Panasonic to stop making televisions...
jon s
Posts: 905
Panasonic has announced they will shut down their LCD and plasma factories in Japan in 2013 after posting $5.5 billion in losses in the past year. They will concentrate on making panels for smaller displays such as tablets and other small devices. They reports that LCD panels sales have been flat and that plasma sales have dropped 50%.
Sharp has also announced big losses in their television market ($3.2 billion, more than what the company is worth) and their stock prices have plummeted as they look for capital to bridge them through the recession. If that fails, they also may end production of LCD panels.
This will put Sony in a bind as they use both Sharp and Panasonic to make their televisions. They lost $5 billion in the past year.
Nikkei analysts have said that Japan should pull out of the television market because the staggering losses are unsustainable. The Nikkei Business story, however, overlooks a possibly significant historical lesson: Ending TV manufacturing in the 1980?s marked the beginning of the end of production, development and engineering activities for U.S.-branded CE companies in the United States. Zenith became LG of Korea, RCA became TCL in China, and the rest fits into the bleak pre-millenial history of American industrial decline.
The only major manufacturers left would be Sam Sung and LG from Korea and Vizio of Taiwan.
Sharp has also announced big losses in their television market ($3.2 billion, more than what the company is worth) and their stock prices have plummeted as they look for capital to bridge them through the recession. If that fails, they also may end production of LCD panels.
This will put Sony in a bind as they use both Sharp and Panasonic to make their televisions. They lost $5 billion in the past year.
Nikkei analysts have said that Japan should pull out of the television market because the staggering losses are unsustainable. The Nikkei Business story, however, overlooks a possibly significant historical lesson: Ending TV manufacturing in the 1980?s marked the beginning of the end of production, development and engineering activities for U.S.-branded CE companies in the United States. Zenith became LG of Korea, RCA became TCL in China, and the rest fits into the bleak pre-millenial history of American industrial decline.
The only major manufacturers left would be Sam Sung and LG from Korea and Vizio of Taiwan.
Post edited by jon s on
Comments
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Wow. Thats surprising news. Thanks for the info. Just read an article in www.eetimes.com dated 5/22/12 based on your thread. Nikkei Business seen this coming.
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What a shame, Panasonic plasma's are the best TV's on the market.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
This is very bad news. I have enjoyed my Panasonic 65" TC-P65VT50 tremendously. Less competition means price increasing eventually.Gears shared to both living room & bedroom:
Integra DHC-80.3 / Oppo BDP-105 / DirecTV HR24 DVR /APC S15blk PC-UPS
Living room:
LSiM707's / LSiM706c / LSiM702 F/X's / dual JL Audio Fathom F113's / Parasound Halo A51 / Panasonic 65" TC-P65VT50
Bedroom:
Usher Dancer Mini 2 Diamond DMD's / Logitech SB Touch / W4S STP-SE / W4S DAC-2 / W4S ST-1000 / Samsung 52" LN52B750
Other rooms:
Audioengine AP4's / GLOW Audio Sub One / audio-gd NFB-3 DAC / Audioengine N22
audio-gd NFB-10.2 / Denon AH-D7000 -
This is very bad news. I have enjoyed my Panasonic 65" TC-P65VT50 tremendously. Less competition means price increasing eventually.
For anything of quality anyway, I agree. They make it sound like TV's in general will be close to extinction but there will always be companies to supply the cheap mass produced lower quality items the world demands....and those companies won't be here thats for sure.HT SYSTEM-
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Kitchen
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lsi 9's -
I love my Panny Plasma. I guess I better upgrade while I still have a chance. This is not good news
H9"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul! -
AVS is posting a new story that this is not true, they will continue to make TV's, but for how long?Home Theater
Onkyo PR-SC5508 Sharp LC-70LE847U
Emotiva XPA-5 Emotiva XPA-2 Emotiva UPA-2
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Sony BDP-S790 Dishnetwork Hopper/Joey Logitech Harmony One Apple TV
Two Channel
Oppo 105D BAT VK-500 w/BatPack SDA SRS 2.3 Dreadnought Squeezebox Touch Apple TV -
Dishearting news if it is true. My Panny Plasma is only a few months old & hopefully will be around for years to come. I simply love it."2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up.
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AVS is posting a new story that this is not true, they will continue to make TV's, but for how long?
Link to the AVS story?"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul! -
I hope Panny continues to make them. Didn't a story like this come out about 2yrs ago??
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Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
I love my Panny Plasma. I guess I better upgrade while I still have a chance. This is not good news
H9
DITTO!
"AVS is posting a new story that this is not true, they will continue to make TV's, but for how long?"
I hope this is more accurate but history has shown these "leaked" stories to ultimately become reality.
They can thank their own Marketing for the demise of Plasma if it does become reality... -
Interesting,just about to pull the trigger on a 50U50.
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I really hope this is not true, which the link seems to indicate. My TV is better than ever but if they really were getting out of the TV business I would seriously consider picking up a VT65 before they are gone.AVR: Elite VSX-21TXH
Amplifier: B&K 7250 Series ii
Misc: Velodyne SMS-1
Mains: RTi-10
Center: CSi-5
Rear: Boston DSi460
Sub: SVS PC-Ultra
TV: Panasonic TC-P58V10
DVD: Panasonic DMP-BD60K -
CRAP!!!! First Pio and now Pano...what a shame!
Anaheim Hills CA,
HT 5.1: Anthem MRX 720 / BDP-Denon DBT1713UD / Polkaudio LSiM703 / W4S mAmp's / Polkaudio LSiM706c / Polkaudio LSiM702F/X's / SVS PC12-NSD / Panasonic TC P55VT30
2 Channel: Rogue RP-5 / WireWorld Electra power cord / Marantz TT-15S1/ Ortofon - Quintet Black MC / Marantz NA8005 DAC / W4S mAmp's / Synology DS 216+ll-4TB / Polkaudio LSiM703 -
Well, that sucks! Not in the market yet, still waiting for my old set to "die"! Looks like the S. Koreans and Chinese will be taking over here?
cnhCurrently orbiting Bowie's Blackstar.!
Polk Lsi-7s, Def Tech 8" sub, HK 3490, HK HD 990 (CDP/DAC), AKG Q701s
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Maybe they should look at the programming as an issue with new TV sales? IMHO the quality of new TV shows and movies have taken a dive. It's now harder than ever to get decent local TV reception with the digital broadcasts and cable/dish subscription prices seem to go nowhere but up. It seems the reasons to have a TV, or invest in a new one just keep getting to be fewer and fewer.DKG999
HT System: LSi9, LSiCx2, LSiFX, LSi7, SVS 20-39 PC+, B&K 507.s2 AVR, B&K Ref 125.2, Tripplite LCR-2400, Cambridge 650BD, Signal Cable PC/SC, BJC IC, Samsung 55" LED
Music System: Magnepan 1.6QR, SVS SB12+, ARC pre, Parasound HCA1500 vertically bi-amped, Jolida CDP, Pro-Ject RM5.1SE TT, Pro-Ject TubeBox SE phono pre, SBT, PS Audio DLIII DAC -
Some truth to that Doug, but in the end TV is still the cheapest form of entertainment available.HT SYSTEM-
Sony 850c 4k
Pioneer elite vhx 21
Sony 4k BRP
SVS SB-2000
Polk Sig. 20's
Polk FX500 surrounds
Cables-
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Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable
Kitchen
Sonos zp90
Grant Fidelity tube dac
B&k 1420
lsi 9's
