Comments on: For Plasma TVs, Being Better Isn’t Enough

By: Alfred Poor

Alfred Poor — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 20:32:44 +0000

I'm late to the party here, but I want to point out that Panasonic is indeed playing the LCD side as well -- they've announced that they're building their own plant -- but the party line is that LCD is still for smaller than 40 inches.

As for slapping your name on a panel, I believe that the flat panel HDTV business will be defined going forward by a company's control of its supply lines. A company without its own manufacturing is in danger of have supplies cut off when demand grows to meet or exceed production. So while panels have been easy to buy when there's a glut, it has not always been so and it is dangerous to assume that panels of the desired quality will always be readily available.

By: ZNF ‘Round The Web

ZNF ‘Round The Web — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 12:39:14 +0000

[...] For Plasma TVs, Being Better Isn’t Enough You talk as if plasma is a company or brand. Most manufacturers of plasmas also offer LCDs as you mentioned, including Panasonic. And it’s pretty easy for any of these guys to slap their brand on someone else’s hardware until they ramped up more themselves. Heck, Sony was late to the LCD game not willing to give up their tube and microprojection display stuff and had no problem turning it around in a year. So while the plasma market shrinks and the cheaper (and dropping) LCD tech improves, like other tech that doesn’t reach and sustain quantities of scale, it will be squeezed out. I love my Panasonic plasma, but I’m resigned to making my next purchase a large screen LCD. [...]

By: Scott Jensen

Scott Jensen — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 16:01:38 +0000

How's the development of video wallpaper coming?

By: DaveZatz

DaveZatz — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 23:03:45 +0000

I played with two or three implementations at The Cable Show this year. Maybe Samsung, Intel and someone else? I get much out of it. Other than this sexy pic.

By: Michael Wolf

Michael Wolf — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 22:30:38 +0000

@ Dave – thanks for follow up. I have the same 42″ Panasonic as you, probably – great TV.

On 3DTV – it’ll be interesting. I tend to think that 3D could be a big market – but only if CE companies can do good job with autostereoscopic displays. From what I saw at CES, their getting closer. The trick, IMO, will be if the industry reaches a standard across DVD, broadcast and TV. The biggest thing that could kill it is competing technologies.

By: DaveZatz

DaveZatz — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 22:02:02 +0000

Oh, I agree they chose the wrong horse. But I was pointing out they are correcting course with their LCD lineup. Heck, Sony was late to the LCD game not willing to give up their tube and microprojection display stuff and had no problem turning it around in a year. (I also have a Panasonic tube (30" HDTV, bedroom) - supposedly the same core as the WEGAs but for less money and with a better enclosure. Just wish it'd die already so I can move the 42" plasma into the bedroom and get a larger LCD for the living room.;)

By: Michael Wolf

Michael Wolf — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 21:11:33 +0000

The dwindling fortunes of plasma is still significant to a company like Panasonic. Even if they have LCD TVs, there’s no doubt they made a big strategic bet by sinking significant CAPEX on the technology midway through this decade, and now, they’re stuck – good or bad – with lots of production capacity for a technology that is dying. When I talked to Panasonic @ CES 2007, they thought their bet was a savvy one, and that the technology had a long life of it. Clearly they were wrong, and this post tells that story IMO.

By: DaveZatz

DaveZatz — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:56:56 +0000

You talk as if plasma is a company or brand. Most manufacturers of plasmas also offer LCDs as you mentioned, including Panasonic. And it's pretty easy for any of these guys to slap their brand on someone else's hardware until they ramped up more themselves. So while the plasma market shrinks and the cheaper (and dropping) LCD tech improves, like other tech that doesn't reach and sustain quantities of scale, it will be squeezed out. (I love my Panasonic plasma, but I'm resigned to making my next purchase a large screen LCD.) And I doubt 3D TV tech will ever take off.