We're here after too much good food last night (the oysters, scallops and apple tart were all delicious) and now we're ready to hear about Pioneer's latest offerings (an ultrathin plasma perhaps?). Oh, you don't care about Pioneer? Then you are an idiot. Things kick off at 9am PST.

UPDATE: Hit the jump for the full details of Pioneer's unlimited contrast ratio TV, their 9mm anorexic plasma and their new line of audiophile equipment.

Spooky, space age music meets anime romance. Yeah, it's touching. Adrian and I just shared a moment here in the dark...I think. It's tough to make out his face but I know what he's thinking.

We're still waiting for things to get underway, but you should know, we have great seats. Like, we'll hear and see the new announcements nanoseconds before everyone else, which should get you news pretty quickly.

My laptop's getting slapped around quite a bit. If we go silent, assume a sweaty, obese journalist has smacked my screen on time too many.

It's starting!!!

Car Products

AVIC-LINC
Hybrid Navigation System
In-dash, built like a mobile device
12 million points of interest
text to speech
MSN Direct
Controls your gadgets, like phone, through Bluetooth. Voicebox voice recognition helps with that - "please call Justin Timberlake"

SCD Players {single CD players] - not much said here, to counter MP3 loss.

Speakers - made from rock. Basalt technology. Wow, I bet they rock. Heh. Sorry. Their pun: "rock beats paper." Moderate laughs.

Not much in details on either of these areas.

Alight, now on to display products! Cars are OK and everything, but this is what we've been waiting for.

Two new plasma concepts are teased....no more on this yet.
They're talking about Project Kuro, their high-end line of breakthrough tech.

"Pioneer has developed a technological breakthrough that will end the discussion on contrast ratios."

TVs
Extreme Contrast Concept Model
- "At this moment you can stop measuring contrast ratio - it's officially irrelevant."
- eliminates all idling luminance (no glow in blacks)

Concept Model of Advanced Design
- 50" plasma
- nine millimeters thin
- zero bezel?
- "thinner than last month's issue of Wired magazine"

New subsidiary
TAD Labs
- Technical Audio Devices Labs
- pro audio products
- the "Kuro" of the audio world
- pro recording studio quality, in home

And that's it for products, folks! Concepts are the name of the game for Pioneer this year We can't wait to check them out on the floor.

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