Worlds' first 42-inch Plasma TV

Add as a preferred source on Google

TOKYO, Apr 10 (Reuters) Panasonic maker Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. said on Tuesday it planned to launch Matsushita Electric Industrial plasma TVs with full high definition resolution on April 27 in Japan.

Matsushita, the world's largest plasma TV maker, hopes to better compete against liquid crystal display (LCD) TV makers by providing a better lineup of full high-definition models, which can produce images at the highest standard of 1,920 by 1,080 pixels of resolution.

Although plasma TV makers already offer 50-inch and larger full high-def models, it has been technologically difficult and often costly to pack this technology into smaller models.

Plasma TVs, which used to dominate the market for 40-inch TVs and above, now face competition from LCD TV makers, who are aggressively promoting larger TVs at competitive prices, including full-HD models in the sub 50-inch market.

Matsushita, which controls one-third of the global plasma TV market according to DisplaySearch, plans to bring its 180 billion yen (TOKYO, Apr 10 (Reuters) Panasonic maker Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. said on Tuesday it planned to launch Matsushita Electric Industrial plasma TVs with full high definition resolution on April 27 in Japan.

Matsushita, the world's largest plasma TV maker, hopes to better compete against liquid crystal display (LCD) TV makers by providing a better lineup of full high-definition models, which can produce images at the highest standard of 1,920 by 1,080 pixels of resolution.

Although plasma TV makers already offer 50-inch and larger full high-def models, it has been technologically difficult and often costly to pack this technology into smaller models.

Plasma TVs, which used to dominate the market for 40-inch TVs and above, now face competition from LCD TV makers, who are aggressively promoting larger TVs at competitive prices, including full-HD models in the sub 50-inch market.

Matsushita, which controls one-third of the global plasma TV market according to DisplaySearch, plans to bring its 180 billion yen ($1.5 billion) plasma display plant onstream by summer 2007 to take on the LCD camp.

Matsushita also plans to spend $2.4 billion to build the world's largest plasma display factory, doubling the capacity of its existing plant, including the one due to come on line this summer.

Matsushita, also the world's seventh-biggest LCD TV maker according to DisplaySearch, has said it aimed to sell 4 million units of plasma TVs in the year ended March 31.

Matsushita shares were down 1.6 percent at 2,445 yen at 0445 GMT, compared with the benchmark Nikkei average which was down 0.53 percent.
Matsushita, also the world's seventh-biggest LCD TV maker according to DisplaySearch, has said it aimed to sell 4 million units of plasma TVs in the year ended March 31.

Matsushita shares were down 1.6 percent at 2,445 yen at 0445 GMT, compared with the benchmark Nikkei average which was down 0.53 percent.