Panasonic exiting analog TV business

This may not be as a big a deal as Konica Minolta completely exiting the camera business, but Matsushita Electric (aka Panasonic) has apparently decided that it's ready to completely transition its TV business to digital, and has decided to get out of the analog TV space this year. What makes the timing particularly interesting is the fact that Panasonic still has a somewhat thriving analog business; according to reports, 30% of the company's TV sales in its home market are analog. However, margins are likely much lower on those sets than on digital ones, and it looks like Panny has decided to call it quits before that percentage declines even further. (Besides, if you had to choose between making old-school CRTs and 103-inch plasmas, which would you pick?)

[Skippy @ Jan 19th 2006 4:14PM]

Just because it's a CRT based TV doesn't mean it's analog. There are plenty of digital CRT TV's out there.

[Rocket Punch @ Jan 19th 2006 4:14PM]

This is why: http://www.japanmediareview.com/japan/wiki/2011digital/

They just wanna direct all their resources to digital. In Japan no one buys CRT tv anymore, if you go into any store in Akihabara try to find a CRT tv, you might find 2 in the entire store.

[modenadude @ Jan 19th 2006 7:02PM]

I second Skippy's comment, and would like to add that CRTs are also sometimes better.

[Echo_ @ Jan 19th 2006 10:04PM]

seriously do people who work at engadget actually know anything about technology???
crt != analog

crt still offers some of the best picture quality avaible
along with get this

TRUE BLACK

[Aaron @ Jan 19th 2006 11:42PM]

I don't think he meant that CRTs are all analog, just that CRTs are older technology than plasma.

I do agree that CRTs sometimes look better, though.

[Dot Flowers @ Jan 20th 2006 3:40AM]

I know there is a CRT vs. Plasma debate going on here, but wow that is a nice TV. Anyone have any opinions on how big Plasmas will end up being?

[DON @ Jan 21st 2006 12:53AM]

All TVs are analog cause they make photons that fly across the room and hit you in your eyeballs.

[Chrys @ Jan 29th 2006 11:27AM]

I am confused. How does one differentiate an analog TV from a digital TV?
1. Is a TV digital only if it has DVI or HDMI input connectors?
2. LCD TVs (like Sharp Aquos) process signals digitally just like LCD computer monitors and they have RCA inputs to accept analog TV. Are these TVs digital or analog?
3. Likewise for Plasma TVs which process signals digitally. Are they analog or digital?
4. How does one define what a digital TV is?

[Flowers @ Mar 1st 2006 9:47AM]

It makes sense for Panasonic to leave analog behind. Many of the consumers who would be in the market for analog will make the switch faster this way. It takes a lot of resources, and manufacturing capacity to make analogs, when this money could be used to speed up the digital revolution.

[Al @ Mar 20th 2006 7:28AM]

I was annoyed when I visited my electronic store the other week and found nothing under 2,000 when a few weeks before, they still had tv's families could afford - 68cm of quality crt for around 600 to 700 bucks.

Now plasmas and lcd's are everywhere, there's nowhere for people to buy something reasonable. They do reduce energy, maybe you could write some of that off, but i would think most struggling families will be forced to revert back to 50 centimetre tvs. That's like it was back in the eighties, all because they are greedy and want more money. I haven't bought into all of this despite having a decent wage, because I can't justify buying a tv offering such low quality pictures that's susceptible to burn (plasma), when it's worth more than my first car. Now they've shafted us with poor quality and bad choices simply by drying up the bottom end of the market. Unfair!

[Diedre @ Jun 21st 2008 7:48PM]

Hello:

I don't know, if my Panasonic Television, is digital, or analong. Is there any way I can find out for certain? Thanks in advance for any information anyone might be able to give me.
Diedre