Toshiba and Matsushita Electric Industrial will jointly manufacture small electroluminescent displays in an effort match the output from Korea-based makers, according to a Japanese report.
Toshiba and Matsushita Electric Industrial will make EL display panels.
(Credit: Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology)The two companies will set up manufacturing lines in Ishikawa Prefecture in the fall of 2009, aiming to produce 1 million "high-quality" 2.5-inch organic EL displays, according to a report in Monday's Nihon Keizai Shimbun.
This is a first for domestic Japanese production of EL displays on this scale, the report said. The displays are targeted at cell phones and other small devices.
EL displays are based on organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology that uses electroluminescent organic materials. The display panels are extremely thin because they don't need backlights. The electroluminescent layer contains a polymer substance that directly converts electricity to light.
The companies are chasing Samsung, which has already begun mass production. The goal is to bring costs down and stabilize quality. This then can be applied to the manufacture of larger-size TV panels.
In December, Toshiba said it would postpone production of larger (up to 30-inch) organic EL displays and would focus initially on mass production of smaller displays.
Toshiba has a 60 percent stake in the venture Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology, while Matsushita holds 40 percent. The operation is capitalized at 15 billion yen ($140 million).
Panasonic has been tapped to pinch-hit for Pioneer.
The two television makers said Wednesday they had come to an agreement in which Panasonic will produce the panels for Pioneer's plasma televisions.
(Credit:
Pioneer)
The news comes a month after reports surfaced that Pioneer was pulling out of the plasma business. When Pioneer confirmed it would be finding someone who could make the panels more inexpensively than it could, there was a sense of dismay and disappointment among fans of its Kuro technology. Pioneer plasma TVs are generally regarded by experts--including CNET Reviews' David Katzmaier--as having the blackest black levels of any TV on the market.
In a joint statement, the two companies said they will build a new type of panel that integrates Pioneer's Kuro technology and Panasonic's NeoPDP, which it currently uses in its Viera TVs. Panasonic will have the panels sporting the new, combined technology ready for Pioneer by the second half of 2009.
Panasonic is the largest producer of plasma TVs, so the panels should be more affordable for Pioneer, which is trying to cut costs. Neither has said how much the panels will cost.
Panasonic, which is really called Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., will officially change its name to Panasonic starting October 1.
The name change, which may prompt calls for a holiday from copy editors, will help the company simplify its branding and messaging. The company already shifted over to the Panasonic name in the states. In Japan, it has continued to go by Matsushita, but the products are sold under the Panasonic brand. (The company's design showcase in Tokyo is also called the Panasonic Center.)
The company will also change the name of its National subsidiary, which specializes in household appliances, to Panasonic in 2010. (The National Center, chocked full of crazy household appliances like a $20,000 sleep systems, is a great place to visit. The National Center also has an .)
Matsushita Electric was founded in 1918 and was first known as Matsushita Electric Housewares Manufacturing Works. The company tinkered a bit with the name in the 20s and 30s but settled on Matsushita Electric Industrial in 1935.
(Credit:
Popgadget)
Faced with endless competition, massage chairs have bloated to egregious sizes in an effort to cram in as many features as possible. They kind of remind us of the Windows operating systems of the mid-'90s.
But what about the petite consumer? A smaller-boned individual might be swallowed whole by one of these undulating monsters. That's why Matsushita has made a chair that it says is sized more appropriately for women, smaller than most in height and width by 10 centimeters (about 4 inches), according to Popgadget.
The chairs, which aren't available yet in the United States, will reportedly start at $1,800. Apparently, smaller doesn't necessarily mean cheaper.
(Credit:
Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology)
If razor-thin OLED screens do eventually supplant LCDs as some predict, there may still be hope for liquid-crystal display technology--in a new shape.
Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology has created a circle-shaped LCD that could be used for digital instruments in cars, according to Fareastgizmos. Why a circle? Because it can fit in certain parts of the dashboard better than cornered shapes, as well as particular design styles. (Think speedometers, tachometers and such.)
Besides, it's a much more dignified fate than resorting to a gimmicky engagement ring box.
CHIBA, Japan--The decisive battle between Blu-ray and HD DVD is at hand, says a prominent Panasonic exec.
Blu-ray manufacturers are going to start cutting prices and go out on a promotional binge this holiday season, Matsushita Electric Industrial's Kazuhiro Tsuga said during a briefing with reporters at Ceatec, a large tech trade show that started here Tuesday. At Matsushita, which is best known for its Panasonic brand name, Tsuga is an executive officer who oversees networking efforts, some home electronics technologies and overseas labs, and other areas.
By the end of the Christmas season or the end of the first quarter, the writing will be on the wall. The format war in earnest may last only another year, he predicted.
"The BD (Blu-ray disc) companies will try to do our best to promote Blu-ray," he said. "The studios want us to put money in to promote it."
He added: "By the end of the year, you will see good products with very good promotion."
The Blu-ray coalition is also working on ways to cut the price of slim Blu-ray drives and recorders to allow the technology to infiltrate notebooks and PCs.
And wouldn't you know it--Matsushita has new Blu-ray players on the way. The three models will handle 18 hours of full-HD programs on a dual-layer disc and will go on sale November 1 in Japan, according to Reuters.
Tsuga's no fan of combo players that conjoin Blu-ray and HD DVD features. Last year, he called the idea "stupid, stupid." He pretty much repeated the comment this year and said that Matsushita still has no plans for such a device.
He downplayed Paramount Pictures' commitment to release movies on HD DVD exclusively, saying it only lasts for 18 months, and argues that studios are going with HD DVD "because big money came" to them. (Microsoft, Toshiba and Intel are the main backers of HD DVD.)
(Credit:
Akihabara News)
For today's lesson, boys and girls, we'll learn how to make energy consumption fun! Unlike boring grown-up devices like the "Intelliworks," which are about as interesting as a thermostat, Matsushita Electric's National brand has created an anime-driven home regulator that the whole family can enjoy, according to Akihabara News, at least in Japan.
And how can anyone resist a system that uses penguins to help improve household efficiency? (Certainly fellow Craver Caroline McCarthy couldn't.) Let the little guys loose on this animated interface and let the savings begin.
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