Skip to Content

Autoblog reviews all the hottest cars
AOL Tech

Matsushita posts

Toshiba Matsushita Display teases handheld, high res, no glasses 3D

by Richard Lawler posted Jan 6th 2009 at 4:27PM


We swore we wouldn't fall for tech demos of Toshiba Matsushita Display's sexy optically compensated bend LCDs and their CRT-like ultra wide viewing angles and high refresh rates ever again but by adding autostereoscopic 3D (read: no glasses necessary) we're falling in love all over again. By adapting a 3D film for use with 3- and 9-inch displays, this year's CES demo promises simultaneous 2D and 3D viewing on the same display in high res. How close is OCB's curved, rather than horizontally or vertically aligned liquid crystal approach to reality? Your guess is as good as ours but for now we'll wait for some eyes-on time and throw it on the wait-and-wait-and-see heap with SED and the rest.

Matsushita Electric becomes Panasonic, like, for real

by Darren Murph posted Oct 2nd 2008 at 10:35AM

We've been hearing that Matsushita was jonesing to become Panasonic for months now, but at long last, the company (companies?) has finally pulled the trigger. As of October 2008, Matsushita Electric Industrial Company has become Panasonic Corporation, and its stock ticker symbol on the NYSE has been changed from MC to PC. Additionally, Panny is working on "brand changeover from National to Panasonic within Japan," which probably won't be completed until March of 2010. So yeah, Matsushita's logo actually isn't going anywhere just yet, but we appreciate the effort, guys.

Panasonic bundles 103-inch plasma, Blu-ray player in 3D home theater package

by Darren Murph posted Sep 24th 2008 at 7:34AM


Didn't see anything that particularly suited your fancy at CEDIA? Then feast your eyes on CEATEC. As the Japan-based trade show hastily approaches, out pops a mind-boggling new home theater package from Panasonic. The system will include one of its marvelous 103-inch plasma HDTVs, a Blu-ray player and at least one set of fancy 3D goggles. Hailed as a world's first in some form or fashion, the Full HD 3D package utilizes an undisclosed format "employed by major Hollywood film studios" to "distribute full HD images of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels to each eye via synchronized shutter glasses." Panny is hoping to promote the technology and possibly get a leg up on Samsung (our assumption) by impressing wealthy homeowners and members of the Blu-ray Disc Association. As expected, there's no mention of a price, but rest assured -- you'll be stuck choosing between this and a new BMW.

[Via Impress]

Digital Security Systems files patent infringement suit against major Blu-ray players

by Darren Murph posted Aug 15th 2008 at 11:58AM


We've witnessed a few lawsuits related to Blu-ray, but this is the first one we can recall that perfectly fits the "patent troll" mold. The Patent Prospector has it that Acacia subsidiary Digital Security Systems is suing a smorgasbord of big BD players for infringing on a patent that it has held for years. Defendants named include Samsung, Best Buy, Denon, Funai, LG, Matsushita, Panasonic, Philips, Pioneer, and Sharp, though details beyond that are sadly scant. Oh, and if you're wondering where the complaint was filed, it was in the infamous Eastern District of Texas.

[Via FormatWarCentral]

Matsushita profit soars 86% on the wings of high flat-panel sales

by Darren Murph posted Jul 31st 2008 at 8:30AM

So Sony didn't do so hot this quarter, but that's not to say someone else can't have fun at its expense. Matsushita Electric just posted its most recent quarterly earnings, and needless to say, it's probably pretty stoked about the 86% rise in profit. According to reports, the majority of the credit goes to digital camera and flat-panel television sales, and even though sales actually decreased 4%, operating profit still rose 48% from a year prior. Good to see someone's making sure that flat-panels rule the consumer electronics roost in 2008.

