Lets define "Obsolete":
adjective
1.
no longer in general use; fallen into disuse:
an obsolete expression.
2.
of a discarded or outmoded type; out of date:
an obsolete battleship.
In view of the above definition, I think that Plasma fall right into that description.
Yes, as I said, plasma is dead. Certainly in 'disuse', but as an imaging technology, it's still a gold standard. CRT, by the same token, has black levels that even Kuro displays couldn't touch.
Anyone who says "OLED crushes plasma" - has no idea what they are talking about because people who have compared the two, directly, will tell you that's not the case.
How can OLED be profitable if no sets are being sold? When I say sold I mean to the degree you see 4K LED set being sold. I don't believe a few $3,000-$4,500 Lg sets on the market will get in done. Without the others, there won't be any competition so prices will remain high.
Because, you see, profitability means profitability, it doesn't demand 10 million units be moved. Since you call it a 'FEW' I am assuming you have actual numbers and have some idea of how many units actually are selling and that when you ask how it can be profitable, you know that LG is taking a loss?
Profitability is based upon making money. It isn't strictly about quantity, it's about how much you earn per unit sold and if that covers all associated costs. Since LG makes a lot more than OLED, they can piggy back dozens of costs with their other displays, which reduces costs.
As for 'competition', that's a joke right? You literally go on to talk about LCD technology and how everyone is buying it. What do you think that is? That's competition. Samsung's higher end displays are direct competition in both size and cost, and arguably quality when compared to LG's OLED tech. That's exactly what will drive cost. If they refine the technology and can get it into more displays, at lower prices, then mid-tier LCD displays will find themselves fighting against OLED as well.
Pioneer Kuro's weren't profitable because there prices were too high, especially when TV's prices, do to popularity of LCD/LED, were going down to the point that your prototypical consumer could afford them. Pioneer didn't have a LCD/LED so they couldn't compete.
Pioneer's pricing was actually low for the quality of the displays, but they certainly didn't sell enough. They lost millions in the final years on Kuro. Perhaps with an LCD tech they could have gone that route, but much like Panasonic, they didn't plan for a post-plasma world. LG doesn't have that issue. They are operating both within the LCD world and advancing that technology at the same time they are pushing beyond LCD with OLED.
It doesn't diminish the quality of the quality plasma display no matter what comes along.
Also, and people on HT/Audio forums like this just can't seem to get it, deep blacks like the Kuro offered and the deep blacks of OLED, are not really selling points to the masses, they don't give rats back side about deep blacks and/or infinite blacks.
Obviously, people on these forums get quality over other stuff, it doesn't mean we don't get it. It seems that Samsung and LG must be really stupid since they have high-end models with superior contrast and better image quality for a fair bit more cash. They must not get it just like those of us on these forums.
You can tell that's just not reality. LG gets it, Samsung gets it. They make quality displays and mid-level displays, and cheap displays. Panasonic, after having one of the best plasmas on the market for years was almost eliminated from the game with no technology at all, and now is working their way back in with some mid-tier TVs which are very slowly making their way back into stores. Quite a shift from being one of the most recommended brands out there.
I think the lesson is that you can't bank on a single technology or a single price point. The most reputable, or at least the most well known brands, tend to work throughout all the price categories with many different level of product. It maintains their profits and allows for a top-down approach to design which can improve their lower-level offerings with some of the newest tech.
