The percentage of sales people that recommend Samsung HDTVs.
Salespeople are also becoming less likely to recommend LCD sets over plasma sets, which goes against the industry trend.
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Kind of boggles the mind how Pioneer wasn't able to be more profitable being the clear reference standard for flat panel display quality. Hell, even their LCDs rocked from what I've read. Kuro is quite a moniker by itself in this product field as well, so I'd give kudos to Pioneer not just for engineering execution but also marketing. I guess they just couldn't sell enough of them, or compete with the bottom basement manufacturing efficiency of its Korean competitors. In the end, I guess its good to be cheap and "good enough", or at least have a budget product to get people through the front door. Still can't touch a base Kuro for less than $2k. I wonder why they stopped making 42" plasmas?
All the BS that has contributed to LCD winning the flat panel race has also not done Pioneer any favors. I give PDP 3 years. Panasonic is really the last true plasma maker to speak of. Retailers are far too slanted, and consumers too naive to ever come around to plasma, unfortunately.
Finally, fair warning to Vizio that they might want to not try to move up-market in this economy. Doesn't look like the other end of the spectrum is faring that well at all.