Panasonic Corp. will work with U.S. electronics provider Best Buy for its launch of 3D televisions in the United States. The official launch of Panasonic’s 3D ventures in the U.S. will be on Wednesday, and Best Buy will be the main promoter of the products in the market.
Best Buy will setup viewing areas at its retail outlets across the country, where consumers can try out the Panasonic 3D products. Panasonic is aiming to sell half a million 3D televisions in the United States in their first year on the market, and expects a 50-inch Viera model to retail in the region for $2,500.
Consumer interest in 3D has been on the rise due to high-profile theatrical releases of 3D titles, such as James Cameron’s Avatar or Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. Panasonic is in 4th place in the global market for flat-panel televisions (behind Samsung, LG Electronics and Sony).
Result for: tv business
Sony Executive Deputy President Hiroshi Yoshioka has predicated by the year ending March 2013, between a third and half of all Sony Corp. television sets sold will include 3D features. Yoshioka also acknowledged that a key issue contributing to the company’s losses in the TV business is its reliance on a third party for panels. Sony buys panels from South Korean giant Samsung Electronics Co., which use LED-lacklight technology.
He said that the joint venture with Samsung has produced difficulties as well as having many positive effects too on Sony’s products. “They were a competitor,” he said, without giving any details on when Sony might be planning on producing its own displays of this type. While LED-backlit TVs have proven to be a success for Samsung, Sony may try to fight back by focusing on producing larger organic light-emitting diode (OLED) televisions.
OLED’s produce light on the display’s surface and therefore lack the need for any illumination from behind. The company already produces 11-inch OLED TVs, but Yoshioka admitted Sony engineers are experiencing hurdles while trying to produce larger panels. Until Sony can offer a full sized OLED television, the company will look for opportunities with 3D.
It has been specifically pointing out the potential benefits of 3D with gaming, linking the technology to its PlayStation platform.
Result for: tv business
According to company vice president Lee Gyu-hong, LG may be the next manufacturer to leave the plasma TV market, citing the global recession as the main reason.
Gyu-hong added that a prolonged recession would make plasma manufacturing unprofitable for the company, and that he expects LG’s official decision to exit the market to come before the end of the year.
Just two weeks ago, both Pioneer and Vizio announced that they would be leaving the plasma business, with Pioneer completely leaving the TV business.
With Vizio, Pioneer, and now LG bowing out, only two major manufacturers remain in the plasma business: Panasonic, and Samsung.
