Today's High-Def Headlines

Pioneer Halts Plasma Display Panel Manufacturing - TWICE
Pioneer confirmed today it will end production of plasma display panels, in favor of procuring the components from other manufacturers. Earlier, Pioneer had cut its estimates for sales of plasma TV sets to 480,000 units from original projections of 720,000 sets for the current fiscal year ending this month. Going forward, Pioneer will continue to assemble and sell finished plasma sets, and will continue research and development into plasma technology, applying back-end electronics to improve picture performance. Pioneer joins a line of manufacturers who have abandoned plasma panel production in recent years due to high cost and heavy competition. Fujitsu, NEC and Mitsubishi had all started out manufacturing plasma panels, and Fujitsu and Mitsubishi no longer even sell finished plasma sets today.

SportsTime Ohio To Launch HD Feed - MCN
Regional sports network SportsTime Ohio is slated to launch a 24 hour HD feed on April 1 and will produce all of Cleveland Indian baseball games it airs this season in HD. The move means that in 2008 STO will produce 133 Indians games and Cleveland NBC affiliate WKYC-TV will air 20. STO will continue to also provide operators with a standard-def feed that will be down-converted from its HD feed.

Circuit City Extends HD DVD Return Time - NY Times/AP
Circuit City Stores Inc. is getting on the Blu-ray digital video format bandwagon by tripling the period in which customers who purchased a rival HD DVD player can return them. The nation's No. 2 electronics retailer has instructed its stores to ''take care of our customers'' and accept returns of HD DVD players within 90 days of purchase.

Monster To Increase Dist. Of Entry-Level HDMI Cable - TWICE
Monster is expanding distribution of its MC 500HD Standard Speed HDMI cables. Priced at $49.95 for 1-meter length, the cable is the entry-level model of the company’s line of speed-rated HDMI cables. Monster is providing retailers with increased product distribution as well as a host of in-store educational materials to help spread the word about the enhanced performance offered by speed-rated cables.