My 1st post ... New Pioneer plasma TV's???

[jon s]

Wrong... Pioneer is no longer making the glass panels for the Plasma sets. They are being outsourced to Panasonic. Pioneer will still be making the electronics for their plasma sets. they claim that all the glass is the same and it's their proprietary electronics that make the kuro sets so impressive.

Pioneer's next gen sets should be out at the end of summer. and according to those who saw them at CES this year, the jump in contrast with the new line is even more noticeable.

[werewuf]

Originally Posted by jon s

Wrong... Pioneer is no longer making the glass panels for the Plasma sets.

Picky, picky, picky, basically what I meant. Here is Pioneer's word on this:

I. Restructuring Plans for the Display Business
Displays are positioned at the heart of Pioneer’s home audio/video product lineup and help to enhance the image of the Company’s brands in the Home Electronics business. Pioneer believes that displays are indispensable to its product lineup for these reasons and will therefore maintain its fundamental strategy for the display business—supply premium models with high picture and sound quality befitting the image of its brands at prices matching their added value, while optimizing the scale of its business. However, we have judged that maintaining the cost competitiveness of plasma display panels at projected sales volumes will be difficult going forward. Accordingly, we have decided to terminate in-house plasma display panel production and to procure
these panels externally, after panel production for our next series of models is complete. This move will allow us to transform our business model for displays from vertically integrated, capital-intensive operations to a leaner business model geared to making value-added product proposals. Pioneer is currently in discussions on the feasibility of procuring panel modules that may incorporate the Company’s proprietary technologies. Details will be announced as soon as they are finalized. Pioneer plans to review its production structure in conjunction with the termination of plasma display panel production and to streamline the entire display business to a scale commensurate with sales. We aim to compensate for cutbacks in the plasma display business by driving further expansion in our growth businesses. This will be done by shifting related personnel and other business resources to the Car Electronics business; the professional sound & visual (Pro SV) business, which involves DJ equipment; and the audio/video product business, including Blu-ray Discrelated
products. We will give consideration to retaining employees in the course of
this process. Details are currently under review and will be announced as soon as they are finalized.
In fiscal 2008, the year ending March 31, 2008, Pioneer will book an impairment loss on plasma display production facilities. In fiscal 2009, we will streamline the plasma display business and shift resources to our growth businesses. However, these measures are not expected to produce significant benefits until fiscal 2010. Nevertheless, we believe that these measures will help to restore profitability in the Home Electronics business in fiscal 2010.