Posted on 09/14/2024 9:07:23 AM PDT by libh8er
Renowned Japanese brand Panasonic has announced today that it is returning with immediate effect to the U.S. TV marketplace after a near decade-long absence. The brand has confirmed, too, that its return won’t be some half-hearted toe-dipping exercise; in fact it’s going to be giving U.S. AV fans the opportunity to get their hands on its most premium OLED models—models deemed so good by the home entertainment world that they’re sometimes used as reference monitors in professional mastering suites.
It came as a shock to many, including me, when Panasonic announced in 2016 that it was no longer going to be selling its widely acclaimed TVs in a territory as significant as the U.S. It seems, though, that it’s been able to use the time away to restructure its TV business to a position where it now sees America as viable for trade once more.
The move also suggests real confidence from Panasonic about the ability of its latest TVs to stand out in what’s arguably the world’s most brutally competitive electronics market. And as you can see from the review I’ve just posted of the brand’s new flagship OLED TV, this confidence seems well founded. Panasonic’s Hollywood-tuned picture quality just keeps getting better, while the switch this year from Panasonic’s own My Home Screen smart system to Amazon’s Fire TV engine now definitely looks like part of a deliberate U.S.-targeting strategy.
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
Panasonic’s Technics line had the best value in stereos in the 1970s. I swear that Technics 202 sounded better (with similar speakers) than the modern amplifiers of today. Or maybe my ears are just going.
I remember buying Panasonic...way back when...
Technics and JVC have always been my go to for really great quality at not a horrible price
“I remember buying Panasonic...way back when...”
I bought a 50” 720p Panasonic plasma circa 2006 at Costco. Great picture.
Mt dad replaced his Sherwood tube receiver with a Technics. Nostalgia aside, the Technics sounded better.
I had a Panasonic solid state digital radio clock in the 70s. Lasted 24 years until it fell off the nightstand and broke the frame - electronics all worked. My first tv was a solid state Panasonic, bought in 1982. Never taken to the shop. It lasted til 1996 and I had to retire it - b/c it was not compatible with the cable provider remote.
Maybe Panasonic made things back then with highest quality that their customers did not have to buy replacements - their business plan was quality, not like most companies - longevity through planned obsolescence and equipment failure/death.
Panasonic made very nice plasma TVs. For their time, plasma TVs were the only flatscreens that could do blacks and shadows well.
“Panasonic bet the farm on 3D TV and got their arse burned.”
3D was not their downfall.
Panasonic was slow to convert to LCDs and never converted to LEDs. They tried OLEDs but no market for that.
I had a Panasonic AM/FM Cassette stereo transistor radio that lasted for many years. I think it got thrown away when I moved several years ago. But it might still be in a box somewhere. The FM swivel antenna broke off and the cassette may have died. It was about 2x4x10 inches, thus nice and compact to put into my footlocker when we went to various Army training sites.
My mother and I always liked Panasonic.
I have a 58” Panasonic Viera plasma. Bought in 2009, still going strong.
good. welcome back.
i still listen to a panasonic stereo receiver and 8 track tape deck i bought in HS that works fine. the volume pot is finally going. i also have the vintage technics turntable to go with it. by ear the sound was somehow superior to anything i heard for much more money back in the day.
I’ve had a Panasonic rice cooker that is 50 years old, and still cooks rice just fine. I’ve saved it as an antique since the daughter got me a Ninja 🥷 I also have an egg cooker from Panasonic that my parents used in the 60s when we were in Japan, still cooks eggs 🥚
My wonderful 13 yr old Panasonic Plasma just keeps going and going which is a good thing.
I don’t think that I have the cash to spend over 3 grand for their new giant OLED set.
I imagine that it is Amazing though...
The Panasonic got donated to a very appreciative elderly relative that had their small flat-screen TV die. With sizes and options available from Vizio for a couple hundred $$, it wasn't worth trying to sell it.
Although I don't plan to be in the market for a new TV within the next decade, I am interested in what products they'll put on the market, and the price points.
I have a 58” Panasonic Viera plasma. Bought in 2009, still going strong.”
I have the same Panasonic in a 48” from the same timeframe still works perfectly.
Had the same model. Weighed 100lbs.agree. Best picture ever.
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