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Panasonic To Stop Making LCD Panels For TVs (nhk.or.jp)

Posted by BeauHD on from the end-of-an-era dept.

AmiMoJo quotes a report from NHK WORLD: Japanese electronics maker Panasonic says it will stop making LCD panels for televisions, giving way to fierce price competition. The pullout from TV LCD manufacturing follows the company's withdrawal from plasma TV production 3 years ago. They say they will continue to manufacture LCD panels at the plant for products other than televisions, such as medical equipment and cars. They say the company will keep making Panasonic-brand televisions, using panels supplied by other manufacturers. After Panasonic pulls out, Sharp and its Taiwanese parent firm Hon Hai will be the only producer in Japan.

4 of 103 comments (clear)

  1. Just make a dumb TV by Faw · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I really just want a dumb TV. No android, no apps, no speakers just inputs.

    1. Re:Just make a dumb TV by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I really just want a dumb TV. No android, no apps, no speakers just inputs.

      So... a monitor?

      Sure, a monitor... but with all the extra niceties that come with a TV. Built-in tuner, remote, ability to properly handle video refresh rates properly, lots of inputs/types of inputs, and even the increasingly unnecessary audio passthough can be helpful in some cases. Also, while speakers aren't necessary, a headphone jack would still be nice, because a cheap & easy way to set the correct audio delay on your receiver is to listen to the audio from your receiver and TV at the same time. Do it once and never use it again.

    2. Re: Just make a dumb TV by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Nerds don't necessarily pay cable bills. There are lots of other priorities.

      Lots of us would rather order stuff from Digi-Key or Element 14 with that money. Or upgrade the stepper motors in the mill.

      You don't call out nerds for not watching enough teevee.

  2. Re:sad by Dcnjoe60 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    plasma production stopped because LCD screens were so much cheaper that it was no longer competitive. Likewise, they are stopping LCD screens for the same reason. They can't compete with the cheap screens being massed produced by others. They are staying in the niche markets where quality matters more than price, but how long is anybody's guess.

    More importantly, since there is now only one major producers of LCD screens, how long before prices start going up?