Pioneer's decision to axe the Kuro earlier this year set off a wave of gloomy predictions about the future of plasma, but we've never really bought into it -- and it sounds like the product planners at LG, Samsung, and Panasonic haven't either. HD Guru asked reps from each company for their thoughts on the state of the plasma market, and the responses were pretty similar across the board: plasma remains the connoisseur's choice overall, and it still makes up just about half of 50-inch and bigger sales. Of course, that means that plasma's niche is shrinking and moving higher-end while LCDs more or less take over the rest of HDTV market, but until something like OLED develops into a true competitor we think plasma's around for a while. Check out the full company responses at the read link.

Maybe Pioneer just needs to change shipping companies here, but we're seeing a frighteningly high amount of cracked screens on the KRP-600M over at AVSForum. The problem has become so bad, in fact, that users have started a dedicated thread just to grumble about it. Thus far, 11 responders have seen their precious plasma arrive with a cracked screen, while 18 received theirs in good shape -- not a good ratio in terms of quality control standards. We aren't sounding the fire alarm just yet, but we're curious, have any of you unboxed your shiny new set only to weep for hours due to a busted panel?

[Thanks, Gio]

Okay, so maybe that harshly translated version of Pioneer's recent KURO-related press release doesn't actually encourage prospective buyers to snag a unit while they still can, but it may as well have. Following up on the outfit's curious decision to abandon a product line that was universally adored, Pioneer has decided that just four of its PDPs will stay in production until April 11th. After 3,000 or so of the KRP-500A, KRP-500M, KRP-600A and KRP-600M units have been produced, the lines will be shut down and we'll all be invited to what will undoubtedly be a tear-filled memorial service. The company has also made clear that warranty service will still be provided for an undisclosed amount of time (at least in Japan), but there has yet to be a statement made specifically regarding the North American market.

[Via Slashgear]

It's kind of amazing, really. Not even a year ago, Pioneer was busy pimping its second-gen KURO, and by and large, everyone that witnessed one in person came away impressed. So, if Pioneer's plasmas were so spectacular, how on Earth did we find ourselves asking if PDPs even have a future beyond 2010? Not long after the economy began to soften, LCDs began to catch up. Sure, a side-by-side test would likely show that an Elite KURO has deeper blacks than the average LCD, but as GigaOM points out, the average consumer was beyond the point of caring. Since the beginning of this year, we've already seen two plasma players drop out completely, and one must wonder how long those other guys will keep holding on. Is the death of the KURO the tipping point for plasma? We'd love to think otherwise, but our gut is leaning to "yes." What say you, dear readers?

Bad news Kuro fans, the rumors were true and Pioneer is leaving the TV manufacturing business. On the upside, the restructuring deadline is March 2010, so a predicted net 130 billion yen ($1.44 billion) loss shouldn't be enough to get between you and the plasma HDTV of your dreams. The company's U.S. and U.K. plants are shutting down by April and February of this year, respectively, and product development for TVs beyond what's currently on the market is ending, seeing no prospects for improving profitability even after combining plasma efforts with Panasonic and LCDs with Sharp. Overall, there will be 10,000 fewer full time and temporary Pioneer employees than there were at the end of last year, while pay and bonuses for execs have been cut. The future for Pioneer? Mostly car audio, including in-car Blu-ray players and networked electronics, while its home electronics business focus on audio, DJ equipment and cable TV boxes, with a focus on using its expertise in improving sound. All other ugly details are contained in the press release, mourning the passing of another plasma supplier is in the comments.

[Via Bloomberg and AV Watch, thanks Carl H.]

Say it ain't so (again) Pioneer, Japan's Nikkei is reporting that despite planning a return to profitability by sourcing Panasonic plasma panels, facing a consolidated loss of 100 billion yen ($1.08 billion U.S.) it will end TV development and production entirely. The DVD business will be spun off into a new venture with Sharp as part of a plan to shed several thousand employees over the next year, including a shutdown of its Shizuoka plant, along with already planned closings in the U.S. and Europe. Honestly, we should have seen things were going badly when it let LaserDisc die, but the worsening economy may have proved too tough for the idea that its Kuro and Elite line of products would not be subject to the ups and downs of the economy.

[Via Gearlog, registration required on read link]

No need to wait for the CEDIA Gold Coast expo to see new plasmas from Pioneer, as the company has just announced a few new KUROs for those residing in Australia. The 50-inch PDP-LX509A and PDP-C509A have both been officially announced (though whispers of 'em have been circulating for a few weeks now), and the MSRPs are expectedly staggering. AU$6,499 for the LX model, AU$5,499 for the C509A -- yeah, ouch.

