Report: Pioneer to Cease Making Plasma Panels

According to a report in Japan's The Nikkei, Pioneer is planning to cease manufacturing its own plasma panels. According unnamed sources, The Nikkei says the company's withdrawal will come sometime this year. Pioneer would continue to manufacture plasma TVs; rather than make its own plasma panels, though, the company would source those panels from other companies. Currently, in addition to Pioneer, Hitachi and Panasonic are the only other Japanese plasma manufacturers (Korea-based LG also manufactures its own panels).

This news is speculation for now; however, my sources say Pioneer Japan may be making an announcement later this week.

If true, that would be disappointing news to cinema enthusiasts who appreciate the deep black levels Pioneer's Kuro plasma TVs have become known for (including the model we've most recently reviewed, the Kuro PDP-5010FD). The company also had a fair amount of vision and innovation for plasma at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this year, where it showed off a .35-inch thick plasma TV concept design.

Still, the news wouldn't be a complete shocker: Just a week ago, Pioneer announced it had struck a deal with Panasonic to purchase plasma panels for their 42-inch televisions.

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