Take a town. Remove all the boundaries. Remove the distances. Enrich it with greenery. Broaden the roads. And your will find yourself in 'Pioneer Park'. Developed all around 'The Great Park', you will find everything your ever desired, 0 kms from you. Its a premium residential community, an exclusive corporate address and a year round entertainment destination and its waiting for you to be there. The Pioneer Park brings to you 3, 4 & 5 bedroom apartments. Pioneer Park located at near Heritage School Gurgaon. Located less than 2 kms away from the Prestigious Golf Course and 25 kms from New Delhi, it is secluded enough to be private and public enough to be a centre of all activities. Pioneer Park offer you the best High street retail, Great park, Hotel, Club house and Residential neighborhood.

Location:

Located near Heritage School Guagaon. Located less than 2 kms away from the Prestigious Golf Course and 25 kms from New Delhi.

Amenities:

Swimming Pool, Gymnasium, Kid’s Play Area, Wi-fi connectivity, Sport Facility, Cafeteria.

Project Option:

About Developer :

PIONEER URBAN, with its core business of Real Estate Development, has been in a joint venture partnership with Unitech Ltd. and has played a vital role in changing the landscape of Gurgaon. Today it has several projects of its own at various locations and continues to be a partner with Unitech in a number of current and upcoming Projects. Pioneer Urban in its 20 years of existence has conceived, implemented and handed over various real-estate developments for its Customers.

For Booking:

All solutions under one roof Contact: + 91 9999998660, + 91 9999998661.

Best deals are available with us for all Original Bookings in Gurgaon, Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad and Faridabad. We offer quality services and a security of a checked transaction i.e. firstly we check all the documents of property and then only suggest our clients to go ahead with the deal.

For booking contact on the following numbers: -

allcheckdeals.com (A naukri.com Group Company)
B - 55, Sector - 2, Noida – 201301
+91 9999998660 +91 9999998661
+1- 646- 367-2921(USA) +44-208-819-3959(UK)

Pioneer, dünyaları kaydedebileceğiniz bir Blu-ray disk için çalışıyor. İşte yeni depolama canavarı.
Pioneer firması uluslar arası optik veri depolama sempozyumu (ISOM) çerçevesinde Tokyo'daki geliştirme laboratuarlarında 20 katmanlı bir Blu-ray diskin yapılabildiğini açıkladı.

Boş medyanın her katmanı 25 GB veri depolayabiliyor, toplamda ise 500 GB'a ulaşılmış oluyor. Bu metot şu an piyasada bulunan Blu-ray teknolojisi ile tamamen uyumlu olacak. Ayrıca holografik depolama medyalarının üretimi ile karşılaştırıldığında bu 500 GB'lık disklerin üretimi çok daha kolay olacak.

Pioneer'a göre bu optik medyadaki her katmanı veri taşması olmaksızın okutabilmek büyük bir efor gerektirdi. Katmanların gittikçe birbirine daha da yaklaşması sebebiyle yan katmanlardaki veriler herhangi bir katmandaki verileri kötü yönde etkileyebiliyordu. Blu-ray teknolojisinin uygun yorumu ve katmanları farklı kalınlıklarla dizmeyle veri taşması problemi ortadan kalktı. Bu sayede 20 katmanlı bir optik disk üretmek mümkün oldu.

20 katmanlı diskin pazar başlangıcı 2010-2012 yılları arasında gerçekleşecek.

• Mutual Fund Industry started in India in 1963 with the formation of UTI
• Launch of First Scheme - US 64 - it was a very popular scheme, largely perceived as a debt fund with assured returns. However, it never had to declare its NAV and ran into problems in 1991, since then it has closed down.

PHASE II – 1987 – 93 (Entry of Public Sector Funds)

• Establishment of State Bank of India MF – the first non UTI MF.
• Followed by Canbank MF, Life Insurance Corporation MF, Bank Of India MF.
• UTI still had leadership

PHASE III – 1993 –1996 - Entry of Private Sector Mutual Funds

• Entry of the Pvt. Sector funds in 1993
• Morgan Stanley, Templeton, Zurich, Alliance, Pioneer, Threadneedle, all entered India
• Many Indian houses started looking at this area of business
• Clients started becoming selective
  

PHASE IV – (SEBI Regulation for Mutual Funds) 1996

• SEBI -the regulatory authority
• UTI comes under SEBI regulation voluntarily
• Sebi regulations were enacted and implemented

I've only just started reading, so this is not a review, except to say it is an accessible book, easy to read, not bound up tightly in a lot of scientific jargon. The chapters aren't overly long, and succinctly put each science problem in an informative narrative.

In the table below, I've listing the chapter titles and sub-titles.

I plan to take my time on this book to soak it in; also I working on reading a couple of other books at the same time. I'm especially looking forward to reading chapters 5, 9 and 11 and may post some comments after I've finished those chapters.

Again, just thought I'd give this book a mention as many of its chapters, at least five I believe, concern subject matter I've written about in previous posts.

If you've read it or are planning too, I'd be interested in your comments.

call Mark @ 81893849 for appointment.

Pioneer plazma TV KURO serisini 4 yeni modelle güçlendirdi. Plazma TV teknolojisinin önde gelen temsilcilerinden Pioneer, KURO ailesine 50 inçlik KRP-500A ve 60 inçlik KRP-600A isimli iki yeni plazma ekran, 50 inçlik KRP-500M ve 60 inçlik KRP-600M isimli iki yeni monitör ekledi.

