Matsushita thinks plasma is still superior to LCDPlasma television technology has a bright future despite an onslaught on its home turf from rival LCD (liquid crystal display) TVs, makers of plasma screens told Reuters at the IFA consumer electronics fair in Berlin.
Last year, four times as many LCD TVs as plasma TVs were sold, according to research firm iSuppli, which predicts that ratio will leap to seven to one this year, as LCD encroaches on plasma's traditional territory of larger screens.
But Matsushita, whose Panasonic brand TVs are the world's best-selling plasma televisions, believes it can fend off LCD's advance through a combination of quality improvements, cost-cutting and better power efficiency.
"We have a chance because demand for bigger screens is increasing," Wada told Reuters in an interview at IFA. He said Matsushita, which is investing $1.5 billion in a plasma panel factory in Japan, aimed to stay number one in the plasma market.
He added that plasma technology, which has only been commercial for about 10 years, still had plenty of room to improve. LCD television technology has been commercial for more than 30 years.
He also said Panasonic aimed to reduce the power consumption of its sets by about 20 percent per year.
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