Pioneer has confirmed rumors that have flared this week and will be dropping out of the TV business altogether.
The move follows the $1.44 billion USD loss the company has taken in the past year on its LCD and Plasma operations. Two factories will be shut down immediately and the company will completely phase out TVs by the Q1 2010.
Additionally, the company said it will cut costs by cutting 10,000 jobs, mainly in Japan.
In the TV business, Pioneer is best known for its high quality Kuro plasma TVs which enjoy high contrast ratios and color replication. Back in March however, the company said it would halt Plasma production to focus on LCD production.
Result for: kuro
According to the daily Japanese Nikkei paper, it appears Pioneer is on the verge of completely exiting the TV market.
Back in March the company said it would halt Plasma production to focus on LCD production. “We have judged that maintaining the cost competitiveness of plasma display panels, or PDPs, at projected sales volumes will be difficult going forward,” Pioneer said at the time.
Despite the great commercial success of its Kuro plasma line, the company has been losing money for a few quarters now on TV sales. If the report holds true, then Pioneer will cut their losses and move completely out of the market, instead joining forces with Sharp to make a stronger move into the DVD and Blu-ray standalone business.
Pioneer declined comment on the report but did note that they have been “actively evaluating” the company’s TV business since at least last March when it decided to cut out PDP production.
Result for: kuro
Pioneer has introduced its new LX01BD Blu-ray Disc home cinema system, complimenting the HD video of Blu-ray with “exclusive audio technologies”. Sporting a distinctive and compact three-dimensional speaker design, it is ideal for Pioneer’s line up of Full HD Kuro televisions. The LX01BD incorporates a profile 1.1, BonusView Blu-ray Disc player that opens up a wide range of high definition entertainment options.
To provide lifelike motion picture, it provides HDMI Deep Colour support, which enables a wide range of colour tones and smooth transitions. The LX01BD has an integrated 5.1 channel amplifier and comes with compact dodecahedron technology derived satellite speakers that generate sound fields in all directions.
The LX01BD is capable of processing the latest audio formats DTS-HD and Dolby TrueHD and will reproduce every note in high definition studio quality. Pioneer’s proprietary Multi-Channel Acoustic Calibration System (MCACC) analyzes the sound characteristics of the listening room and calibrates the system accordingly, while potential standing waves are effectively minimized, using Standing Wave Control.
Pioneer’s LX Series component/systems, are the perfect visual complement for the KURO Flat screen TVs. And that’s no different for the LX01BD, which shares the KURO plasma’s minimalist aesthetics, elegant lines and characteristic piano black finish. The system’s aluminium top plate makes a high-end statement and provides great durability.
