When Pioneer reps first announced that they would be exiting the plasma panel manufacturing business, fans of their KURO plasma HDTV line were disappointed.  But Pioneer assured us that they would continue to make and sell HDTVs with a little help from Panasonic who would supply the raw panels.  This year, Pioneer announced that they would exit from the HDTV market entirely, leaving the 2008/2009 KURO models as the last, and perhaps best, HDTVs made to date.

So now is your chance to pick up one of these extremely high performance HDTV models at clearance pricing as dealers clear out their existing inventory.  The current models are available in the standard Pioneer consumer line, and in the Pioneer Elite professional line.  The two lines use the same raw panels but the Elite models offer a longer warranty, elegant styling and much more extensive picture calibration controls to help you tweak an excellent picture into something truly outstanding. 

Below we've compiled a list of links where these TVs are currently available, at savings of hundreds of dollars off the original list prices.  The Elite (PRO) models are not normally available online, nor are they normally discounted, but now that Pioneer is getting out of the business, the rules are becoming more lax and the prices more palatable.  For example, Vann's currently has the Elite model PRO111FD for $2999 ($1500 below list) while supplies last. 

Pick your poison and get ready for some jaw-dropping nearly three-dimensional HDTV images with vivid colors, mouth-watering detail and the blackest blacks you've ever seen on a flat panel HDTV.  Note that these are all authorized Pioneer dealers (important in case you ever need in-warranty service performed): 

Pioneer Elite (PRO line) 2008/2009 KURO 1080p Plasma HDTVs:

• 50-inch Pioneer Elite (PRO-111FD)
  • Vanns.com
    
• 60-inch Pioneer Elite (PRO-151FD)
  • Vanns.com
  • OneCall.com
    

Pioneer's Standard 2008/2009 KURO 1080p Plasma HDTVs:

• 50-inch Pioneer PDP-5020FD
  • Best Buy
    
  • Amazon.com
    
• 60-inch Pioneer PDP-6020FD
  • B&H Photo
    
  • Amazon.com

If the above vendors do not have the unit in stock, then check our partner PriceGrabber.

Pricegrabber links for Pioneer Plasmas (note: Verify authorized dealer status before ordering!)

• PDP-5020FD (50-inch) on PriceGrabber
  
• PDP-6020FD (60-inch) on PriceGrabber
  
• PRO-111FD (50-inch ELITE) on PriceGrabber
  
• PRO-151FD (60-inch ELITE) on PriceGrabber
  

More Information:

• Pioneer PDP-5020FD review (Big Picture Big Sound) - rated "Excellent"
• Pioneer PRO-111FD review (CNET) - rated "Outstanding"