Pioneer "reviewing" plasma business, probably on the way out
Pioneer is officially "reviewing the plasma business", according to a release today -- much like Toshiba's "review" of the HD DVD business in February when it had decided to quit in January -- while a Reuters source confirmed The Nikkei's earlier report that Pioneer is getting out of the plasma panel manufacturing game altogether. While Pioneer would keep building plasmas based on panels sourced from Panasonic, according to the report, this would mark the exit of the 5th ranked plasma manufacturer, and host to some of the best PDP displays and technologies around. We can't expect any official word until the company's press conference on March 7, but rumors have swirled recently that it is considering a switch to LCD. We'll find out on Friday (our money is on SED rising again), but for now we'll just look longingly at our lovely Kuros.
Read - Pioneer reviewing plasma business
Read - Pioneer to cease output of plasma panels, source says
Read - Pioneer press release [via Impress; warning: PDF link, Japanese]
