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HDTV Makers Back Off Techy Terms

High-definition TV makers are starting to jettison many of those techy catchwords in favor of good, old-fashioned branding. For instance, when Pioneer Electronics unveiled its new Kuro line, the company went with an approach that conveys a simple message: Kuro is Japanese for "black"--and its ads are described as sleek, black and simple, and incorporate photographs by award-winning shuttterbug photographer Nadav Kander.

The idea is to express that "a full sensory experience of sight and sound results in feeling emotion as never before," the company says. One pioneer store in California is decked out with Kuros that measure up to 60 inches and feature vivid pastel scenes and colorful high-definition movies.

And "plasma" is one word seemingly barred from the campaign. "They are playing down the element that it's a plasma television,' says Phillip Swann, publisher of TVPredictions.com. 'This is somewhat of a change because plasma TV makers were very happy up until last year to say 'plasma, plasma, plasma' all day long.' He adds that the trend began when buyers of HD TVs began looking for better--not just bigger--sets. And as they did so, they soured on the lure of catchphrases that drove high-definition sales and they started looking at the numbers--specifically 1080p, 1080i and 720p, he notes.

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