Pioneer Electronics is not shy about it's opinions of HDTV; "No one can experience HDTV and not immediately fall in love. Any manufacturer still living in a world of standard or even the enhanced definition TV has blinders on about the future of digital technology. And they are doing a disservice to consumers by not offering true HD," said Russ Johnston, senior vice president of marketing for home entertainment at Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc.

Large screen plasma televisions are becoming more common in homes across the nation as consumers become turned on to the exceptional image quality and wide viewing angle, all delivered in a slim, flat panel television. iSuppli/Stanford Research predicts that plasma sales will grow at a compound annual rate exceeding 70 percent through 2007.

As a result of this surge in market demand, Pioneer has increased its manufacturing capacity to 250,000 units annually with plans to open additional manufacturing lines for a total capacity of up to 500,000 units annually by 2005.

With the growth of flat panel television sales, consumers have become better educated and are looking for best-of-breed high definition technologies.