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Japanese financial experts predict Pioneer about to bail out of TV business, Kuro can’t compete | Home Cinema Choice

If this news turns out to be accurate, and I have no reason to suspect it won’t, then it’s a bit of a heart-breaker. Pioneer has been pushing the envelope in TV picture quality since its early rear-pro TVs and was instrumental in elevating the humble screen to a high-end component even when the likes of Sony and Panasonic showed scant interest (I’m going back 15+ years here). I’m also gutted for all those who I know personally, who have been raising the bar in terms of TV technology at Pioneer, since the advent of the Kuro project.
I’m also beginning to fear for the high-end of home entertainment generally. Even if you don’t have the means to buy high-end products yourself, it’s this kit which pushes the mainstream to produce better equipment. There was a clear undercurrent at the 2009 CES that major TV brands were looking for ways to cut production costs and design tech down to a price for the first time in years – and this isn’t as good as it may sound. I’d argue that it ultimately means deteriorating performance and long-term unreliability. If Pioneer does withdraw from the AV market, it could just signify the beginning of the end of a golden era for home entertainment technology. I’m almost afraid to ask: who’s next?