Yeni seri ekranlar 1080p Full HD desteğine sahip. 64 mm kalınlığındaki yeni ürünler, eski modellere oranla çok daha şık bir tasarıma sahip.

Pioneer İngiltere'nin ürün yöneticisi Jim Catcheside, Optimum AV moduyla görüntü ayarlarının içeriğe göre otomatik şekilde ayarlanabileceğini belirtiyor. Catecheside PURE AV özelliği ile de çok daha gerçekçi görüntüler elde edildiğini ekliyor.

Henüz fiyatı açıklanmayan serinin KRP-600M modeli Ağustos ayında piyasada olacak. Bunu Eylül'de KRP-600A ve Ekim'de 50 inçlik modeller izleyecek.

Kaynak: Chip Online 02/07/2008

This blog has posted nekkid fotos of Orion, Peking, and Rickmers-Rickmers in dry dock earlier this year. Below is Halve Maen, high and dry.

Finally, the Falls have attracted thousands . . . millions? . . . to the East River this summer. The first millisecond I saw this foto of Bernie's I thought "rare bird," imagining the tail as head of an avian and starboard horizontal stabilizer as bill not unlike a hummingbird's.  Appropriately, the tug is Swift.

I look at these shots, sigh, and reflect on the sublime aka the most August.

Unrelated, some panamax cranes arrived at the Narrows this morning, but I couldn't stick around to watch them squeeze under VNB.

We recently returned from Grande Prairie where we visited family and the prairie landscape. I forget how much I miss the prairies until I am there again. The wind always blows, and you can see for absolutely miles. There is nowhere else like it. I took my family out to Kleskun Hills which is near the farm where I lived in the mid seventies. The Kleskun park now has a bit of a heritage site with many buildings and bits from history. I was thrilled to visit the Hubert Manning house, built in 1914. Mr. Manning was our neighbor for a time and I have fond memories of him. Inside the house was a book with stories about this eccentric man. They were much the same as my own memories. I'll treat you to a story now.

One time (this is how all good stories start), one time we were at Mr. Manning's house for a visit. I think we might have brought him some water as he had no running water. He invited us to tea and told us stories from his home in Ontario. My brother and I were so fascinated buy his tales of collecting and making maple syrup that Mr. Manning wanted us to taste this golden liquid for ourselves. He had several jars left in his cellar, he said and if we would only wait a moment or two, he would dig them up, literally! His cellar had collapsed a while ago and he had to go into the hole where his stairs once were to dig up whatever food he needed. After a lot of grunting and dirt flying out the hole, Mr. Manning reappeared like a large gopher with a dirt covered jar in hand. The lid was rusty beyond recognition, but inside the glass we could see the golden liquid! My mouth watered in anticipation! After wrestling open the lid, Mr. Manning flew over to his bread box and pulled out a crust of bread. He generously poured the liquid over the crust and divided it in two. As I bit into my piece, an overwhelming taste of mold invaded my mouth. The bread was very moldy. With tears in my eyes I continued to eat the crust and thanked Mr. Manning for the taste. He looked at us, beaming that he could share a delight from his home. He didn't notice my tears as he had very poor eyesight. The moldy bread and tea with ants floating in it has become one of my favourite memories.

Imagination plays with everyday aspects of life and to leap to something not yet born is to enlarge boundaries of reality. Cosmic Mind is the  Ultimate Reality in which our reality touches barely. But with inspiration we cover a higher ground. I recall one of the miracles in the New Testament. The woman who was afflicted with bleeding touched the hem of Jesus. In her inspired mind she knew she would be healed. It was so.

benny

A Pioneer júliusban jelentette be 400 gigabájtos rekordkapacitású kék lézeres lemezét, melyre a jelenleg kereskedelmi forgalomban kapaható adathordozókhoz hasonlóan rétegenként 25 gigabájtnyi adatot lehet elhelyezni, egyelőre csak préselt eljárással (idővel írható változat is lesz belőle). A többrétegű optikai lemezeknél az egymással szomszédos rétegek áthallása és a jelcsillapítás okozta veszteségek kiküszöbölése jelenti a legnagyobb kihívást, különösen egy ilyen, tucatnyinál is több adathordozó réteget tartalmazó megoldásnál.

A japán gyártó által kifejlesztett új adathordozóréteg minden bizonnyal beválthatta a hozzá fűzött reményeket, a mérnökök ugyanis úgy látták, hogy a struktúra elbír még további négy, az eddigi tizenhat réteghez hozzáragasztott réteget, ezzel egy összességében húsz rétegből álló, 500 gigabájt kapacitású adattárat képezve. A Pioneer nyilatkozata szerint ehhez mindössze a hordozórétegek vastagságán kellett variálni, a gyártás során így két eltérő rétegvastagságot alkalmaztak, vagyis alkalmaznak majd.

Az új, tucatnyinál is több rétegből álló lemezek olvasásához egy teljesen új, átdolgozott optikára lesz szükség. A lencse alapvető optikai tulajdonságain a Pioneer szerint ugyan nem kellett változtatni, de a tizenhat rétegű lemezekhez új, a jelenlegi megoldásoknál érzékenyebb és a fényszóródásból fakadó hibákat hatékonyabban kompenzáló olvasóegységet kell alkalmazni. Ez az optika visszamenőleges kompatibilitást ígér a jelenleg forgalomban lévő egy- és kétrétegű Blu-ray lemezekkel.