[Via CNET]

Remember that pair of vivid KUROs we got wind of around a month ago? You know, that limited run set that would only be available to deep-pocketed souls in Europe? Yeah, well we've finally got an official release from Pioneer confirming their existence, not to mention a plethora of drool-worthy images. Both the beige KRP-500ABG and the white KRP-500AW are on sale across the pond for €4,499 ($5,741) apiece, though you'd better hurry -- with an economy like this, the affluent are apt to have these snapped up in no time flat just to rub it in the layman's face.

[Via Marcush]

Talk about a marketing catastrophe. Apparently no one told Pioneer's promotional firm what Black Friday is (hint: it's a day for unprecedented price cuts to get consumers to camp out in the cold for a deeply discounted blender), as it has inexplicably decided to re-coin the holiday "KURO Friday." Why do such a thing? To quote Pioneer, it's to "celebrate the creative visionaries" who helped bring KURO to life. In other words, KURO Friday is not being established to announce sweet, sweet price drops on all KURO wares. Two thumbs way down, Pioneer.

While some boutique outfits are finding it hard to stay afloat during these cash-strapped times, many are faring just fine. At first glance, it's easy to say that Pioneer is certainly not one of those outfits with nothing to fret over, but according to Masao Kawabata, chairman and CEO of Pioneer North America, things aren't nearly as bad as they seem. In a recent interview, he explained that while he was saddened about the recent events surrounding Tweeter and Circuit City, he still felt that "strong relationships with independent channels" would spur sales. In fact, he noted that "premium products [read: Pioneer products] are not subject to too much of the ups and downs of the economy, and for those who can [afford] the very best they will go and shop for the very best." Make no mistake -- KURO flat-panels and Elite Blu-ray players aren't the cheapest on the block, but we're still hesitant to say they're recession proof.

For those ensconced in the Arizona desert and looking for a new KURO, you're in luck. Pioneer has just swung the doors open on its second US retail store, a 3,200 square-foot facility situated in the Northeast Valley of Phoenix, Arizona. The outfit opened its first US store in Orange County, California in August of 2006, and both stores will be responsible for selling a wide variety of Pioneer gear, most notably KURO flat-panels, Blu-ray decks and speakers / headphones typically reserved for the Japanese market. Now, if it manages to notch anything close to an impressive amount of sales (without vast, deep discounts) in this economy, you can color us floored.

Anyone remotely familiar with the KURO brand knows that with it comes the expectation of awesomeness (and a large price tag), and the question on everyone's mind has been: will the KURO LCD line live up to the name? According to TrustedReview's critique of the 37-inch KRL-37V, the answer is a resounding "yes." The reviewers put together five long-winded pages detailing the ins and outs of this here set, but in general, they found that it produced better pictures than most other LCDs on the market today, and that's saying something. Sure, it wasn't without its flaws -- there were occurrences where odd color tones popped up in SD footage, black levels weren't astonishing and the viewing angles weren't the greatest -- but the colors in HD were simply terrific. 'Tis a shame we North Americans will have to wait until sometime next year before we can even have a look for ourselves, but those in Europe may want to give this one some serious attention.

[Via HDTV Lounge]

Peeks and glimpses are alright, but we all know those are just the crumbs leading up to the feast. CNET's UK branch was able to grab hold of what appears to be a retail Pioneer KRL-32V KURO LCD, and of course, they paused every few seconds during the presumably mayhem-filled unboxing process in order to snap a few photos and let us all in on the fun. Early impressions were overly positive, with the lucky unboxers noting that Freeview picture quality was "impressive," and that this here set proves that Pioneer definitely "has something to bring to the LCD party." Hit the read link to get yourself all kinds of jealous on the inside.

[Thanks, John]

This must be the new trend in TVs -- Pioneer has released its own colored bezel Kuro models in Europe, but rather than make the tint an option, it's been elevated to "feature" level through limited production runs. Only 1,000 lucky folks will bring home the Beige Grisé KRP-500ABG, while the membership roll for the White KRP-500AW will be less exclusive at 1,500. Don't be alarmed, the "Kuro" name only applies to the image, not the set itself -- as Pioneer demonstrated earlier this year with its Shiro Kuro set. Other than the bezel, these are looking identical to their "any color, as long as it's black" brethren, including the media receivers tethered by a single cable. If this trend continues, we'll soon see a new cottage industry based on retrofit colored-bezels.