panasonic

LAS VEGAS--Panasonic has joined LG's Smart TV Alliance, which was set up to develop and use a single connected platform for televisions from 2013 onward.

The Smart TV alliance was announced by LG in June 2012 in conjunction with Philips (TP Vision), but it has now grown to include Toshiba, Panasonic, and chipmakers such as Qualcomm and IBM.

LG's Smart TV interface is arguably one of the best on the market, and this agreement goes some way to creating an industry-standard platform, which is a boon for customers and developers.

The new platform allows for 3D video, MPEG-DASH … Read more

It's always sunny at CES.

Well, not really, but Danny DeVito, the film star and one of the actors who have helped make "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" a hit for FX, is scheduled to make an appearance in Las Vegas next week to talk technology and entertainment during CES 2013.

Besides being a film producer, director, and actor (his credits include "Hoffa," "LA Confidential," and "War of the Roses"), DeVito is also a big gadget fan. As part of the event, Hanno Basse and Eisuke Tsuyuzaki, the respective chief … Read more

Panasonic says that rising demand for LCD panels will bring the company's display business back to profit in early 2013.

In the three months leading up to March 31, 2013 -- the end of its current fiscal year -- Japan-based Panasonic hopes that its panel display business will result in a profitable quarter due to rising demand from tablet and PC makers.

The ailing firm's display unit is expected to strengthen the fourth-quarter financial report as liquid crystal display (LCD) panels become a hotter commodity. In a change of business tactics, Panasonic is turning away from flat-screen displays … Read more

Panasonic will reportedly layoff more employees in an attempt to turn its business around.

Speaking to Reuters in an interview published today, Panasonic finance boss Hideaki Kawai said that his company will shed 10,000 more jobs by the end of March. During its last fiscal year, Panasonic axed 36,000 jobs. The layoffs are designed to bring the company's many ailing divisions back to health, according to Reuters.

That might not be so easy. According to Reuters, Kawai said that 20 percent of Panasonic's 88 business units are actually losing money. Half of all of its units … Read more

Not that long ago, Japanese companies such as Sony, Panasonic, and Sharp were considered premium brands.

They made virtually everything in the consumer electronics world, from televisions to microwaves and digital music players. There seemed to be no way to stop their momentum. Their products often carried higher price tags to reflect their perceived quality, and people snapped them up.

"People used to have Sony homes," said Tony Costa, an analyst at Forrester Research. "You're just not seeing that any more."

These days, the Japanese consumer-electronics giants have largely been reduced to also-rans, many of … Read more

I recently posted a list of the best TVs at every screen size. By "best" I also considered value, so some expensive models didn't make the cut.

The list below only considers picture quality and ignores value. It represents the best TVs regardless of cost, and incidentally, regardless of design and features, that we've reviewed this year. I already listed the best TV series for picture quality, but the list below goes through the field at key size points, too.

TV makers are reluctant to put the best quality into their smallest, cheapest TVs, but the field really opens up once you hit 46 inches or so. I also threw in a runner-up -- the second-best-performing TV available in each size range -- for people who don't like door No. 1.

I omitted TVs larger than 65 inches this time because the 70-inch-plus 2012 models we have reviewed aren't quite worthy. If you're unsatisfied with 65 inches, however, the 70-inch Sharp Elite is my price-no-object, mammoth-screen pick.

… Read more

Great-sounding headphones have never been more affordable. Even the least expensive headphone model on this list, the Panasonic RP HJE 355 in-ear, has oodles of detail and decent bass punch. For me the most important thing when evaluating headphones is sound balance; no frequency range should call attention to itself, so I don't like overly bassy headphones, or ones that overemphasize treble. Headphones should sound clear, not muffled or fuzzy. I prefer spacious stereo imaging over sound that's stuck inside my head. Headphones that allow music's soft-to-loud dynamics to bloom are better than ones that constrict dynamics. … Read more

I can think of few things more American than getting a giant honkin' TV for a rock-bottom price. Complete the setup with an overstuffed recliner and a cup holder, and you are living the dream.

But finding a great deal on a great big TV can be tough, especially if you actually want the thing to be halfway decent. Luckily, David Katzmaier has been keeping track of the best deals in TVs priced under $1,000 -- but measuring 50 inches and up. In fact, he already wrote about his top picks a few weeks ago.

But don't let … Read more

You know how big a TV you want, but you just can't decide which one. Here are a few suggestions.

The list below collects the highest-rated TVs we've reviewed so far this year, starting at 32 inches and going up to 70. CNET's TV ratings incorporate Value, so these aren't necessarily the hands-down best in picture quality--click here if you want those. I intentionally kept Sharp's 80-inch behemoth off the list since we didn't really like it much. The smallest TV we've rated this year, the 26-inch Samsung UN26EH4000, doesn't deserve a spot either since our hands-on review was of its 32-inch series mate, and we never compared other 26-inchers.

The rest of these sets fall between that range, and appear in ascending order of screen size. We also threw in a runner-up--the second-highest rated TV available for sale in each size range--for people who don't like door number one. Speaking of door number one, it's the Panasonic ST50 for anyone who wants a TV from 50 to 65 inches.

We also updated this list since initial publication, subbing in the still-available HX850 for the discontinued Vizio M3D470KD.

… Read more