Pioneer isn't abandoning Kuro plasma, expects same-quality panels from Matsushita

If you're all broken up about Pioneer's seeming exit of the plasma business, take heart. Pioneer Executive Vice President Russ Johnston claims Pioneer's plans aren't to abandon Kuro-quality plasma displays in any way. The move to an outside manufacturer (Matsushita, parent company of Panasonic) is designed to cut cost in plasma production, but Pioneer still plans to maintain its premium edge over competitors. "The number-one goal is to make sure we can maintain our differentiation," said Russ, "and specifically our Kuro difference in the marketplace." Apparently Pioneer will be still be responsible for the video circuit and processing, the color filter strategy and other such secret sauce, and the company is confident Matsushita can step up to the Pioneer level of panel production -- even if it might involve sharing a few trade secrets along the way. Apparently Matsushita is slated to start providing the modules by 2009.

[AKBlade13 @ Mar 8th 2008 12:51PM]

Just no gsantana75.

Anyway, I'm a bit confused. So they're ending their ending of their plasmas?

AKBlade13

[AKBlade13 @ Mar 8th 2008 12:53PM]

'Scuse me...I should read articles more closely next time. So they're ending in house and instead getting other companies to do it, right?

AKBlade13

[Yubastard @ Mar 8th 2008 1:09PM]

this is nice! since Matsushita can now make more panels, maybe the prices will come down a little, no? assuming they can meet supply...

[Matthew Figur @ Mar 8th 2008 1:17PM]

Greatest news ever!! Whew... those other reports made it sound like they were exiting the business as a whole. As a KURO owner I have never seen a better HDTV in my life. Keep up the good fight of making a higher class product Pioneer.

[jbhitter24 @ Mar 8th 2008 1:19PM]

matisyahu?

[JermTool @ Mar 8th 2008 1:40PM]

Pioneer Kuros are simply the best televisions ever produced. So this is good news. I guess having Panny make your panels, or Matsushita, is better than having LG make it. I hope they change nothing and still have dominate flat panels. Maybe I can eventually afford one!

[Robert Kieffer @ Mar 8th 2008 2:25PM]

Thank god they are going with Panasonic panels. Panasonic makes the 2nd best plasma's (after the Pioneer Kuros).

[eEZER @ Mar 8th 2008 2:31PM]

And the world just fell back into place...

[I LOVE THE CAPS LOCK KEY @ Mar 8th 2008 2:32PM]

Matsushita-Panasonic produced 42" plasma displays that are almost in the same price range as their similarly sized LCD's. This may be good news indeed, though I'd rather see Pionner be the ones to produce the larger Elite Screens and let Panasonic make the smaller Elite and Non-elite screens.

[Makalu @ Mar 8th 2008 4:08PM]

to fail?

[Makalu @ Mar 11th 2008 10:11PM]

Wait, why are the comments out of order now? The "First" comment is gone.

[Syphon Filter @ Mar 8th 2008 5:05PM]

I still have huge reservations about this.

The panel may only be one ingredient in the Pioneer "secret sauce" but I am still concerned about the move away from in-house panels. I will reserve judgement until we actually see the non-in-house models hit the market. I work in the custom install industry and have an old Pioneer (6-series) screen myself and I deal with the newer Kuro models day in day out and BOTH of them are better than anything else on the market today by a long way IMO.

I am praying that Pioneer receive worthy panels from Matsushita and continue to maintain their place in the market as the leaders of picture quality (and build quality, anyone else agree taht the remote controls Pioneer ship with their TV's are also the best around in terms of pure build quality/materials?!).

[Esat @ Mar 8th 2008 6:00PM]

Damn, that picture looks like a bad trip....

[Russell @ Mar 8th 2008 7:08PM]

The problem is that the panel is what made the Pio's better than the Panasonics.

Pioneer doesn't MAKE video scaling/processing chips, Reon/Farajouda et.al make them.

They just pick the right chips and configure/calibrate them all right. While it does make a difference, it's not going to be what gives them killer contrast ratio, killer blacks, good panel life/uniformity, etc...

Look at Runco, they take off the shelf stuff and put good electronics/calibration in their gear but it's really not any better (and usually worse) than the off the shelf product they base it off of with ISF calibration.

Now if they basically hand over their R&D and patented improvements to Panasonic and Panasonic only uses the premium stuff in the panels intended to be Kuro's, all will be well.

But what will likely happen is that the Premium model Panasonics will be 98% of a Kuro instead of 85% of a Kuro.

And then the price difference for one doesn't make sense anymore.

But Pio may be hoping that their good brand name for all this time gets them those sales, I just can't see it happening without a lot cheaper Pioneers.

It could work like this

42" panasonic value panel $999
42" panasonic premium panel $1499
42" Pioneer kuro $1899

But not like it is now where the kuro's are like twice the price of the panasonics.

[Daniel Hedman @ Mar 8th 2008 7:50PM]

Great!

[I LOVE THE CAPS LOCK KEY @ Mar 9th 2008 4:58AM]

150 inch Kuro!

[adrian @ Mar 9th 2008 8:08PM]

If Matsushita make the plasma panel to Pioneer's exact standards, then I can't see a problem with it.

[Tom @ Mar 10th 2008 8:18AM]

Hmmmm. Although it's a bit of a relief to read this, I'm reminded of another company from years back doing a reformulation of its product much to the chagrin of it's consumers.

I can see it now: New Kuro being replaced by Classic Kuro, which is pale shade of Original Kuro.