Matsushita sets goals for itself: 40-inch OLED TV by 2011

by Darren Murph posted Jul 29th 2008 at 7:55AM

A bit earlier this year we heard that Panasonic (Matsushita's red-headed stepchild) was vying for a little recognition in the OLED TV game, but outside of that, details were scarce. Now, however, we're being told that the outfit is planning to start selling 40-inch OEL (organic electroluminescent, better known as OLED 'round these parts) televisions "as early as 2011." Reportedly, it will be investing "several billion yen" to construct a prototype production line for OEL panels "20-inches and larger" that will go into service next spring. We'd be pretty stoked if the final product were within sight, but make sure to ring us early on next decade to make sure we haven't completely forgotten about this here promise.

DisplaySearch Q2 plasma results shows big growth, Matsushita on top

by Darren Murph posted Jul 28th 2008 at 4:28PM

Oh, how quickly the mighty have fallen (again). Shortly after Matsushita dropped to third in plasma shipments in Q1, the outfit has leapfrogged both LG and Samsung SDI in order to claim the gold in Q2 2008. The outfit's revenue share skyrocketed from 29.4% to 36.8%, showing a 23% year-over-year improvement. Also of note, 1080p PDPs saw remarkable growth (54% year-over-year) this quarter, which were reportedly driven by sales of 46-inch models. Looking at Matsushita in particular, over 43% of its plasma shipments in Q2 were 1080p, and overall it "accounted for over 70% of all 1080p PDP shipments." Anyone taking bets on who comes out on top in Q3?

Matsushita's European strategy paying off

by Darren Murph posted Jul 20th 2008 at 3:04AM


Europe isn't much on HD programming (yet), but that doesn't mean there's no demand for HDTVs. A recent article highlighting Matsushita's (Panasonic's parent company) European presence states that its share there is now bigger than ever thanks to a "combination of marketing and restructuring efforts over the past several years." As the competition within the North American sector has skyrocketed, Matsushita has been able to reap profits from Europeans willing to pay for a quality product. Europe actually made up 45% of its overseas sales of all digital electronics during the fiscal year ended March 2008, while just 25% came from the US, Canada and Mexico. It's also suggested that one of Matsushita's missteps here in the US was its reliance on selling pricey plasma TVs at a limited number of stores, and anyone that lives here knows that we Americans appreciate cheap. A pretty interesting read, though we still wish Europe would stop spending cash on digital photo frames and start investing in high-def programming. Yeah, selfish.

Panasonic's UniPhier 3 to deliver cheaper BD-Live enabled Blu-ray players

by Richard Lawler posted May 22nd 2008 at 8:09AM


Looking forward to a future full of cheaper, slimmer BD-Live compatible Blu-ray players? Say hello to Panasonic's 3rd generation UniPhier processor, which it claims is the first single chip processor designed to handle picture-in-picture and all other necessary Profile 2.0 features. DTS-HD MA, Dolby TrueHD, DivX 1080p, Ethernet controller, laser control, graphics engine, it's all in there. Built on a 45nm process the chip size has shrunk 50% from the previous generation, which should contribute to higher yields and lower prices. Sample shipments start in June, so while we don't expect to see it, at least initially, in the DMP-BD50, this should contribute to significant cost savings in future models. Maybe one day they'll even cost less than a similarly-featured PlayStation 3.

[Via AV Watch & Akihabara News]

Matsushita stumbles, LG becomes top plasma supplier once again

by Darren Murph posted May 8th 2008 at 11:45AM


Believe it or not, it was around this day two full years ago that LG managed to climb atop Matsushita, Hitachi and the rest of the gang to claim the label of top plasma maker in the world. Shortly thereafter, Matsushita roared to number one and has remained there ever since -- until now. The aforesaid firm slipped from #1 to #3 in Q1 2008, as LG's share surged 34.8-percent on 97-percent year-over-year growth. Samsung SDI took advantage of Matsushita's folly and claimed the silver for the first time, while Hitachi, Pioneer and Orion closed out the bottom in that order. We've got a good feeling about PDP this year, but we aren't about to call it a comeback.

