Audio Video News

Plasma screens are among the most promising current video technologies. Most consumers who’ve seen them say they'll buy—when the prices drop.

That may happen soon, as several manufacturers are increasing plasma production. Hitachi and Fujitsu are currently engaged in joint-production plans that could result in the production of thousands of units more per month.

On June 6, Mitsubishi Electronics announced that it would restart its Kyoto plasma display panel (PDP) factory, shut down three years ago because of what the company called "premature market timing." Initial production capacity at the Kyoto plant is about 1000 panels per month.

Mitsubishi plans to manufacture 42" diagonal PDPs for the Japanese market, with dealer shipments expected in July. Estimated retail price for the new displays is about US$6900. The announcement of domestic marketing of 42" PDPs follows a similar announcement made earlier this year that the company would offer a high-definition 50" PDP with a projected retail price of about $18,000, the HD-5010, in the US market. The HD-5010 is expected at Mitsubishi dealers sometime this fall.

Also on June 6, Japanese industrial news source The Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported that Sony Corporation has been in discussion with NEC about taking a substantial financial (¥27 billion) and managerial responsibility for an NEC plasma display manufacturing facility currently under construction. The partnership would insure Sony a reliable supply of highly desirable products, while giving NEC entrée into the upscale display market.

NEC has been rumored to be seeking a buyer for its plasma display operations, NEC Kagoshima, Ltd., in Kagoshima Prefecture, expected to be fully operational by October. Sony's PDPs are made by both Fujitsu Hitachi Plasma Display and NEC, but its percentage of NEC-sourced displays is expected to rise once the Kagoshima plant is in high gear. Sony is also an investor in the Fujitsu Hitachi plasma display venture.