No longer
a rumor, Hitachi, Matsushita (Panasonic) and Canon are joining forces to shake up the LCD biz. Panasonic and Canon have each agreed to take 24.9% ownership of Hitachi Displays, which will use the investment to continue its advancement in LCD technology. Canon gets access to Hitachi's small- to medium-sized LCDs and,
OLEDs for its cameras and other products, while Panasonic looks to "enhance the competitive edge in-step with PDP models" of its
Viera line of HDTVs with Hitachi's IPS (In-Plane Switching) technology and future OLED production. Don't think
Panasonic and
Hitachi are giving up on the
Plasma Coalition, but they aren't afraid to hedge their bets in reaction to the market's demand for cheap LCDs and similar partnerships among
competitors.
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.
