Panasonic To End Plasma Production

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nature boy

Panasonic To End Plasma Production
« on: 1 Nov 2013, 07:40 pm »
I really enjoy my Panasonic plasma television, great PQ and no issues since I purchased it.  It really makes my home theater system.  Sorry to see they are exiting this market:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57610172-93/panasonic-to-pull-the-plug-on-plasma-tv-panels/

NB

Atlplasma

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Re: Panasonic To End Plasma Production
« Reply #1 on: 1 Nov 2013, 08:15 pm »
I have a Pioneer plasma and was counting on moving to Panasonic at  some point. Oh well, at least OLED seems to becoming more of an option.

jtwrace

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Re: Panasonic To End Plasma Production
« Reply #2 on: 1 Nov 2013, 08:17 pm »
Mine was a turd from day one.  Oh we'll.  it finally died a few months ago.

Peter J

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Re: Panasonic To End Plasma Production
« Reply #3 on: 1 Nov 2013, 10:04 pm »
I've really enjoyed the 50" Panny plasma I bought, too...not a single problem.  I imagine there will be some discounts on 'em soon and I've sometimes wished I'd bought bigger. Might be the time to pull trigger.

jonbee

Re: Panasonic To End Plasma Production
« Reply #4 on: 1 Nov 2013, 10:23 pm »
I have a 2 year old 50" that is a joy in every way. Hmm... I might have to see if I can pick up a closeout cheap.

WireNut

Re: Panasonic To End Plasma Production
« Reply #5 on: 1 Nov 2013, 10:57 pm »
Well that sucks cause I haven't bought a plasma yet  :(

mrlittlejeans

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Re: Panasonic To End Plasma Production
« Reply #6 on: 1 Nov 2013, 11:04 pm »
Get one soon.  I picked up a P65ZT60 yesterday from PaulsTV for $3k.  IIRC, it is one of the first ones to rival the last Kuro's Pioneer made.  I wonder if the ZT's will get discounted much or if they will hold their value through the end.  They might be the best picture quality till OLED's become mainstream.

mcgsxr

Re: Panasonic To End Plasma Production
« Reply #7 on: 1 Nov 2013, 11:18 pm »
I have 3 of various vintages.

A 42 that is about 4 years old now.

A 55 that is 1 year old.

A 60 I bought this Spring.

I did not set out specifically to have only Panny's, but once I had the 42 I liked it a lot.  I did comparisons to other sets around when picking up the others and just kept coming back.

ajzepp

Re: Panasonic To End Plasma Production
« Reply #8 on: 2 Nov 2013, 12:55 am »
Dang, I'm glad I picked one up last month...

RDavidson

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Re: Panasonic To End Plasma Production
« Reply #9 on: 2 Nov 2013, 01:19 am »
I'm actually glad to see this happening. With OLED on the horizon, more companies need to join the competition to drive prices down. I'd love to have an OLED as my next TV, but won't get one until the prices are reasonable. I won't spend $10k, let alone $5k for a TV regardless of how amazing it looks.

Berto

Re: Panasonic To End Plasma Production
« Reply #10 on: 2 Nov 2013, 01:30 am »
I've owned my 50 Panny for prob 3years now and love it. I see this as a great opportunity to get a 65 panny plasma for down and dirty prices.

Woodsea

Re: Panasonic To End Plasma Production
« Reply #11 on: 2 Nov 2013, 01:56 am »
I've owned my 50 Panny for prob 3years now and love it. I see this as a great opportunity to get a 65 panny plasma for down and dirty prices.
The Z line looks real nice.  Would love to get one to replace my aging Panny.

kingdeezie

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Re: Panasonic To End Plasma Production
« Reply #12 on: 2 Nov 2013, 02:27 am »
I'm actually glad to see this happening. With OLED on the horizon, more companies need to join the competition to drive prices down. I'd love to have an OLED as my next TV, but won't get one until the prices are reasonable. I won't spend $10k, let alone $5k for a TV regardless of how amazing it looks.

You should NOT be glad this is happening.

OLED, at large sizes, within mass market consumer price ranges, is still a pipe dream. Production yields are apparently terrible, with no large leaps in improved production methods in sight.

What this means, is that the major television manufacturers, in an effort to continue to maintain profitability and drive new sales, will be pushing 4K LED LCD televisions instead.

You can pump all the lines of resolution into a TV that you want, if the display technology is inferior, you end up with a lousy picture with more pixels.

I would say to scoop up a plasma television shortly before they go extinct, less you get stuck with inferior black levels, motion, viewing angles, and color reproduction as your only reasonably priced option.

I am excited for the day I can get a 4k 92 inch OLED for under 10K though. 10 years maybe?   

 
 

RDavidson

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Re: Panasonic To End Plasma Production
« Reply #13 on: 2 Nov 2013, 03:04 am »
You should NOT be glad this is happening.

OLED, at large sizes, within mass market consumer price ranges, is still a pipe dream. Production yields are apparently terrible, with no large leaps in improved production methods in sight.

What this means, is that the major television manufacturers, in an effort to continue to maintain profitability and drive new sales, will be pushing 4K LED LCD televisions instead.

You can pump all the lines of resolution into a TV that you want, if the display technology is inferior, you end up with a lousy picture with more pixels.

I would say to scoop up a plasma television shortly before they go extinct, less you get stuck with inferior black levels, motion, viewing angles, and color reproduction as your only reasonably priced option.

I am excited for the day I can get a 4k 92 inch OLED for under 10K though. 10 years maybe?   

