While they have always been priced near the top of the market, Pioneer has established its Kuro plasma TVs as the standard for others to beat. Now, just a few weeks after blowing away the world's press with their latest prototype Kuros at CES, Pioneer has made the stunning announcement that they will end in-house plasma TV production. While that's unsettling for anybody considering one of best TVs on the market, Pioneer says that the Kuro line will live on, but using panels outsourced from another manufacturer (think Panasonic). As if that's not depressing enough, Pioneer also said that they will begin selling LCD sets, again using outsourced panels (think Sharp).

Pioneer claims that the Kuro magic is mostly a function of their proprietary electronics and software, but whether this can be translated to a non-Pioneer plasma or LCD panel remains to be seen.

Full story: dvice.com