This week, California-based confirmed that it will concentrate exclusively on LCDs. , which made only high-priced plasma sets, announced Thursday that it was getting out of the TV business altogether.

A reports that Pioneer blamed the economic downturn. The fourth-largest manufacturer of plasma TVs is ceasing in-house development and plans to close down its TV business entirely by March of next year.

, Vizio cited the limitations of an important sales channel -- discount stores such as Costco. Plasma sets don't look as good under big-box stores' bright lights, which impacted sales. As a result, the company will "devote all of its available shelf space to the technology that moves off the shelves fastest."

Interestingly, many consumers are still buying plasma sets. According to a report released on Thursday, plasma sales are actually going up while LCD sales are dropping. "Shipments of LCD TVs, the most popular TV technology, fell on a Y/Y basis for the first time ever, from 8.9M units in Q4'07 to 8.7M in Q4'08. In contrast, shipments of plasma TVs, which are typically cheaper than similarly-sized LCD TVs, increased by 28% Q/Q and 10% Y/Y," a DisplaySearch press release stated.

Regardless of the numbers, when both a high-end manufacturer (Pioneer) and a budget TV brand (Vizio) pull the plug, the future of plasma isn't looking too bright.