Audio Video News

[UPDATE TO THIS UPDATE: Pioneer has officially announced that it's no longer in the plasma-making business. Go to the end of this post for a link to a Pioneer press release.]

Don't give up on the super display qualities that made Pioneer's Kuro Elite "the best TV ever made." Gizmodo says that Nikkei says that Pioneer will share its tech so Panasonic can make award-winning plasmas too! (By the way, we'd quote Nikkei directly ourselves except  . . . err . . . the Sound & Vision office hamster ate our subscription.)

Yes . . . sob . . . sob . . . Pioneer will stop manufacturing its own plasmas (says Gizmodo, says Nikkei). But the Pioneer mold-breaking technology will go to Panasonic, enabling the Matsushita company to cook its own haute plasma - at corner-diner prices!

Here's the part where we quote Gizmodo quoting Nikkei:

"The two firms are expected to combine their strengths to develop low-cost, high-quality panels. Plasma TVs based on a jointly developed panel will likely be added to their individual product lineups as early as 2009. Some Pioneer engineers may be transferred to Matsushita in the process."

We figure this Pioneer/Panasonic consortium will be something like the Sound & Vision/Gizmodo alliance. We send them some of our stuff ("Experts Say That as Many as 50% of Home Theater Buyers Don't Set Up Their Rear Surround Speakers") and we steal some of theirs.

Oh, wait. It's actually Nikkei we're stealing from. No, wait. We're paying homage to Nikkei and sending potential traffic and subscription $$$ their way!

Oh, crap, whatever. Here are some links. -Rob Medich

Pioneer [Click here for the March 7th update-a press release from Pioneer.]
Gizmodo
Nikkei (Six month subscription: 6,300 yen; having an office hamster: priceless)