Friday, December 6, 2013

RIP Plasma TVs

Panasonic has signed the death knell for its Plasma flatscreen series with the closure of its only plasma panel factory. With the rise and advancements in liquid crystal display (LCD) flatscreens.

Plasma display TVs faired poorly, it made less than 6 percent of worldwide shipments in 2012 compared to the huge 87% market share of LCD TVs.

The golden era of TV began in the 70s where new tech from brand names like Sony, Sharp and Panasonic swept into homes across the West, cutting out US manufacturers such as General Electric, RCA, Sylvania and Magnavox. But after dominating the industry for decades, sliding into deep losses and now trailing behind the South Korean usurper Samsung Electronics, Panasonic is now feeling the pinch.

The steady fall of Japan's TV industry comes as the electronics market has shifted its focus on bringing out more mobile technology to the masses. Where consumers now prefer to watch media content and shows on the fly.

Kun Soo Lee, analyst at industry research firm IHS iSuppli has this to say, "It wasn't just a failure of Japanese companies. It was also that rivals caught up quite fast."

Panasonic's plasma TV panel business will offically come to a close on March 2014.

No comments:

Post a Comment