Panasonic Corp. has revealed plans to introduce new slimmer and more energy-efficient Plasma televisions to the Japanese market in a few months time. The company has slashed the thickness of its Plasma televisions by about three quarters. Additionally, the new Plasma sets will only consume about half the electricity of models currently available on the market.
While more expensive and power hungry than LCD, Plasma is a newer display technology that is believed to have plenty of room for improvement. Panasonic is the largest producer of Plasma TVs in the world, ahead of South Korea’s Samsung Electronics. The improvements to its product line-up are part of an ambitious Panasonic goal to double its combined sales of LCD and Plasma TVs to 15.5 million units in the year beginning April.
At around 1-inch in depth, a new 50-inch model will be offered from Panasonic in Japan starting in April, with a price tag around 600,000 yen ($6,685). A 54-inch model will be priced higher at 700,000 yen. The new models will make it to the North American market in Summer. The 50-inch model consumes an estimated 260 kilowatt hours of electricity a year.
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Seagate is extending upon its external storage product line-up to offer a home media console that can play media directly on a TV. The Seagate FreeAgent Theater HD media player, designed for a Seagate FreeAgent Go portable hard drive, can display digital photos, video, audio and similar contents on a connected television. It is controlled by a remote. The media player is plugged into the TV once and then users can easily plug in their FreeAgent Go hard drive without any hassle.
Surveys have indicated that consumers are becoming increasingly interested in products such as this, which bridge the gap between computers and televisions. A Parks Associates survey in 2007 found that more than a quarter of respondents were interested in accessing personal content directly on their TVs, while a third expressed interest in watching videos from a computer on a TV.
Consumer electronics companies are rushing to fill the gap as Internet-sourced content continues to grow. The challenge is to make a good product that can be used by almost anyone. In addition to watching movies, Seagate said owners will also be able to view pictures in HD quality, which can be arranged into slideshows with audio and transition effects being added.
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Microsoft has noted that the software attach rate for their Xbox 360 console has grown to 8.1 titles.
The software giant also noted that third-party games are generating more revenue for publishers than the Nintendo Wii and the Sony PlayStation 3 combined. In total, for the month, third-party game sales reached $300 million USD on the Xbox 360.
“We’ve created the optimal line-up of experiences this holiday season for families seeking lasting entertainment value, particularly during rough economic times in the US and abroad,” noted Don Mattrick, senior vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft.
“We have the largest library of games, TV and movie content and the most expansive and rewarding social experiences. We’re confident Xbox 360 will continue to drive record sales around the world this holiday and beyond.”
Including first-party titles, sales for the month were $408 million USD.
