The Lambo of TVs is back...

You better believe there isn't a price tag in existence that will keep hardcore techs away from these beauties.

Those who own the discontinued plasma Kuro model TVs almost regard their home theater as collectibles over entertainment units. The blackest blacks, the whitest whites, and the clearest picture you would ever see is far from an over-exaggeration with this technology.


 A few years back, I remember my mother asking me to take her to the nearest Future Shop because she wanted to buy my father a new TV for his birthday. I recall at the time a salesman praising this plasma in the back as if he had started a new religion. He was, of course, talking about a Kuro.

Some background info is necessary before we continue this story. A TV is generally based on three factors: blacks, whites, and contrast ratio. Of course there are plenty of others but I won't get into them as we could start WWIII. Pioneer had this idea to produce a model of TV which would capture the high end niche market for those who had deep pockets. These televisions usually carried a price tag of about $CDN 5k. As it turned out, this niche was much too small to stay profitable for Poineer and they decided to discontinue the elite series in May of 2009.

Back to the story.

My father's birthday is in March. The year was 2009. When the salesman attempted to sell us the Kuro I immediately brushed him off as it was the most expensive plasma in the entire place. Big mistake. I mean how often are the best buy or future shop employees knowledgeable - maybe I've just had bad experiences. My mother ended up buying a decent LCD and my father still sits contently watching it day in and day out.

What followed when the Kuro's were retired was a frenzy of trading for consumers trying to get their hands on one of these rare sets. Like a deceased painter or artist, once the model was no longer in circulation, it became much much more renown. Those fortunate few who own the TVs today would rather sell their first born than give it up - here's a article from T3 in November of 2008 explaining just how good these pieces of technology are when rivaled against even the 2011 models today.

All that is about to change. Gizmodo boasted an article today indicating Pioneer has decided to recreate the Kuro with a slight variation. They will be releasing them as LCDs. Sports enthusiasts know that plasmas are the only way to go as they have higher refresh rates and make quickly moving images much more enjoyable to watch.

None the less, the new 60" model will cost a hefty $US 6k while the 70" model will put you back $US 8.5k. No doubt these TVs will carry forward the great technology which made the Kuro's great, but will they be able to pull it off with an LCD?