[caption id="attachment_895" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Pioneer Elite HDTV"]Pioneer Elite HDTV[/caption]

Pioneer Elite HDTVs had been discontinued since 2009, but in a recent press release Sharp announced that it has been granted a license to begin producing Pioneer’s Elite brand of high-end displays in 2011. This is great news, especially since the Pioneer Elite screens were considered some of the top displays in their day, providing astounding color and black level reproduction. And the very impressive Pioneer Elite 60-inch flat-screen fit beautifully in the Banyan Creek XL TV Lift Cabinet.

After the country experienced a recession, however, these high-end (and high-dollar) displays could not withstand the onslaught of cheap LCD and plasma TVs. As part of the new deal, the flat-screen TV displays will be jointly marketed by Pioneer and Sharp, but they will only bear the name “Elite” and be sold, firstly, through Pioneer’s original Elite dealer network.

Sharp and Pioneer rightly believe that the market is once again ready for their Elite line of HDTVs, and we will be following the progress of their sales. Would you consider waiting to purchase an Elite this year over a Panasonic plasma or Samsung LCD? Let us know what you think.