A fél terabájtos lemezből egyelőre csak prototípus létezik, a fejlesztési, kidolgozási fázisba azonban a szabványt gondozó Blu-ray Disc Szövetséget is bevonná a Pioneer, kereskedelmi termék azonban így is legkorábban csak 2010-ben válhat belőle. A cég marketingese szerint most ugyan még túlzónak tűnhet ekkora kapacitás, és a 25 és 50 gigabájtos korongok is bőséges tárhelyet biztosítanak, ám a felhasználók által előállított adat mennyiségének drasztikus növekedése miatt pár éven belül szükség lehet egy a jelenleginél lényegesen nagyobb kapacitású optikai adathordozóra, mely ugyanakkor visszamenőleges kompatibilitást is nyújt a jelenlegi rendszerekkel.

Forrás: HWSW

Por si usted está interesado en darle un poquito de color -y parecido al de la LMF- a su FIFA08, acabo de hacer los balones que usan FAS, Alianza, la Selecta, el Firpo, Aguila, Metapán... hasta el balón oficial de la Segunda división, aqui le dejo el link de descarga (pinche sobre la imagen) para obtener los balones originales que se ven rodar en las canchas de primera todos los domingos!

Se instalan mediante la herramienta CREATION MASTER 08.

En los enlaces está el botón para accesar a mi Taller de ediciones (gracias a los amigos de FIFA-XTREME.com) y hacer pedidos o mirar mas creaciones.

Saludos! :D

The good: This 50-inch plasma TV displays an exceedingly deep shade of black with excellent shadow detail; clean image with little noise; "smooth" video-processing mode removes most judder; excellent antireflective screen; sleek, minimalist styling; removable speaker; superb connectivity with four HDMI inputs and one PC input; CableCard compatible with TV Guide EPG.

The bad: Expensive; inaccurate primary color of green; no user-menu fine color temperature controls.

The bottom line: The Pioneer PDP-5080HD produces the deepest shade of black--and thus one of the best pictures--we've ever tested.

Black-level performance is one of the most important aspects of picture quality. When a display can produce a deep shade of black, it not only improves the realism and the punch of dark scenes, it also makes colors look richer and more saturated. So why did we like Pioneer PDP-5080HD so much? This 50-inch plasma produces the darkest shade of black we've ever seen or measured from a non-CRT TV, whether plasma, LCD, or projection. It also offers a "smooth" video-processing mode that works relatively well, one of the best antireflective screens we've tested, and numerous picture controls. We do complain about its less-than-perfect color accuracy and its incomplete color temperature controls, but those issues don't prevent it from earning our highest praise. The only real kink in the works is its high price compared to that of other similar resolution plasmas on the market. If you can stomach the extra payout, the Pioneer PDP-5080HD delivers a jaw-dropping home theater picture.

Pioneer also makes a 42-inch version, the PDP-4280HD. We won't review this model, but we see no reason to think its performance won't be on a par with its larger brother's. Pioneer also announced step-up Elite versions of its 2007 plasmas. This year the company is marketing all of its plasmas under the mini-brand Kuro.

Design of PDP-5080HD

Overall, we like the sleek, no-nonsense looks of Pioneer's plasma. The company framed the PDP-5080HD's 50-inch screen in glossy black with a minimum of adornments aside from the Pioneer logo. There's a band of silver along the sides, top, and bottom of the panel, but from the front only black is visible. The set includes a matching stand, and it allows the speaker bar below the panel to be completely removed, in case you want to use an external audio system exclusively. With speaker and stand attached, the panel measures about 48.2 inches wide by 31.8 inches high by 9.3 inches deep and weighs 88 pounds. Remove the stand and speakers and the panel measures 48.2 by 28.2 by 4.5 inches and weighs 76.7 pounds.

The hefty remote control is admirably laid out, with a central cursor key ringed by different size buttons that we found easy to navigate by feel. Although the buttons aren't backlit, they do glow in the dark, but that's not much help when trying to differentiate between the grid of similarly sized keys at the top of the wand. That group includes buttons for aspect ratio selection and picture mode, along with direct access to each of the TV's inputs--a great addition. The clicker can command three other pieces of gear.

We also found Pioneer's menu system easy to use and appreciated the text explanations for the many items. You'll have to burrow pretty far down to get to some of the more esoteric items, but that's about the only downside. The set was definitely designed with picture tweakers in mind; we loved the novel Before and After modes that let us compare the effects of picture settings, as well as the fact that picture parameter sliders were minimized discreetly into the upper left of the screen while being adjusted.

Features on Kuro PDP 5080HD

Like most 50-inch plasma TVs, the Pioneer PDP-5080HD has a native resolution of 1,366x768 pixels. That's not as many as competing--and usually more expensive--1080p models, but at the 50-inch screen size, the benefits of 1080p are dubious for most sources (more info). As always, all sources, be they HDTV, DVD, standard-def, or computer, are scaled to fit the native resolution.

[caption id="attachment_1695" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The Pioneer PDP-5080HD\'s main picture menu."][/caption]

We did like selection of picture-affecting features, although there were a couple of missing links. The sheer number of picture memory slots is worth big kudos; in addition to the standard User mode that's independent per input, there are four additional picture memories that apply to every input and can be adjusted independently--although one, called Optimum because it senses room lighting and adjusts the picture accordingly, lacks Advanced picture adjustment options.

