(My son a few years back in front of a 60-inch Pioneer Elite plasma. He *loved* it.)
There was a time when the Pioneer Elite display was the cream of the crop, the top dog, the big kid on the bus, you know, the best damn TV available. But even having the best color and black level reproduction on the market, the expensive line couldn’t withstand the recession and the onslaught of cheap LCDs and plasmas. Pioneer killed the Elite display line in 2009 and a little part of the world died with it.
But it’s back! Sharp’s licensing the Elite brand from Pioneer and the two companies will jointly market the product line. The models will wear only Elite branding, not Sharp or Pioneer. These will be Elite HDTVs, but will be available in the Prioneer Elite dealer network. No time frame was given, but these displays were so good that it might be worth delaying the purchase of your high-end Panasonic plasma or Samsung LCD until these models hit.