Panasonic may stop plasma TV production

Officials at the electronics maker Panasonic are considering pulling out of plasma TV production, NHK reported.


Panasonic is the only manufacturer left in Japan that is still producing the flat screen televisions.

The company has been struggling to streamline its TV business which is being blamed as the main cause of its more than 7.4-billion-dollar deficit for a second straight business year through March.

Panasonic officials have they may stop making plasma TVs and panels as early as fiscal 2014.

Panasonic initially made huge investments in the technology, on the grounds that plasma TVs offer better picture quality on large screens, compared to liquid crystal panels.

But LCD panels eventually captured a larger share of the market, as their image quality improved and they became available in larger screen sizes.