It will happen sooner or later. I'd rather it happen sooner and LG's 55" is a good start. Not a huge screen, but still a far cry from Sony's ridiculously small and expensive OLED attempt a few years ago. The technology is moving forward. I really don't care about high res LCD or 3D or whatever companies are trying to do to fill the gap, because I am aware of the inferiorities as you have pointed out of all current technologies, including plasmas. A bit of perspective. Do you remember how much plasma flat panels were when they first came out? I remember seeing those $20k Pioneer plasmas back in the early 2000's? How big were those? Like 40"? And $20k wasn't even the most expensive, I don't believe. I think you could pay $40k - $50k for a 50" Pioneer Elite. At the time, I never dreamed I'd have a flat panel TV. Now I have 2 in my home, not including computer monitors, smart phones, or the iPad I'm currently using. Pipe dream come true?

I'm not in the market for a new TV and am hoping my main set lasts long enough that my next TV will be OLED, AND that it won't cost more than about $3k for a 55", which is large enough for me. So to me, personally, being glad to see a large player in the plasma market stop what they're doing, I believe is a sign of ditching good (but aging tech) and focusing on the future. It is a big risk, but we all know that plasmas and LCD's are not the future anymore, OLED or possibly something else is.......and so far it doesn't look like we're going back to the days of $20k 40" screens. :thumb:

kingdeezie

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Re: Panasonic To End Plasma Production
« Reply #14 on: 2 Nov 2013, 03:18 am »
It will happen sooner or later. I'd rather it happen sooner and LG's 55" is a good start. Not a huge screen, but still a far cry from Sony's ridiculously small and expensive OLED attempt a few years ago. The technology is moving forward. I really don't care about high res LCD or 3D or whatever companies are trying to do to fill the gap, because I am aware of the inferiorities as you have pointed out of all current technologies, including plasmas. A bit of perspective. Do you remember how much plasma flat panels were when they first came out? I remember seeing those $20k Pioneer plasmas back in the early 2000's? How big were those? Like 40"? And $20k wasn't even the most expensive, I don't believe. I think you could pay $40k - $50k for a 50" Pioneer Elite. At the time, I never dreamed I'd have a flat panel TV. Now I have 2 in my home, not including computer monitors, smart phones, or the iPad I'm currently using. Pipe dream come true?

I'm not in the market for a new TV and am hoping my main set lasts long enough that my next TV will be OLED, AND that it won't cost more than about $3k for a 55", which is large enough for me. So to me, personally, being glad to see a large player in the plasma market stop what they're doing, I believe is a sign of ditching good (but aging tech) and focusing on the future. It is a big risk, but we all know that plasmas and LCD's are not the future anymore, OLED or possibly something else is.......and so far it doesn't look like we're going back to the days of $20k 40" screens. :thumb:

While I understand what you are saying, my point is, we have ditched the WRONG aging format.

Panasonic ditching plasma, does not mean that OLEDs will develop more quickly, it just means that for the foreseeable future, LED LCD, which offer inferior picture quality to plasma, will be the only option.

It is nice to think that a TV purchased three years ago, should last another 10, but, lets be honest, most things built for mass market are not built to last.

In two years if your TV breaks, because of this move, your only option will be to pay a significant amount of money for a significantly worse picture.




RDavidson

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Re: Panasonic To End Plasma Production
« Reply #15 on: 2 Nov 2013, 03:54 am »
While I understand what you are saying, my point is, we have ditched the WRONG aging format.

Panasonic ditching plasma, does not mean that OLEDs will develop more quickly, it just means that for the foreseeable future, LED LCD, which offer inferior picture quality to plasma, will be the only option.

It is nice to think that a TV purchased three years ago, should last another 10, but, lets be honest, most things built for mass market are not built to last.

In two years if your TV breaks, because of this move, your only option will be to pay a significant amount of money for a significantly worse picture.

I see what you're saying. Good points. Panasonic is obviously ditching plasma as it is best for the company. I am only hoping that this may also be a sign of technological progress being made. Product line cannibalization is a necessary process, especially in an industry where innovation is what separates a good company/product from a great one. Panasonic is obviously taking steps to stay ahead, though it may be detrimental at first.

Of course, one could always have their TV repaired if the price is more reasonable than buying a new TV. I actually cringe at the thought of my current TV being thrown in a landfill. It is 5-6 years old, but I still like it a lot and it has NEVER had any problems. I prefer to think that I paid the extra $ for a TOTL TV because it is built a bit better than the REALLY mass made sets. I'll keep my fingers crossed, though. :thumb:

FullRangeMan

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Re: Panasonic To End Plasma Production
« Reply #16 on: 2 Nov 2013, 04:03 am »
With my vintage eyes I cant say wich system had the better image, but plasma consume much more electricity.

RDavidson

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Re: Panasonic To End Plasma Production
« Reply #17 on: 2 Nov 2013, 04:12 am »
With my vintage eyes I cant say wich system had the better image, but plasma consume much more electricity.

Some of the best sensory pleasing equipment consume much more electricity : Tube amps, fast cars, women. :lol:

FullRangeMan

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Re: Panasonic To End Plasma Production
« Reply #18 on: 2 Nov 2013, 04:22 am »
Some of the best sensory pleasing equipment consume much more electricity : Tube amps, fast cars, women. :lol:
It is a abusurd that free energy had failed for the consumer home use.

RDavidson

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Re: Panasonic To End Plasma Production
« Reply #19 on: 2 Nov 2013, 05:02 am »
It is a abusurd that free energy had failed for the consumer home use.

The same can be said for many things that aren't free, but perhaps could/should be.