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Posts with tag matsushita

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 it 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.

Matsushita gears up to build $2.8 billion LCD factory in Japan

by Darren Murph, posted Feb 19th 2008 at 9:31AM


Looks like we're already starting to see some repercussions from the (very) recent deal struck between Panasonic and Hitachi. Reportedly, Matsushita -- known for its Panasonic brand -- is getting set to construct a $2.8 billion LCD factory in western Japan that it hopes to open by 2010. The move is said to be in response to the weakening demand for plasmas and the increasing demand for LCDs, and when everything goes operational, the plant should be able to crank out 15 million 32-inch LCD panels per year. Notably, the facility will be built by IPS Alpha Technology, which Matsushita will be a majority owner in after "buying out Toshiba and Hitachi's stake in the venture." Better yet, it's noted that IPS Alpha could also dabble in OLED technology, so yeah, you can consider our interest piqued.

[Via About-Electronics]

Panasonic and Hitachi finalize paperwork in LCD alliance

by Darren Murph, posted Feb 15th 2008 at 4:04PM


We figured it was coming, we knew it was coming, and sure enough, it has arrived. All build-up aside, the LCD deal -- not to be confused with the already implemented plasma arrangement -- between Matsushita (Panasonic) and Hitachi has finally been finalized, and under the terms of the agreement, Matsushita will acquire a 24.9-percent stake in Hitachi Displays, Ltd. by March 31st, pending regulatory approval. It should be noted, however, that Hitachi and Canon (who is technically still a part of this wheelin' and dealin' triangle) are still working to hammer out a formal contract, but you can get all up in the fine print by tapping the read link below.

Panasonic and Hitachi in rumored multi-billion dollar LCD panel deals

by Thomas Ricker, posted Dec 19th 2007 at 7:06AM

Here's a rumor which no doubt has Sony, Samsung, and Sharp in a tizzy: Matsushita (Panasonic) and Hitachi are said to be talking specifics about multi-billion dollar panel deals. If things work out, plasma-happy Panny would get a quick foothold in the burgeoning large-panel (greater than 40-inches) LCD market while Hitachi makes a quick get away from its loss making business. Canon is also looking to invest in Hitachi to get their hands on Hitachi's smaller LCD and OLED panels. Matsushita, Hitachi and Canon all issued statements saying that nothing has yet been decided -- a far cry from denial. What was that you were saying Plasma Coalition?

Samsung and Matsushita close to settling PDP patent dispute

by Darren Murph, posted Nov 29th 2007 at 9:12AM

It takes some serious swallowing of pride -- or a rather large check -- for a company to put aside its legal beef with another and agree to move forward, but that's about to happen in the nearly two year-old dispute between Samsung and Matsushita. Reportedly, the two have "entered into a memorandum of understanding in which they have agreed in principle on terms and conditions of a formal settlement and cross-license agreement," which would finally conclude the bickering surrounding patents for plasma screens. Essentially, the two have accused each other of infringing on PDP-related patents for years, but it seems that all this holiday cheer has gotten the best of 'em. Notably, no terms of the (potential) agreement were loosed, but we're expecting some serious coin to change hands, regardless.

Panasonic's internal LF-PB271JD drive burns Blu-ray at 4x

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 17th 2007 at 5:39PM


Nah, Panasonic's LF-PB271JD couldn't hold a candle to Sony's BWU-200S in a runway competition, but when it comes to performance, we'd say the two are practically neck and neck. This unit fits snuggly within any Windows-based machine lookin' for a 5.25-inch optical drive, and it has no problems burning dual-layer BD-Rs at a furious (ahem) 4x pace. Additionally, you'll find a SATA interface along with backup software bundled in, and just in case you're not working exclusively with BD-R, it can also toast BD-RE at 2x, DVD±R at 16x, DVD±R DL at 8x, DVD-RW at 6x, CD-R at 40x and CD-RW at 24x. Of course, you'll be paying through the nose for the luxuries presented when it lands on November 10th, but the ¥55,000 ($468) asking price is still a good bit lower than what Sony's demanding.

[Via Impress]

Panasonic could beat Intel on 45nm chip release

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 3rd 2007 at 2:36AM

Intel has been touting its 45-nanometer chips for what seems like ages, but if all goes as planned, Panasonic will actually beat the chip giant to the punch by releasing products to the commercial market over a week earlier. Apparently, the six new Blu-ray recorders we spotted at CEATEC will utilize the firm's new generation "UniPhier system LSI based on the 45-nanometer process technology," and sure enough, those units are slated to hit Japan on November 1st -- a full ten days before Intel will reportedly get its Yorkfield crew out to the mainstream. Bet you didn't see that coming, now did you?

[Via RegHardware]

LCD sales holding strong, plasma sales sinking lower

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 24th 2007 at 11:07PM


Even though Matsushita joined forces with Hitachi to take on the less-than-favorable plasma market, things (still) aren't looking good in terms of sales figures. According to recent reports, PDP makers on the whole "are likely to report weak results, having lost dominance of the market for large TVs to the more popular LCD." Additionally, Samsung already posted a "worse-than-expected quarterly net loss, hurt by tumbling prices of its television screens." On the flip side, LCD producers are more likely to be holding their heads high, as sales of these sets has continued to be strong regardless of how far the prices are falling. If you're scratching your head because you thought that people preferred plasmas over LCDs, we can only assume that regardless of predilection, money talks.

Matsushita, Hitachi collaborate to take on shaky plasma market

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 9th 2007 at 8:29PM


While LG is shutting down plasma manufacturing plants and other manufacturers are scrambling to figure out precisely what happened to the once lucrative PDP market, Hitachi is doing more than just looking overseas. The firm has now inked a deal with Panasonic maker Matsushita to "start supplying Hitachi with 103-inch panels in the current business year to March 2008, while Hitachi will begin providing Matsushita with 85-inch panels next business year." Aside from the natural flow of give 'n take, the motives here center around joining forces to battle competition rather than facing the brutal marketplace alone, and this news comes not too long after whispers of LG and Samsung forming a similar alliance. Of course, only time will tell what sorts of revenue (if any) this will actually generate, but with LCD HDTV prices like they are, we can't blame these guys for giving it a go.




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