[Via Tech-On]

Room for one more? Panasonic wiggles into OLED TV game

by Darren Murph posted Apr 24th 2008 at 5:54PM

Alright, we get it. SED actually is not the wave of the future for televisions, but OLED most probably is. At present, we've got Sony, Toshiba, Samsung and LG Display (among others) all vying for your future dollars, and since competition in the HDTV space is so grand for consumers, we won't be kvetching too much about yet another entrant. DigiTimes has it that Matsushita (parent company of Panasonic) is looking to begin production of OLED displays "in the future." That's it. No juicy clues as to when, no inside information about panel sizes -- nothing. Just enough to tease you and leave you in a state of panic for the foreseeable future.

[Via OLED Display]

Pioneer, Panasonic reach basic agreement on Kuro production, first new displays due fall '09

by Richard Lawler posted Apr 24th 2008 at 9:27AM Breaking News


Pioneer and Matsushita (Panasonic) have finally hammered out the basics of a deal that will allow the latter to supply panels for future Kuro plasma displays, and plasma HDTV fans to breathe easy again. Pending a final agreement in May, dollars and cents remain undisclosed, but we can expect a fusion of Panasonic's current "Neo PDP" technology from its Viera line when they begin production May 2009 in Amagasaki before hitting shelves in the fall. Kuro will still be maintained as a premium brand (with a premium price) with different image processing, while both companies plan to keep working together on reducing power consumption and the infinite black level plasma. Pioneer still plans future Kuro LCD HDTVs based on panels from Sharp,but it'll also apparently have access to IPS technology from Panasonic's tie-up with Canon and Hitachi. See? We told you it'd be okay.

[Via AV Watch]

Matsushita talks about future plasma developments

by Darren Murph posted Mar 28th 2008 at 10:48AM


Given that Matsushita (Panasonic's parent company) is slated to start pumping out plasma panels for Pioneer, it's no surprise to hear that the company is getting serious about some seriously impressive developments. During a recent seminar full of TV geeks and gurus, the company talked of the "Fifth Wave" arriving, presumably alluding to its fifth PDP plant in Amagasaki, which is set to open up in May 2009. Generally speaking, we're told that future sets will likely be more interactive, include more "professional digital technologies" that have typically been reserved for professional models, and of course, TVs that are thinner and lighter. All in all, nothing too surprising here, but considering the expectations that come along with the Kuro name, we wouldn't be shocked to see some noticeable upgrades / innovations emerge over the next year and change.

Pioneer isn't abandoning Kuro plasma, expects same-quality panels from Matsushita

by Paul Miller posted Mar 8th 2008 at 12:38PM


If you're all broken up about Pioneer's seeming exit of the plasma business, take heart. Pioneer Executive Vice President Russ Johnston claims Pioneer's plans aren't to abandon Kuro-quality plasma displays in any way. The move to an outside manufacturer (Matsushita, parent company of Panasonic) is designed to cut cost in plasma production, but Pioneer still plans to maintain its premium edge over competitors. "The number-one goal is to make sure we can maintain our differentiation," said Russ, "and specifically our Kuro difference in the marketplace." Apparently Pioneer will be still be responsible for the video circuit and processing, the color filter strategy and other such secret sauce, and the company is confident Matsushita can step up to the Pioneer level of panel production -- even if it might involve sharing a few trade secrets along the way. Apparently Matsushita is slated to start providing the modules by 2009.

Hitachi and Canon finalize paperwork on LCD partnership

by Richard Lawler posted Feb 27th 2008 at 9:06AM

Completing the final segment of the three-way Hitachi / Panasonic / Canon LCD mashup, Hitachi & Canon have finalized paperwork on the deal. Canon will take its 24.9% piece of Hitachi Displays, Ltd, pending regulatory approval, which should pave the way for plenty of sweet IPS-enabled panels and maybe even some OLED action in the future if anyone feels up to it. The specifics are in the read link as usual, we'll judge the wisdom of this partnership when there's a new HDTV on the shelf.




AOL News

Other Weblogs Inc. Network blogs you might be interested in:

Joystiq
Download Squad
The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)
BloggingStocks
Joystiq Xbox
Autoblog
Big Download
Fanhouse NFL Blog