You’d be forgiven if you weren’t entirely on the same page with Panasonic regarding its micro color splitter sensor: it’s a big break from the traditional Bayer filter approach on digital cameras, and the deluge of text doesn’t do much to simplify the concept. Much to our relief, DigInfo TV has grilled Panasonic in a video that provides a more easily digestible (if still deep) interpretation. As the technology’s creator says, it’s all about the math. To let in so much light through the splitters requires processing the light in four mixed colors, and that processing requires studying the light’s behavior in 3D. Panasonic’s new method (Babinet-BPM) makes that feasible by finishing tasks 325 times faster than usual, all while chewing up just a 16th of the memory. The company isn’t much closer to having production examples, but it’s clarifying that future development will be specialized — it wants to fine-tune the splitter behavior for everything from smartphone cameras through to security systems. Catch the full outline after the break.
Filed under: Cameras
Via: GSM Arena
Source: DigInfo TV
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The Japanese consumer electronics industry continues to feel the squeeze in the economy, with one of the more painful effects being mass layoffs of workers. In the latest development, Panasonic Corp. says that it will reduce its workforce by 10,000 employees by the end of this fiscal year, which completes in March 2013. The company had already warned that it will post losses of $ 10 billion for the full year, because of writeoffs in its mobile, solar panel and lithium batter businesses.
The mobile business in particular has been seeing some tough times, with Panasonic Mobile reportedly preparing to pull out of the European market altogether, leaving it covering only Asia going forward.
While Panasonic has yet to make an official statement about the 10,000 layoffs, CFO Hideaki Kawai made the plans public in an interview with Reuters. They are part of a wider strategy to reach operating profits of $ 2.52 billion (¥200 billion) in the next three years. At the moment a fifth of its 100 business units are losing money, and there are plans for some of these to also be sold off, too.
Panasonic, along with other Japanese consumer electronics giants, have been between a rock and a hard place for a while now: on the one hand, there is the global economic downturn that has seen reduced consumer spending; on the other, the rise of Chinese and Korean, and other Asian companies making similar goods for significantly cheaper prices — or simply better quality, more desirable goods — has impacted these companies’ margins. Panasonic is a grandaddy of Japanese consumer electronics — it was founded in 1918 and remains Japan’s biggest employer — but in the last five years, it has posted four annual net losses.
The 10,000 cuts come on the heels of 36,000 layoffs at Panasonic last year. Several other Japanese consumer electronics giants have also faced mass layoffs. These include 11,000 workers reportedly getting the chop at Sharp (made public in September), and Sony announcing redundancies of a further 2,800 workers in October, part of its plan to cut 10,000 in total.
Looking to save some coin on your tech purchases? Of course you are! In this round-up, we’ll run down a list of the freshest frugal buys, hand-picked with the help of the folks at Slickdeals. You’ll want to act fast, though, as many of these offerings won’t stick around long.
Suffering from an awful case of the Mondays? Don’t fret. We’re sure a handful of gadget deals will put a little more pep in your step. Two more Canon bundles top the list this time out while a 65-inch Panasonic VIERA 3D Plasma HDTV gets a sizable discount as well. Jump down past the break to peek at the goods. As always, keep a close watch on those coupon codes and the requisite rebate forms.
Filed under: Cameras, Home Entertainment, Storage
Slickdeals’ best in tech October 29th: Digital camera bundles and a 65-inch Panasonic VIERA 3D HDTV originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Oct 2012 15:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Aggressive demonstrations in and near Panasonic’s and Canon’s Chinese factories have forced the companies to temporarily suspend operations. According to the French news agency AFP, demonstrators are motivated by nationalistic reasons and events that occurred over the past few days.
The Japanese Government bought a private yet critical archipelago in the East China Sea: the Japanese call it the Senkaku Islands, and the Chinese call it the Diaoyu Islands. The island group is just one of many islands responsible for the strained relationship between the two countries because of geostrategic motivations.
Controlling those islands is essential in order to extend the exclusive economic zones over the sea of whichever country is in control — for now, it is Japan. In the past, fishing stocks were the only incentive to claim control over an island. But over the past couple of decades, two motivations became apparent and even more important: mineral and gas resources and military domination.
An example of the importance of island control would be the infamous String of Pearls, a term coined by geopolitics experts at Booz Allen to describe the American military island bases located all around mainland Asia. And of course, gas and petroleum are a major concern for those major industrial countries, as well.
