Pioneer Provides Consumers Easy Access to High Definition (HD) Programs with Digital Cable-Ready Plasma TV

Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc., a leader in home entertainment technology, today showcased a complete high definition, (HD) plasma television solution, incorporating NTSC tuning, ATSC tuning, and digital cable tuning. This new plasma is the first step in Pioneer’s effort to include high definition cable tuners as standard features in all Pioneer plasma televisions, a step the company sees as critical to building consumer interest and demand for high definition content.

“When consumers see high definition television – they want it. Our industry needs to make it easier to access,” said Tom Haga, president of Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. “With their ability to bring local high definition broadcast content into the home, cable operators have tremendous influence with the consumer. And HD, cable-ready TVs are the final piece to the puzzle to enable consumers to make the leap to HD.”

With more than 25 years in the cable industry and 65 years in consumer electronics, Pioneer is uniquely poised to bring this high definition cable solution to the American public. The company has an aggressive product plan for digital cable ready television – all centered on the belief that once consumers see high definition television, they will want no less.

“This is going to be a grassroots phenomenon,” Haga said. “My neighbor comes to my house and sees my high definition TV and he wants one. Then he invites a friend to his house to see his new HDTV, and so on and so on until we hit mass adoption of HD.”

In addition to an ATSC terrestrial HDTV tuner, Pioneer’s first generation digital cable-ready plasma televisions will incorporate a digital cable/HD tuner with a CableCard interface that can receive cable programming including premium channels without the need for a separate cable set-top box, simply by activating service with any cable operator nationwide. That will comply with the FCC’s initiated “plug-and-play” agreement between the cable television and consumer electronics industries. The outboard media receiver allows the consumer to input an array of sources including satellite, cable, DVD, VCR, and computer signals up to wide XGA. The media receiver also offers multiple HDMI and IEEE1394 connections for the integration of the latest generation of digital entertainment products. It is digitally linked to the panel for optimal performance. The first generation digital cable-ready plasma TV will be available in mid-2004.

The company’s product development strategy is to include both broadcast and digital cable high-definition tuners as a standard in all of Pioneer’s plasma televisions. Pioneer also will develop stand-alone digital HD cable tuners that can be used with cable operators throughout the country.

“There is no question that plasma and high-definition content are the keys to the future of the television market, and Pioneer is committed to continuing to lead the innovation and development of technology that will take HD to the masses,” said Haga. “As a leader in the consumer electronics industry, and with more than 25 years in the cable industry, consumers will hear about a lot of developments from Pioneer in the coming months. We will combine our expertise in both areas to bring the best possible high definition televisions to TV viewers as early as possible.”