All Articles Tagged Plasma

Grant Clauser | 10/21 07:11 AM, 6 Comments

While there are three major TV manufacturers - LG, Panasonic, Samsung - still producing plasma TVs, one of those three is scaling back considerably on its output. Panasonic, according to Reuters, will reduce plasma TV production and cut its workforce by about 1,000. Reuters describes Panasonic’s plasma TV business as a “loss-making television unit.” Panasonic will stop making plasmas at its Amagasaki No. 3 factory by the end of March 2012, according to Reuters, which also speculates that Panasonic plans to sell off an LCD factory. Related: Sony Recalls 1.6M… View this story

Grant Clauser | 01/27 11:50 AM, 4 Comments

When Pioneer left the HDTV market in 2009, a large hole was left in its place. While the company continued to remind people that it was, at heart, an audio brand, its plasma TVs (in particular its Kuro line) had developed a strong reputation as being among the industry's best. Other companies have tried to step into that spot, notably Panasonic, which acquired a lot of Pioneer’s plasma technology. Now it looks like Pioneer Elite is back in the TV game with the help of another display manufacturer, Sharp. Pioneer… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 04/09 05:56 AM, 8 Comments

Even with all of the wonderful mount manufacturers out there, sometimes you just can’t find the perfect solution. In this case, integrator Easton Altree of E Cubed in Portland, Ore., engineered his own mount to hang a plasma from above. Altree had a 0.25-inch brushed stainless plate cut to the TV’s size. Holes were drilled into it to match up with the mounting holes on the display. The fabricator welded a stainless tube to either side of the plate, through which the stainless cables would run. To hold the mount… View this story

Stephen Hopkins | 02/24 09:22 AM, 1 Comment

CRT TVs. Laserdisc. VHS. Beta. CED. All of these once represented a state-of-the-art technology, but have since made their way to that big home theater in the sky. Many think plasma displays also are dead or are on their way out. But plasmas shouldn't be relegated to the book-ends of the display market just yet, not as far as LG and Panasonic are concerned. LG is releasing eight new plasmas, including its INFINIA line. Trying to kick the stereotype that plasmas are thick and heavy, the INFINIA series includes a… View this story

Arlen Schweiger | 11/22 08:19 AM, 0 Comments

With the California Energy Commission banning the sale of inefficient TVs starting in 2011, we thought we'd take a look at some of the top "green" TVs on the market. LCDs typically require much less power than plasmas, which have seen Pioneer and Vizio drop the technology within the past year. LCDs are becoming more and more efficient, thanks to full backlighting by energy-friendly LEDs and features like: Local dimmingAmbient light sensingAuto-off settingsHome viewing modesTV efficiencies will get even better. DisplaySearch forecasts that "large area" LED backlights will surpass conventional… View this story

Tom LeBlanc | 11/20 07:41 AM, 2 Comments

A great thing about being a custom electronics client is that you don't have to worry about the details. You can just say what you want and wait for it to happen. "Mount the flat panel right over the fireplace." "Make it so I can see the TV regardless of the direction my chair is pointing." "Have the TV be invisible until I want to watch it. Then have it burst through the wall like the Kool-Aid man." CE pros, meanwhile, are all about sweating the details. It's required to… View this story

Robert Archer | 10/01 10:37 AM, 0 Comments

By now the subject of commoditized video is tired. However, it's a fact of life that can't be avoided, and dealers simply can't wish away the shrinking margins. Dealers who are looking to tackle this dilemma do have some options, nevertheless: One, get out of the category; two, sell premium brands such as Runco, Fujitsu or SIM2 that offer higher performance and margins; or three sell discounted video products in conjunction with power conditioners, furniture, universal remotes or upgraded audio systems. Dealers that choose option No. 3 should investigate products… View this story