Among those advanced options, there's a series of modes we left turned off for critical viewing, including an Enhancer that controls edge enhancement, DRE picture, black level, CTI, and ACL (aside from Color Transient Improvement, the manual doesn't specify what those acronyms signify). We did appreciate the three gamma choices, as well as the three color-temperature presets. Of course we'd prefer to have some way to fine-tune the color temperature in the user menu with this set, but that useful feature (found on sets from Vizio to Sony) is apparently too good for the non-Elite Pioneers. That's a shame, especially considering how much the non-Elite PDP-5080HD costs. A Pure Cinema menu allows you to choose from among four video processing modes, and we'll get into detail about their effects in the Performance section below.

Under the Power Control menu, you'll find two levels of Energy Saver that limit peak brightness to cut down on power consumption. We tested only the more potent Mode 2 (see the Juice Box below), but we did appreciate having the extra option. To help prevent "image retention" (aka burn-in) there's an "orbiter" that automatically shifts the entire onscreen image a little at a time. And if retention does occur, you can fire up the "video pattern" to wipe a white bar across the screen for an hour and turn the TV off automatically afterward.

Like many new sets, the Pioneer PDP-5080HD has a mode that's designed to respond to the bars to either side of 4:3 broadcasts and automatically adjust the image. You can set this mode to simply display gray side bars (gray beats black for preventing burn-in) or stretch the image horizontally to fill the screen. This auto mode worked surprisingly well for us, through it was a bit disconcerting to see the picture suddenly stretch during 4:3 commercials, then return after a moment to wide-screen when the HDTV program resumed--and some items, such as ESPNHD's logo-filled side bars, "fooled" the mode into not responding. We still prefer adjusting aspect ratio manually and appreciate the four modes available with high-def sources and five with standard-def.

Conveniences are relatively plentiful on the Pioneer, beginning with a feature that's increasingly rare on HDTVs at all levels: CableCard. If you really want to ditch your cable box, getting a 'Card from the cable company and installing it into the 5080HD's slot lets the TV receive digital cable and cable high-def channels directly. To help you get over the loss of the cable company's EPG, Pioneer includes the TV Guide version that grabs its program information from the cable company itself or from an over-the-air antenna. We tried it with just an antenna (we didn't test CableCard), and it successfully found our local programs without a hitch. The PDP-5080HD also includes a picture-in-picture function with a side-by-side option, a Game Mode designed for gamers who might be sensitive to any lag between fingers and onscreen action (we didn't test it), and the requisite freeze-frame mode. Like many new HDTVs, the 5080HD can also control certain compatible HDMI devices via just the HDMI interface and the TV's remote.

[caption id="attachment_1696" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="In addition to the four HDMI inputs, PC input, and CableCard slot (not shown), the Pioneer\'s back panel includes a smattering of analog video inputs."][/caption]

The PDP-5080HD packs more inputs than just about any HDTV we've reviewed to date. The back panel also offers a PC input (1,366x768 maximum resolution); a component-video input; an AV input with composite and S-Video; a pair of RF inputs for cable and/or antenna; an optical digital audio output; a subwoofer audio and analog audio output; and an RS-232 port for use by custom installers to interface with whole-house control systems. The side-panel is also well appointed, offering another AV input with component- or composite-video, a headphone jack, and a USB port that can take thumbdrives and display digital photos or play MP3 files via the TV.

[caption id="attachment_1697" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The side panel includes a component-video input."][/caption]

Performance

Simply put, the picture quality of the Pioneer PDP-5080HD is among the best we've ever tested. That's due mainly to the set's ability to produce a very deep level of black, which impacts many other areas of performance. We would have liked more control over color temperature, and we'd certainly like to see more accurate primary colors, but overall, those complaints aren't enough to spoil an excellent performance.

As always, we began our evaluation by adjusting the TV's picture to optimum levels for our completely dark theater. We attenuated light output to about 40 footlambert (ftl), which was just a bit lower than the set's level in Movie mode (a good sign). We appreciated that the Warm color temperature preset came relatively close to the standard of 6,500K, although it appeared a bit minus-green and plus-red overall. As we mentioned above, we really missed the ability to fine-tune the grayscale, and since the set lacked this ability in the user menu, we did not perform an "after" calibration (see the Geek box below). Of course, we're sure a professional can get the 5080HD a bit closer by accessing the service menu. For our complete user-menu adjustments for a darkened room, click here.

After setup, we sat down to compare the Pioneer PDP-5080HD side by side against some competing HDTVs we had on hand, including the Samsung HP-T5064 and the Panasonic TH-50PHD9UK--both equal-resolution, albeit significantly less-expensive 50-inch plasmas--along with the Pioneer PRO-FHD1, a 1080p 50-inch plasma from 2006 that currently costs around the same as the 5080HD. We also threw a 52-inch Toshiba 52LX177 1080p LCD into the mix for good measure. We chose to watch 300 on HD DVD, delivered by the Toshiba HD-XA2 at 1080i resolution.

Throughout the film's dark introduction, from the hill of skulls, to the boy's hunt of the black wolf, to the inspirational speech around the fire, it was quite obvious that the Pioneer produced the deepest shade of black in the room. The letterbox bars, the depths of the wolf's fur, and the shadows on the outskirts of the soldiers were inky and rich--as satisfying a representation of true "black" as we've seen on any non-CRT HDTV we've ever tested. The set's picture seemed to blend almost completely into the black walls of our theater. Our measurements backed up the evidence of our eyes; using the standard checkerboard contrast-ratio pattern, after calibration the PDP-5080HD delivered the deepest black we've ever measured (0.01ftl), and thus the highest contrast ratio (3,075:1).

