Manufacturers who were once powerhouses in the HDTV business are dropping out at a rapid pace. Some, like Pioneer , Fujitsu and Planar, are dropping out of the TV market completely. Others, like Vizio, are abandoning plasma.

Should you buy brands after the vendors announce their exit from the business?

In some cases, absolutely yes, says E. J. Feulner of Elite Home Technologies (a division of HiFi House), Broomall, Penn.

“Pioneer Elite continues to be our go-to up-scale television and will be until we can no longer get them,” he says. “Their picture quality is still the best on the market and plasma continues to offer the best picture of the flat panel technologies.  While not often required or utilized the three year warranty is also the best in the business as well.”

Feulner says that consumers should not buy a lesser-quality TV set just because Pioneer will cease production at the end of the year.

“There is no reason to be scared,” he says. “Neither Pioneer nor their service and support network is going anywhere. “

He likens the Pioneer situation with that of Fujitsu, which left the market 18 months ago.

With that brand, he says, “We are still having clients’ sets serviced under warranty when an issue does come up.”

Feulner is quick to add that service issues are rare for both Fujitsu and Pioneer.

About the Author:
Julie Jacobson - Editor, Electronic House; Editor-at-large, CE Pro

Julie Jacobson is editor of Electronic House and editor-at-large for CE Pro magazine, the trade magazine for home technology. She co-founded parent company EH Publishing in 1994.