Pioneer's first 1080p plasma TVs to arrive in October

Japan's Pioneer announced on Thursday it will launch its first full high-definition plasma televisions in October, playing catch-up with larger rivals such as Matsushita.

Pioneer's plasma operations swung to a quarterly loss in April-June, hit by fierce price competition in the flat-TV market, where plasma televisions are losing market share to rival LCD models.

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 (£3,000) and ¥990,000 (£4,130) in Japan.

In comparison, Matsushita's 50-inch full high-definition plasma TVs sell for around ¥450,000.

Full high-definition models can produce images with a resolution of 1,920x1,080 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 Christmas 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 per cent of Matsushita's target to sell 5 million plasma TVs during the same period.

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