Even with this deep black level, the Pioneer preserved all of the detail in the shadows, outlining the muscles of the fire-lit Spartans, for example, without losing any definition. We could have achieved an even deeper black by lowering the brightness further, but as usual, that crushed some detail in shadows. Dark scenes were also clear of discernible low-level noise caused by the display (called "dithering"; we're not talking about noise in the source, which was readily apparent on 300) from distances more than six feet from the screen, although the FHD1 looked cleaner in this regard. In short, the Pioneer PDP-5080HD does difficult dark scenes exceptionally well.

Moving on to color, the PDP-5080HD was once again helped by its deep blacks in delivering very impressive saturation. When the king approaches the assembled 300 in the field, the red of his cloak, the sunlit skin of the warriors, and the gold of the wheat looked powerful yet realistic. The delicate balance of the queen's face did have a bit too much flush, however, a result of imperfect color temperature. We also noticed the red of the cloaks appeared somewhat redder, and thus less realistic, than on the Samsung or the Pro-FHD1, due to the 5080HD's just-average primary color of red. The Pioneer's green is also quite yellowish--a common issue with plasmas--and while 300 lacks the give-away greens that illustrate this issue, we did notice a subtle yellow in other green-dominated scenes, such as the jungle during an episode of Sunrise Earth on DiscoveryHD.

In terms of video processing, the Pioneer did a fine job of deinterlacing 1080i content, passing the HQV test with in every Film Mode except Off (see the Geek box below). We recommend choosing Standard or Smooth for 1080i sources (Advanced is for 1080p/24 sources), depending on your preference. Smooth removes some of the slight full-frame choppiness or "judder" that can be seen in pans and other camera movement especially, which characterizes film-based material displayed on most HDTVs. We still saw some choppiness in HQV's very slow pan over Raymond James stadium with Smooth mode engaged, but it did smooth out faster pans quite noticeably. For example, during one of the Persian harem scenes, the camera moving over the bodies of the women and the grotesque hunchback stayed smoother than on the other displays--with the exception of the Toshiba, which, if anything, looked smoother still during motion. (Update 08-22-07) We also noticed that Smooth introduced some artifacts in certain scenes -- specifically, in a pan that follows a plane taking off during Flags of our Fathers, the tailfin became almost detached-looking and quite unnatural in Smooth mode, but was fine in Standard. We ended up liking Standard best, mainly because we're used to the film-based judder and found the smoothness a bit disconcerting. Having the option is definitely a great thing, however.

Advanced mode, for its part, was just as disappointing, as we found with the PRO-FHD1 at delivering the promised smoother picture. To test it, we switched to our Samsung BD-P1200 Blu-ray player (the Toshiba HD-XA2 isn't currently capable of 1080p/24 output) and checked out Aeon Flux and a couple of other titles. We saw more judder and choppiness in Advanced mode than either Smooth or Standard--with Smooth again living up its name the most. After Aeon narrowly misses face-planting in the razor grass, for example, the stone walls evinced more choppiness in Advanced mode as the camera rose to a more birds-eye angle than in the other two modes.

The Pioneer is also equipped with a Text Optimization option, which we left off for most of our tests in 1080i because it caused the set to fail the 1080i deinterlacing test. It did clean up tearing and jagged edges on some kinds of moving text, however, including an overlay from the HQV DVD, although the ticker from ESPNHD was unaffected. We recommend only turning it on if you notice that kind of tearing.

The Pioneer is equipped with an antireflective screen that did a very good job of attenuating glare in the room. It wasn't quite as effective as the matte, antiglare screen on the Panasonic TH-50PX77U, for example, but it was the best nonmatte solution we've seen, outperforming the antireflective screen of the Samsung, for example.

When we ran the PDP-5080HD through a battery of standard-def tests, courtesy of the HQV DVD played at 480i through the component input, it performed quite well. The set resolved every line of the DVD format (although the lines of horizontal resolution were less distinct than on the Samsung and the Toshiba), and the finest details in the stone bridge and grass scene looked as natural as we expect. The Pioneer did an excellent job of smoothing out jagged edges from diagonal lines, such as the stripes on a waving American flag. We also really appreciated the two kinds of noise reduction, each available in three strengths in addition to "off," because they went a long way in reducing--and in some cases eliminating--the moving motes of snowy video noise in the skies and sunsets from the disc. The Pioneer also effectively, if not as quickly as most other sets, implemented 2:3 pull-down detection in all of its video modes.

We also checked out the venerable pan from the beginning of Star Trek: Insurrection and, as usual, it provided a great comparison between video-processing modes. The Smooth mode again made motion seem significantly smoother, as if the moving camera was "on rails" compared to Standard mode and the other TVs in the room (the exception was the 120Hz Toshiba LCD, which looked smoothest and steadiest of all). The Advanced mode wasn't designed for 480i, and it proved it by introducing more judder and artifacts than the others. All three again successfully implemented 2:3 pull-down.

With PC sources, the PDP-5080HD delivered the goods, although naturally its 1,366x768 resolution wasn't as impressive as that of a 1080p panel. We achieved the best results when we connected our test PC via an HDMI input from the PC's DVI output, and set the resolution to 1,360x768; the Pioneer resolved every line according to DisplayMat and text looked crisp, although it was a tad softer than we've seen on some other displays. Using analog VGA yielded worse results. Yes, the panel resolved every line, but the lines on the horizontal resolution pattern flickered in the highest register, and we saw some flicker in backgrounds as well. Maybe a judicious tweaker could cure this issue, but nonetheless, we recommend going in digitally if possible.

