition to the crisp insight – and let’s not forget about the black performance. As befits the name, blacks on the Kuro were considered excellent – deep, dark and detailed. At the time, the overall performance put every other flat TV to shame.
Things didn’t quite go to plan after this stunning debut. There were Full HD Kuro screens – the 508XD had a slightly odd resolution of 1365 x 768 – and both larger and smaller sizes. These Pioneers were always far more expensive than most of the competition, and the rise of LCD and erosion of TV prices in general meant the company just couldn’t make enough money from them. By 2010 it was all over; Pioneer stopped production and sold many of the Kuro patents to Panasonic.
The modern-day equivalent
There are parallels with OLED here. Like the Kuro plasmas, OLED screens tend to be pricier than LCD rivals. They, too, deliver blacks brilliantly and have the ability to render an image well enough to leave us open-mouthed in admiration.
The best of the current breed, the Sony KD55A1, is truly exceptional and capable of impressing in the same way as Kuros of old. If you’re looking for the last word in detail, precision and black depth, this Sony is a good place to start. We hope it, and OLED in general, succeeds where Kuro ultimately failed.