Panasony: AS Sony and Panasonic struggle in the TV market, the duo are tipped to unite forces in a bid for survival.
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Japanese TV rivals, Sony and Panasonic, are said to be in talks to jointly develop the next generation of flat panel TV’s – possibly OLED technology, reports WSJ.
The joint venture could help offset the massive costs associated with development of TV technology for the struggling makers.
However, the talks are still in early stages, the Journal indicates, meaning the tie up isn’t a done deal, just yet.
Just today, it emerged thier Korean competitors, Samsung and LG, who have taken the lead in the TV race globally, will release OLED sets in Q3, which could costs anything from $8000 and up.
Ultra bright organic light omitting dioxide screens (OLED) are hailed as the next big thing in TV’s, and are super slim -around 4mm – which is thinner than an iPad.
OLED uses missive organic material when supplied with an electrical current delivering a brighter screen with higher contrast, eliminating the need for back-lighting and using 20% less power than traditional LCDs.
LG OLED TV boasts features like boast features including voice activated remote control, 3D while Samsung are said to be working on OLED screens that can bend.
The move comes as both Sony and Panasonic reported heavy losses recently, with the latter reporting delivered a US$5 bn loss for the first three months of 2012, this week.
Panasonic’s TV sales this year will decline to 15.5 million units (from 17 m in 2011), it also announced.
And the Viera maker predicted it will lose money from selling TVs in 2012.