Review from CNET.com by David Katzmaier

Best-in-class black levels and excellent all-around performance places the Pioneer PDP-5020FD near the top of the picture quality heap, but it will cost you.

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When it comes to black levels, you apparently get what you pay for. Pioneer's PDP-5020FD is the company's cheapest flat-panel plasma HDTV for 2008, yet it still costs significantly more than the poshest plasmas produced by Panasonic. We really liked the Panasonic TH-50PZ800U we reviewed earlier this year, and despite the Pioneer's capability to produce a darker shade of black--the most-important ingredient in overall picture quality--we don't think the newest "Kuro" is worth the steep price of entry for most high-end HDTV shoppers. Don't get us wrong; the PDP-5020FD is still a superb TV, and deep-pocketed videophiles who prize the absolute blackest black available will find plenty of reasons to spend the extra money for that inky goodness. However, with this TV's color accuracy issues and lack of adjustability, we expect more than a few of those deep-pocketed videophiles to spring for the Elite version instead.

Design

If you liked the look of last year's PDP-5080HD, you'll like the external appearance of this year's PDP-5080FD. There's basically no difference. The 2008 model has the same-size, equally unadorned glossy black rectangle surrounding the screen, below which is the included speaker. Aesthetes can remove the speaker for a cleaner, nearly all-picture look, an option we love, although we're not the biggest fans of the stark, nonswiveling stand. Overall, we preferred the appearance of the Panasonic plasmas, with their flush pane of glass, but Pioneer's clean look is no slouch.

Speaking of flushness and lack thereof, nitpicky videophiles, among whom we count ourselves, may complain that the inner edge of the frame adjacent to the Pioneer's screen reflects bright light. This thin strip of reflection, which isn't visible on last year's PDP-5080HD, can certainly be distracting, especially in a darkened home theater. It's frankly surprising that the designers at Pioneer would let such a flaw creep into an expensive TV ostensibly aimed at home theater enthusiasts.

Including stand and speaker, the PDP-5020FD measures approximately 48.5 inches wide by 34.1 inches high by 13.8 inches deep and weighs 86 pounds. By itself, the panel measures 48.5 inches by 28.5 inches by 3.7 inches and weighs 74.1 pounds.

Pioneer's remote control was redesigned after last year, and we really don't like it. Gone are the different shapes for secondary functions; instead, almost all of the keys on the new remote share the same square shape, tiny size, and are arranged in a staid grid. While that may make the clicker look cooler in some designer's opinion, it sure doesn't help navigate the scads of buttons. Sure, we liked the direct access to each of the inputs and the glow-in-the-dark keys, but we can't forgive the unforgiving grid.

The menu system underwent an even more thorough overhaul. Instead of overlaying the menu atop the picture, as nearly every other HDTV does, the Pioneer shrinks the live TV image into a small window in the middle-left sector, and fills the remainder of the screen with menu text, onscreen explanations, and guide icons on a black background. We liked the new menus, which are exceedingly easy to read, and appreciated the fact that during picture adjustments the standard overlay arrangement returns, so you can see the effects of your adjustments. We also appreciated the Tools menu, which provided easy access to many of the most-used functions.

Features

For such an expensive HDTV, the Pioneer PDP-5020FD certainly doesn't have as many extras as most competing high-definition sets. However, it does have a 1080p native resolution--although, even at this screen size it's difficult to tell the difference between 1080p and lesser resolutions.

Pioneer has positioned the non-Elite models in its lineup to appeal to the average person, according to the company, and so has stripped out a number of picture controls that were available last year. The PDP-5020FD lacks color temperature presets, a noise reduction control, a gamma control, and numerous other more-esoteric settings that the 2007 models included. If you want a bunch of picture adjustments on your 2008 Kuro, you'll have to pony up for the Elite version (more info).

The PDP-5020FD offers seven total picture presets; five of which can be adjusted using the available basic picture controls and apply to every input, while one of the five is labeled Standard and it's independent per input. We found Movie mode to deliver the most-accurate color temperature (the rest were much bluer), but since it's not independent per input, you can't use tweak Movie for various components.

The company's recommended picture mode is Optimum, which automatically adjusts the picture according to room lighting and content. Other adjustments include a Smooth mode that introduces dejudder processing and an Advanced mode that switches the TV to a 72Hz refresh rate designed to work with 1080p/24 sources. See the Performance section for more details.

An excellent selection of six aspect ratio modes is available for high-definition sources and five for standard definition, along with an Auto feature that attempts to set the correct aspect ratio for you. As we'd expect, there's also a dot-by-dot mode that scales 1080i and 1080p sources perfectly without any overscan. If you're interested in using this mode, which we highly recommend, be sure to disable the "Auto Size" option in the Setup>Option menu, or else the TV will default to Auto (which doesn't seem to like dot-by-dot much) every time you turn it on.

