Pioneer May Be Quitting Plasma, But The Kuro Series Is Here To Stay

Pioneer's Russ Johnston
It was a week ago now that we first heard Pioneer was quitting the plasma business, starting widespread panic across the consumer electronics world as plasma fans thought that it was the end of the legendary Kuro. We wondered if it was coming after Pioneer struck a deal to acquire 42-inch plasma panels from Panasonic, ending in-house production of 42-inch models. But honestly, we didn't think it would go this far.

We have no need to panic though, according to Pioneer executive VP Russ Johnston, as Pioneer will simply not be producing plasma sets in-house, but instead outsourcing them to other manufacturers. In the case of the Kuro series, Pioneer will be sharing a few trade secrets with Panasonic who will produce the Kuro panels. Pioneer will continue to produce the video circuit and processor, and supply the color filter technology. The Kuro series will live on. Johnston says that Pioneer offers a premium product and rather than lower the prices of their sets, they want to make the technology more advanced. That'll require lowering expenses and that's where the partial outsourcing comes into play.

Johnston also says that while plasma is best at sizes ranging from 50-70 inches, there are limits to its quality at certain size ranges. Due to this fact, we can expect another announcement from Pioneer come May as the company looks to expand into new markets.

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Posted by Justin Davey at March 10, 2008 4:15 AM