The stark differences in fortune for major consumer electronics firms have been highlighted in the April-September period results announced so far.

Pioneer Corp. on Monday announced a 12.26 billion yen net loss for the first fiscal half, hit by sharp price falls for plasma display panel TVs and DVD recorders. Revenue was up 1.4 percent to 349.9 billion yen.

The company said the fierce competition in these products tore into its profit margin.

Given gloomy prospects, Pioneer has cut its full-year forecast for plasma display panel shipments and stopped panel production at two of its six lines in October.

Pioneer's struggle cast a sharp contrast with Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., which last week reported strong earnings growth in the first half thanks to robust demand for plasma TVs and digital cameras.

Matsushita, the maker of the Panasonic brand, has been aggressively expanding production of plasma display panels, trying to solidify its leading position with sheer supply power.

The company is not immune to price falls, but it has been successful in cutting costs.

"In the digital era, it is important to grab market share and carry out cost-cutting" on the strength of volume, Tetsuya Kawakami, Matsushita senior managing director, told a news conference last week.

Sharp Corp. continued to see solid growth in its liquid crystal display TV business, which increased in sales by 40 percent during the first half. Sales of large LCD TVs particularly made a steep rise, the firm said.

Citing the tight supply of LCDs, the officials said they will consider further expansion in production.

The company's overall earnings fell during the first half, however, due to poor performance in its semiconductor business, which was hit hard by a sharp price declines for flash memory. Sony Corp. is counted among the losers, reporting a sharp earnings decline for the first six months, after its mainstay consumer-electronics business posted losses for the period.

The company blamed its TV-set unit, which has been still suffering from steep falls in demand for conventional TVs using cathode-ray tubes.

Victor Co. of Japan, another loser, posted its second consecutive first-half loss, citing delays in developing DVD recorders and LCD panels.

Sanyo Electric Co., which is scheduled to announce its first-half results in mid-November, also expects losses.

Hitachi suffers loss

Bloomberg Hitachi Ltd. said Monday it had a net loss in the first half, compared with a profit the previous year.

The company, which makes flat-panel displays, DVD recorders and kitchen appliances, said it also cut its annual profit target.

The firm's net loss was 10.9 billion yen in the six months ended Sept. 30, the company said.