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Behind the Scenes with Panasonic in Japan
We were invited to visit Panasonic's factories in Japan for a behind-the-scenes look at how the firm makes LCD TV panels, plasma screens and more. We also saw how it goes about recycling waste electronic products.
Vincent Alzieu
Translator: Catherine Barraclough
Updated: March 7, 2011
Translator: Catherine Barraclough
Updated: March 7, 2011
It Started with a Socket
In 1917, 23-year-old Konosuke Matsushita proposed a new model of light socket to his employer at the Osaka Electric Light Company. Given his employer's lack of interest, Konosuke Matsushita quit the firm to set up making his new light sockets on his own, creating the company that would later become Panasonic.
Top left: Konosuke Matsushita, 23 years old, founder of Panasonic.
Top middle: his employee and brother-in-law, Toshio Iue, 15 years old, who went on to found Sanyo.
Catch up with all the news from our trip to Panasonic in Japan below:
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Behind the Scenes at an Electronic Waste Recycling Plant
One of the highlights of our recent trip to Japan was a tour of the Panasonic recycling centre—a facility that recycles 1.4 million large consumer electronics devices every year.
Just Why Is Panasonic After 8K TVs?
When we were in Japan last week, Panasonic stunned us by telling us that the upcoming shift from displays measuring 1920 pixels across to 4000 pixels was just a
Panasonic Promises No Panel Switching!
Panasonic TX-LF32E30 On our recent trip to Japan, we asked Panasonic's engineers about the 2010 panel switching scandal. Panel switching is when manufacturers deliberately use different types of screen
Plasma TVs: No More Buzzing with Bright Images?
If, like some of our readers, you've noticed that plasma TVs make a slight buzzing noise when displaying light or bright images (audible when there's no sound output), then
Think Today's TVs are Expensive? Flashback to 1952 ...
While visiting Panasonic's factory in the Osaka region of Japan, we spotted this 17K-531 television set, originally launched in 1952. This was one of the very first cathode ray TVs
Towards a New Generation of IPS Panels
Visiting the Panasonic IPS panel factory in Japan was the ideal opportunity for us to take a closer look at this type of technology, as well as its future in
We've Seen Michael Jackson's Television: 152'' Across, 4K and 3D
During our visit to Panasonic's headquarters in Japan, we had the chance to don some active 3D glasses and sit down in front of a huge 152'' plasma TV.
Panasonic Really Has Got Some New Designers for its 2011 TVs!
When we first saw Panasonic's 2011 range at the CES, we teased the manufacturer by saying that it looked like it had switched its design team over from a hanful
Floating Blacks & Rising Blacks Corrected in 2011 Panasonic Plasma
Panasonic Viera TX-P50VT30 During our visit to Panasonic's factories in Japan, we got onto the topic of floating and rising blacks with the firm's technical engineers. Floating blacks occur
Panasonic Lumix TZ20 Hands-On: First ISO Sensitivity Tests
Coming soon to the UK, the new Panasonic Lumix TZ20 superzoom compact is already on sale in Japan. Given that we're currently visiting the land of the rising sun, how
An Explanation For The Drastic Reduction In Brightness In 3D
More questions / answers from the Panasonic Japan teams, with whom we have been having some excellent discussions. Why does brightness drop so much in 3D when things could be
TVs of the Future: Get Set for 4K then 8K Resolution!
Panasonic 4K Plasma TV For this instalment of our adventures in Japan, we've headed over to the Panasonic plasma TV factory. In today's question and answer session we got
Confirmed: Passive 3D to Replace Active 3D Technology
It's time for more news from our trip to the Panasonic factory in Japan. This time, we were keen to find out whether there's really a future in active 3D,
A Look Inside CCFL and Edge LED TV Screen Panels
It's not every day you get to have a look inside an LCD panel! When we test TVs and monitors, the panels are always tightly sealed off and there's no
Panasonic and 'Yellow Pixels'
In our first question and answer session with Panasonic* engineers and marketing representatives during our current visit to Japan, someone asked 'Sharp has introduced yellow sub-pixels to its Quattron panels, will you be doing that
Exclusive: Panasonic to Produce Matte Plasma TVs?
Here's some fresh news from a conversation we had with some Panasonic engineers in one of the firm's factories in Japan. Vincent Alzieu, DigitalVersus: this year, you're pushing Edge
