matsushita
Entertainment
2:00AM Wilson Rothman | You think you enjoyed Blu-ray vs HD DVD? Memory Stick vs SD? Pshaw! You haven’t seen a format war until you’ve witnessed the betrayal and bloodbath that was Betamax vs VHS. (Above, the 1/2 inch tape SL-6300 Betamax.) More »
The Dirty Backstabbing Mess Called Betamax Vs VHS
2:00AM Wilson Rothman | You think you enjoyed Blu-ray vs HD DVD? Memory Stick vs SD? Pshaw! You haven’t seen a format war until you’ve witnessed the betrayal and bloodbath that was Betamax vs VHS. (Above, the 1/2 inch tape SL-6300 Betamax.) More » 
Screens
Panasonic Turns 90, Builds 300 Million TVs, Ditches Slave Name
10:40AM Wilson Rothman | It’s been a big week for Panasonic: The company founded by Konosuke Matsushita turned 90, celebrating by both finally swapping the founder’s surname in favour of the more well-known Panasonic Corp, and by building its 300 millionth TV set. Apparently this is a record even Sony can’t touch, unless the company announces tomorrow that it will focus entirely on plasma sets that are 150 inches and above. I dunno, 90-year-olds can be quite unpredictable sometimes. Anyway, happy birthday, Panasonic—or are you going by just Panny now? [Panasonic on Giz] More »
Screens
Panasonic Now Hoping For 40-inch OLED TVs Mass Produced By 2011
11:03PM John Mahoney | Last month the projection was 37 inches. Now a more reputable Japanese paper, Nikkei, is reporting a 40-inch target being mass-produced and ready for retail in the same time frame. As always, Panasonic/Matsushita simply confirms that they’re investing heavily into the tech and goes about their business. [AP] More »
Screens
Toshiba and Matsushita to Start Cranking Out OLEDs in Massive Numbers
5:40AM John Mahoney | Toshiba and Matsushita’s joint display group is about to become the first Japanese firm to jump into the OLED production game, and in a big way–their announced factory will begin producing as many as one million 2.5-inch OLED panels per month when it comes online in the fall of next year. What could they be up to? OLED iPods perhaps? More »
Screens
Panasonic to Have 37-Inch OLED Panels on Sale By 2011?
6:42PM Gizmodo US Edition | Adding to the rumours we brought you a few months ago, the Sankei Shimbun daily newspaper is reporting that Panasonic is planning on having 37-inch OLED screens on sale within three years. And there’s more: they’ll be setting up a production line in the IPS Alpha Technology factory in Chiba Prefecture, intend to overtake their rivals in the next-gen display tech, and will sell the TVs for US$1,390. Though Panasonic apparently denies having such detailed plans, it seems a plausible timescale to me. [OLEDdisplay.net] More »
Entertainment
Old Lady Sues Tech Giants for Patents, Bakes Cakes with Lasers
10:00PM Jesus Diaz | Columbia University Professor Emeritus Gertrude Neumark Rothschild, the scourge of high-tech companies and freeway drivers, is trying to block imports from Sony, Nokia, Motorola, LG, Matsushita and Samsung, after successfully settling a similar patent lawsuit against Philips last week. The U.S. International Trade Commission is launching an investigation on 30 companies, which will affect products with short-wavelength LEDs and laser diodes that are used everywhere, from mobiles to Blu-ray players: More »
Press
Panasonic Recycling Process Turns Plastic Into “Harmless” Gas
2:25AM Wilson Rothman | Panasonic has developed a recycling technique that uses titanium oxide to convert unrecoverable plastic and other organic compounds to a “harmless” gas. The key focus is on separating wires from their coatings and extract the other rubbers and plastics that make up the non-recyclable 20% of home-appliance waste. Panasonic’s stated goal is to “completely eliminate mixed plastic waste.” And if that ain’t bold enough, the process reduces CO2 emissions, too, because the gasification process itself doesn’t require much energy. Here’s how it works: More »
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Toshiba Matsushita Develops Round LCD Display
9:00AM Sean Fallon | Yes, Toshiba Matsushita has developed a full-color round LCD display. But before you get too excited about the possibilities, keep in mind that the viewable area is only 62mm (2.44″) across with a contrast ratio of 600:1 and a resolution of 240X240. So, at this point it is not quite ready to be part of your desktop PC configuration–but Toshiba believes that it has definite potential for use in vehicle instrument panels. When this technology does come of age though, Apple could be all over it. [TMD via Technabob More »
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Toshiba To Sell Big OLEDs In 2009?
2:20AM Wilson Rothman | The news is that Toshiba plans to bring an OLED TV to market by 2009. IDG reported it, but the story got better when the Register repeated it, adding that the OLEDs would have 30″ panels. These would be larger than Sony’s white hot 11-incher; larger than the 21″ OLED TVs that Toshiba and Mitsubishi co-developed; larger even than the 27″ OLED Sony was hoping to release down the road. What’s the deal? We’ll have to wait and see—and maybe stop putting off that damn Japanese Berlitz course. [IDG/PC World via Register via CrunchGear] More »
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