Pioneer to launch full HD plasma TVs in October
Pioneer's plasma operations swung to a quarterly loss in April-June, hit by fierce price competition in the flat-TV market, where
Pioneer's new 50- and 60-inch full high-definition sets, featuring an ability to recreate deeper black than conventional models, are expected to sell for 720,000 yen ($6,060) and 990,000 yen ($8,340) in Japan.
In comparison, Matsushita's 50-inch full high-definition plasma TVs sell for around 450,000 yen.
Full high-definition models can produce images with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels.
"We are determined to distance ourselves from price competition and move on to a new stage to offer an exciting experience for our customers," Pioneer Managing Director Shinji Yasuda told a news conference.
Despite the relatively high prices for the upcoming products, which will target critical holiday shoppers, Pioneer said it will stick to its plan to ship 720,000 plasma TVs and plasma displays in the business year to next March.
That, however, is just 14 percent of Matsushita's target to sell 5 million plasma TVs during the same period.