Today's High-Def Headlines

ESPN Preps Australian HD Launch - MCN
ESPN will go high-def Down Under. The sports giant will launch its initial ESPN-branded high-definition service outside the United States, when it begins televising ESPN HD Australia sometime in the middle of this year. Not a simulcast of ESPN domestic product, the service, which will feature major sporting events and local programming tailored specifically for Aussie sports fans, will be one of four new HD channels added by Foxtel in Australia.

Pioneer Reports Revenue Decline - TWICE
Pioneer Electronics on Thursday said its fiscal third-quarter consolidated operating revenue declined 1.7 percent, due in part to decreased sales of plasma displays and DVD recorders. Overall plasma display sales declined due to decreases in home-use sales in Europe and North America, despite higher home-use sales in Japan, and due to decreases in OEM and business-use sales, Pioneer said. Plasma display sales accounted for approximately 42 percent of home electronics sales.

Sharp Profit Up 5.5% on LCD Panel Demand - Reuters
Japanese tech conglomerate Sharp Electronics reported a 5.5 percent rise in quarterly operating profit to a record high, as rivals delayed opening new plants, slowing price declines for the big LCD panels it specializes in. That more than offset steep TV price falls for Sharp--the world's third-largest LCD TV maker, behind Samsung Electronics and Sony--and higher silicon raw material prices that hurt profits at its solar-cell unit.