Pioneer may have the best tech, but people aren't going to buy at an exorbitant price. ESPECIALLY in this economy. OK, put a $1000 premium on those deepest blacks, but they were asking three times as much as a Panasonic or Samsung for the same size. They could have cleaned up if they wanted to, but they wanted to be perceived as the primo-top-of-the-line manufacturer of plasmas by going for the Marantz and McIntosh crowd and look where that got them. Sad.
Well said, I couldn't agree with you more. Put into perspective; if the average person can't tell the difference between a DVD and blu-ray, they aren't going to see the difference in picture quality (like we would), they are only going to see the price tag.
A manufacturer producing the best and insisting on making their consumers pay for it isn't such a crazy idea. I definitely don't blame Pioneer for doing it. Ferrari does it every day. The difference is that the market for cars is way different than for TVs. Most consumers just want a TV that works, looks good enough, at a reasonable price.
I can understand your argument about KUROs. They are a little more expensive. What I don't understand is why aren't people flocking to VIERAs? They are crazy cheap these days and are just a step below a KURO for quality. I was under the impression that a free market would enable the company with the best product at a reasonable price to win. Apparently it doesn't work that way. I honestly just think it's consumer ignorance, they just don't know any better.
Plus, it doesn't help plasma that Samsung's marketing campaign is huge and ridiculous. When was the last time you saw a commercial for a VIERA or a KURO, can you even think of a single time? Plus Samsung loves to throw numbers around in their market material and consumers love numbers. Contrast ratio, refresh rates, etc. etc. Plasma doesn't need these numbers because it produces a great picture without gimmicks like 120 Hz and dynamic contrast ratio and yet these are hard quantifiable numbers that consumers can make a purchase decision based on. It's sad but in general, your average consumer is an idiot, that is why LCD is winning.
Vizio didn't exactly sell premium priced Plasmas, and the non-Elite Kuros are competitively priced with the top of the line Samsungs.
I think it came down to cool factor. LCDs are considered "cooler" than Plasmas. Maybe its due to thinness, but much of it I think is just due to brand recognition. Pioneer doesn't have the branding of a Samsung.
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One word: too expensive.
Pioneer may have the best tech, but people aren't going to buy at an exorbitant price. ESPECIALLY in this economy. OK, put a $1000 premium on those deepest blacks, but they were asking three times as much as a Panasonic or Samsung for the same size. They could have cleaned up if they wanted to, but they wanted to be perceived as the primo-top-of-the-line manufacturer of plasmas by going for the Marantz and McIntosh crowd and look where that got them. Sad.
Well said, I couldn't agree with you more. Put into perspective; if the average person can't tell the difference between a DVD and blu-ray, they aren't going to see the difference in picture quality (like we would), they are only going to see the price tag.
A manufacturer producing the best and insisting on making their consumers pay for it isn't such a crazy idea. I definitely don't blame Pioneer for doing it. Ferrari does it every day. The difference is that the market for cars is way different than for TVs. Most consumers just want a TV that works, looks good enough, at a reasonable price.
I can understand your argument about KUROs. They are a little more expensive. What I don't understand is why aren't people flocking to VIERAs? They are crazy cheap these days and are just a step below a KURO for quality. I was under the impression that a free market would enable the company with the best product at a reasonable price to win. Apparently it doesn't work that way. I honestly just think it's consumer ignorance, they just don't know any better.
Plus, it doesn't help plasma that Samsung's marketing campaign is huge and ridiculous. When was the last time you saw a commercial for a VIERA or a KURO, can you even think of a single time? Plus Samsung loves to throw numbers around in their market material and consumers love numbers. Contrast ratio, refresh rates, etc. etc. Plasma doesn't need these numbers because it produces a great picture without gimmicks like 120 Hz and dynamic contrast ratio and yet these are hard quantifiable numbers that consumers can make a purchase decision based on. It's sad but in general, your average consumer is an idiot, that is why LCD is winning.
Vizio didn't exactly sell premium priced Plasmas, and the non-Elite Kuros are competitively priced with the top of the line Samsungs.
I think it came down to cool factor. LCDs are considered "cooler" than Plasmas. Maybe its due to thinness, but much of it I think is just due to brand recognition. Pioneer doesn't have the branding of a Samsung.