Pioneer added its Home Media Gallery to the TV this year, which lets it interface with a USB thumbdrive or your home network via an Ethernet port to view photos, or play music and video files on the TV. Pioneer's implementation doesn't include as a media-rich experience like Samsung's LN46A750, which has built-in Shockwave tutorials, weather reports, and other more advance features, but it still offers a decent DLNA option with a wide array of supported file format. Other features include picture-in-picture with a side-by-side option, and a variety of options to combat potential burn-in, including a pixel orbiter, a scrolling white bar to wipe out retained images, and a mode that "simultaneously optimizes the related settings to alleviate image retention."

While we appreciated the addition of a pair of power-saver modes, which somewhat limit peak light output and therefore energy consumption, a more-important feature is the same kind of store/home choice found on Panasonic and Samsung panels. When we first plugged in, the TV it asked us whether we were in the store or at home, and when we chose "home" the TV was automatically set in the Standard picture mode, which is designed to meet the new Energy Star guidelines coming later this year. According to our tests, Standard did indeed consume less power (about 100 watts less) than we tested on last year's default mode, although compared with the ultra-dim Standard mode on the Panasonic TH-50PZ800U, the Pioneer is a moderate energy hog. See the Juice Box for details.

The Pioneer's back panel includes three HDMI jacks and an Ethernet port for the home network feature.

Connectivity on the PDP-5020FD is as comprehensive as we expect from such an expensive HDTV. There are a total of four HDMI inputs, with three on the rear and one on the side. The back panel includes one component-video input, one AV input with S-Video and composite video, one AV input with only composite video, a PC input (1,280x1,024-pixel maximum resolution), an RF input for cable and antenna, an analog audio output, and an optical digital audio output, along with a LAN port. The side panel adds another AV input, a headphone jack, and a USB port that works with the Home Media Gallery.

Performance

If you read the introduction of this review, then you know the sound bite: the Pioneer PDP-5020FD produces the deepest level of black we've ever seen among TVs larger than 11 inches. These deep blacks help the image pop and add realism and life to colors. Speaking of color, the Pioneer isn't as accurate as we'd like to see, and its Smooth picture mode introduces numerous artifacts, but in most other areas it's a superb performer.

Much like the THX mode of the Panasonic TH-50PZ800U, the Movie mode of the Pioneer didn't require much tweaking get it to produce its best home theater picture. Light output was almost exactly 40 footlamberts, our nominal post-calibration standard, and we only had to tweak brightness and color a tiny bit. We measured a color temperature that was a bit reddish, and primary colors were definitely off, so we would have preferred the capability to adjust both. That's not an option on the non-Elite models, however, so our list of ideal picture settings is short and sweet.

Pioneer makes a big deal about its auto-adjusting Optimum mode, but for critical viewing we preferred Movie. In our dark room, Optimum crushed detail in blacks, oversaturated colors, and made the image a bit brighter than we'd like to see. When we turned up the lights Optimum increased brightness a lot less than we expected, but the more saturated look was still there. Some viewers might appreciate the convenience of leaving the TV in one mode that adjusts the picture automatically, however.

For our dose of critical viewing we set the PDP-5020FD up next to its predecessor, the Pioneer PDP-5080HD; its main competition among high-end plasmas, the Panasonic TH-50PZ800U plasma (we chose that model instead of the flagship TH-50PZ850U since the 800U performed better in our tests); and the most-impressive LCD we've reviewed this year, Samsung's LN52A650. We chose an old favorite reference Blu-ray Disc, I Am Legend, played via an old favorite Blu-ray player, the Sony PlayStation 3.

Black level:

The superiority of the 5020FD's depth of black was visible everywhere, but was most obvious in dark scenes, such as when Will Smith runs over the zombies on the end of the pier. The black areas like the silhouette of his decoy, the shadows under the bridge, and the paint of his SUV appeared darker than any on the other sets in the room. Last year's Pioneer took second place in the darkness stakes, followed by the Panasonic plasma and finally the Samsung LCD. Of course, the Samsung and especially the Panasonic are capable of producing black levels deep enough to satisfy most contrast-hungry videophiles, and the Pioneer's extra depth was most obvious in a side-by-side comparison. Still, when the PDP-5020FD's black frame appeared just a couple hairs lighter than the black screen itself, we found our eyes gravitating toward its picture in preference to the others.

Shadow detail on the 5020FD was every bit as good as the Panasonic, so we saw the all of the stubble on Smith's face and detail in the vents of his dashboard as he crashed through the zombies. As expected after seeing such good shadow detail, gamma was also superb, according to our measurements, averaging just fewer than 2.2, so we didn't miss having a gamma control to change it.

Watching test patterns, we saw the level of black fluctuate a tiny bit when we changed from very bright to very dark patterns, but this issue, unlike a similar effect we saw on the Sony KDL-46W4100 LCD, was not visible in program material as far as we could tell. At the end of Chapter 3, for example, when Smith shuts up his apartment for the evening, black stayed stable under the fading light.

Color accuracy:

As you can see from the Geek Box, the Pioneer didn't score particularly well at primary color accuracy. Like those of many displays, its primary and secondary color points, particularly red and green, didn't conform closely to the HD standard. The green of the trees lining the Greenwich Village streets appeared a bit greener and bluer than the reference Panasonic and the Samsung, for example, and the red outfit of a dummy in the record store was likewise off a bit. Smith's skin tone also looked a bit ruddier than those two displays, which we blame on a combination of the somewhat reddish color temperature and that primary color of red. These issues certainly didn't spoil our enjoyment of the film, however, and the combination of deep blacks and accurate color decoding allowed the Pioneer to beat the rest of the displays at producing rich, saturated colors.

