24
Aug
2006
AV Zombie: In a bid to double shipments of flat screen TVs, Panasonic is expected to begin assembly of their LCD TV range in Russia this September.
Parent company Matsushita Electric is forecasting its annual profit will rise 23 percent in 2006 as it doubles shipments of the flat-screen TVs. The company also predicts that its share of the global plasma TV market will rise from 35 per cent to 40 percent this year.
21
Aug
2006
EDA Geek: Samsung has developed the world’s first 70-inch LCD panel for consumer use – due to be unveiled later this week.
They will begin producing the 70-inch during the first half of 2007, bolstering Samsung’s position in the ultra-large-screen TV segment. The company will then also be in a position to compete head-to-head with plasma and projection TV makers.
Their 70-inch boasts full high-definition resolution (1080p) and a conical viewing angle of 180 degrees.
21
Aug
2006
AV Zombie: Dutch giant Philips is looking to pull out of its joint venture LCD manufacturing deal with LG.
Volatility of the LCD panel market led Philips to post a huge loss over the last quarter and according to a report in the Wall Street Journal, they are now thought to be seeking a buyer for their stake, worth around 5 billion US dollars. One possible buyer is Matsushita – parent of Panasonic.
18
Aug
2006
T3: The first LCD screens to have 3 HDMI inputs have been released by Toshiba.
Previously, the most you’d find on any one TV was two. Here, Toshiba have put 2 HDMI connections at the rear and one at the side.
They’ve called this range the Regza WLT68, featuring 32, 37 and 42-inch models.
The 32-inch model will go on sale 18th September, with the 37 and 42-inchers following on 9th October – prices are yet to be confirmed.
07
Aug
2006
Engadget: Sony is finally getting serious about quitting the low-profit (for them, at least) world of plasma — and it would appear they’ve finally done it.
Sony has been seeing a sharp decline in shipments, from 300,000 in 2004 to 100,000 in 2005, and profits have been slim due to the lack of their own plasma display factories. They plan to increase LCD shipments to pick up the slack, and hope to increase their shipment ratio of 40-inch plus LCDs by 50% before year’s end.
They’ve also contracted construction on an eighth-generation LCD plant, which should start production in fall 2007, and handle 50,000 glass substrates a month. Sony hopes to boost LCD sales 33% in 2007 to a whopping eight million units, and if it means bigger displays and lower prices we sure won’t be complaining.
27
Jul
2006
LG Electronics is planning to expand its global line-up of full high-definition LCD televisions by adding two smaller models: 37″ and 42″. LG currently sells 47″ and 55″ LCD TVs with full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels.
Until recently high-def TVs with 1080 lines has only been available on sets with large screens. However as technology improves and prices drop TV set makers are adding it to smaller screen models to stay competitive.
The new full HD models will appear in Europe in the third quarter of 2006. (source: digitalworldtokyo.com)
27
Jun
2006
Although stakes where high, flat-panel tv’s did not boost sales during the 2006 FIFA World Cup in the U.S. This despite earlier predictions. All sales was below expectation of many suppliers.
Due to this there is a positive note for cunsumers planning to buy a device. The lower sales led to increase inventory and stronger price reduction especially for smaller size LCD TV panels.
In short can be said that Americans are not into soccer or futbol.
(source: news.com)