Plasma TV Doomed? Pioneer Discontinues Kuro

Whoa.

Okay, guys, brace yourselves.  You may not be familiar with this right now, but Pioneer recently announced that they’re no longer making their flagship plasma TV model, the Kuro.  The Kuro is not only regarded as the best plasma TV that Pioneer makes, it’s also often regarded as the best plasma TV ANYBODY makes.

Now, I don’t know about you, but if the best piece on the market suddenly decides to bug out, that’s a sign to me.  That’s a sign that they want to get out of the market.  You’ve got name recognition.  You’ve got actual industry acclaim.  You’ve got a halo effect running over half your gear, so why do you exit the market by pulling the driver out of it?

See, plasma TV is great.  But it costs quite a bit more than LCD, and between LED and OLED, plasma may not be able to hold its own.  This is a HIGHLY debatable topic, but if plasma can’t compete in price, and it can’t compete in quality, then there may be nowhere left for it but to leave the market.