Video processing:

The Smooth setting on the PDP-5020FD is the same as last year's version, and it's designed to smooth out the judder characteristic of film-based sources. Many viewers, ourselves included, prefer to keep that judder intact for a more film-like, as opposed to video-like, look. As with other such dejudder modes we've tested, Smooth on the Pioneer made Legend feel more like video. Some people like the smoothness, however, so we suppose it's a nice option to have, but it did introduce more artifacts than a similar dejudder mode on the Samsung LCD.

The worst effect was breakup during movement. For example, as the red Mustang speeds around a corner onto 34th Street, its white stripe appeared to separate from the car and trail behind briefly, before catching up again. Similar breakup occurred around Smith's head as he moved through a record store. Neither of these effects was visible on the Samsung.

Another option that Pioneer didn't change since last year's model is the 72Hz refresh rate imparted by selecting Advanced from the PureCinema menu. Since 72 is a multiple of 24, the TV can theoretically preserve the film's rate of judder and not have to engage 2:3 pull-down detection as a typical 60Hz display must. After setting our PS3 to 1080p/24 mode we checked out one of our favorite scenes for evaluating smoothness versus judder, the long helicopter shot in Chapter 7 that eventually finds Smith hitting golf balls off the wing of a spy plane parked on the USS Intrepid. Indeed, the Pioneer's advanced mode made the movement appear a bit smoother, without that hitch associated with 2:3 pull-down, although to our eyes the difference was subtle. Still, for videophiles who want to utilize their Blu-ray players' 1080p/24 mode, Advanced is worthwhile.

Unlike many HDTVs we've tested, the PDP-5020FD successfully deinterlaced film-based material. Naturally it displayed every line of 1080i and 1080p sources, although compared with the non-1080p PDP-5080HD right next to it, we found it nearly impossible to see any difference in detail from our seating distance of eight feet.

Bright lighting:

The PDP-5020FD has the same antireflective screen as the PDP-5080HD, and it performed admirably when we opened up the blinds and tuned on the lights, attenuating reflections better than either the Panasonic or the glossy-screened Samsung LCD. Compared with the Panasonic, the Pioneer sets also did a better job of preserving black levels in bright environments.

Standard definition:

According to our standard-definition tests, the PDP-5020FD scored a bit above average. It passed every line of DVD resolution and details looked relatively good--better than the Panasonic and about the same as the Samsung--on the grass and stone bridge. When fed images of a waving American flag and rotating diagonal lines, it did a solid job of eliminating jaggies. The set lacks a noise reduction control, but the Optimum and Performance picture modes were quite effective at squelching motes of noise in shots of skies and sunsets--the other modes didn't do as well. Finally, the set engaged 2:3 pull-down effectively, although it took a half-second longer than the other displays to lock into film mode.

PC:

With a digital connection the Pioneer performed as well as we expect any 1080p flat-panel, delivering every line of a 1,920x1,080-pixel PC signal with sharp text. We saw some edge enhancement in the standard settings but selecting Movie mode, or cranking down Sharpness eliminated it completely. As usual, the analog connection was a disappointment, only accepting resolutions up to 1,280x1,024-pixels. Naturally the image looked softer and stretched to fill the screen, so we'd recommend PC users go digital.

Reviewed by David Katzmaier for CNet on 07/18/2008

Once you start checking out the price of parts for your Honda or Kawasaki, you start to see that biking is not as cheap as it should be. OK we can cut costs by doing most of the work ourselves, but £120 for one brake disc????

I'm toying with the idea of getting another Jinlun or Pioneer cruiser. Parts are cheap, they do great mpg and are pretty easy to work on. Guess how much a front disc is for either of these two is approx £30 plus p&p.

In some ways riding a Chinese made motorbike is definately the sensible option if you want to ride something affordable, easy to repair, easy to get parts for etc OK the Chinese bikes are small, but larger models are coming on the market soon.

El equipo de Pioneer logró un increíble cometido hace alrededor de un mes, cuando creó un disco óptico de 400GB. Ahora, desde su sede en Japón, nos llega la noticia que ya avanzaron hasta los 500GB luego de aplicar un método que incluye 25 capas. Por ahora, esta idea se encuentra en periodo de estudio y de llegar a cumplirse con todos los requisitos, será aprobada por la junta de la Asociación Blu-ray.

Imaginemos la cantidad de data que se puede grabar en un solo disco. Ni siquiera los discos duros de nuestras PCs tienen semejante capacidad de almacenamiento. Es que definitivamente, Blu-Ray ofrece numerosos beneficios.

Este novo elemento dentro da carreira da alta definição dispõe de 20 camadas por disco, com uma capacidade de 25 GB em cada camada. Com este anúncio, a Pioneer avança sobre suas previsões e pretendem coloca-lo no mercado até o final de 2011.

A utilidade deste disco Blu-Ray de 500 GB não é para suporte da indústria do entretenimento e sim como elemento de armazenamento dos usuários que cada vez mais guardam seus conteúdos digitais.

Se conseguem níveis de segurança dos dados e confiabilidade no armazenamento com este tipo de disco, poderíamos ter algo de muito futuro. Mas a experiência nos diz que o mercado é quem avalia.

Via Xataka

Photo by: Peter Maestrey

Hair and make-up by: Liezy Perez

Make-up: MAC

Wardrobe by: Christianna Billman

Model: Actress Bobbi Miller-Moro

www.MoroFilms.com

Taken in the Los Angeles Forest