That is why the media and tens of thousands of Chinese started demonstrating against every sign of Japanese presence in major cities. Employees sabotaged assembly line operations in Japanese companies. As a result, three of the four Panasonic factories, as well as the Canon factory, will be closed for a few days.
Canon announced that work is suspended for security concerns for its workers. But, as a fire occurred in the Panasonic factory located in Qingdao, material destruction could cost a lot as well. Diplomatic buildings, small shops, restaurants, and other companies faced the same issues.
Chinese military boats are now circling the islands, and tear gas and water canons had to be used against violent demonstrators in Shenzhen. Even though Chinese officials are still quiet, the official newspaper of the Communist Party was clear: If the Japanese Government doesn’t reconsider its decision, it should fear economic sanctions. China is currently the first economic partner for Japan.
(Map: Wikimedia Commons)
If Panasonic didn’t have attention from movie producers before, it just might as of this week. Joining the quickly developing tradition of camera makers producing elaborate short movies as technology demos, the company has let cinematographer Philip Bloom wield (and tease) a “brand new G camera” to record Genesis, a fast-paced mini-drama showing a man’s race to meet his love before it’s too late. While Bloom can’t talk much about the hardware in question until the 17th, he’s allowed to confirm that the upcoming Micro Four Thirds body relies on a “superb” 72Mbps All-I codec for video — letting it capture a sprint through the streets without the compression artifacts of the AVCHD format used by most mirrorless cameras. Panasonic’s upcoming shooter also touts “much improved” results in the dark, Bloom says. It all sounds very tempting, especially if it turns out that Panasonic’s inadvertent leaks are for the same camera we see in action here. The full movie is available after the break, and Bloom has the behind-the-scenes details at the source link.
Filed under: Cameras
Future Panasonic G camera’s 72Mbps movie-making prowess teased through speedy drama (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 16 Sep 2012 23:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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If Panasonic didn’t have attention from movie producers before, it just might as of this week. Joining the quickly developing tradition of camera makers producing elaborate short movies as technology demos, the company has let cinematographer Philip Bloom wield (and tease) a “brand new G camera” to record Genesis, a fast-paced mini-drama showing a man’s race to meet his love before it’s too late. While Bloom can’t talk much about the hardware in question until the 17th, he’s allowed to confirm that the upcoming Micro Four Thirds body relies on a “superb” 72Mbps All-I codec for video — letting it capture a sprint through the streets without the compression artifacts of the AVCHD format used by most mirrorless cameras. Panasonic’s upcoming shooter also touts “much improved” results in the dark, Bloom says. It all sounds very tempting, especially if it turns out that Panasonic’s inadvertent leaks are for the same camera we see in action here. The full movie is available after the break, and Bloom has the behind-the-scenes details at the source link.
Filed under: Cameras
Future Panasonic G camera’s 72Mbps movie-making prowess teased through speedy drama (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 16 Sep 2012 23:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Though the GH3 has yet to be formally introduced to the world, a video has just appeared on an official Panasonic YouTube channel that has either been posted accidentally or is deliberately intended to build hype in the run-up to Photokina. It mainly shows off the GH3 in a range of picturesque shooting situations, but the clip also spills a few key specs, including the presence of a 16-megapixel sensor, a new version of Panny’s Venus Engine processor, a splash- and dust-proof magnesium alloy build and high-definition filming at up to 72Mbps and 60p — although it’s not clear if it handles full 1080 at that high frame-rate. We also see a a flip-out LCD that looks much the same as the GH2‘s, an f/2.8 12-35mm lens attached instead of the 14-42mm or 14-140mm glass that came bundled with that predecessor, and so far only evidence of a traditional black color scheme. Click onwards for the video!
Filed under: Cameras
Panasonic video reveals Lumix GH3 Micro Four Thirds camera: 16MP, magnesium alloy, 60p video originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Sep 2012 03:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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While filmakers have gone gaga over huge sensor’d video cameras, there’s still a need for smaller chips and pro features — to that end, Panasonic has just announced the AG-AC90 AVCCAM. Destined for event and corporate users, it features three smallish 1/4.7-inch CMOS sensors (“3MOS” in company-speak), a 12X zoom, native 1,920 x 1,080 at 60p, 60i, 30p and 24p, and a five-axis image stabilizer. As for video quality, there’s a new “premium professional” recording mode with 28 Mbps throughput at 60p, on top of 24 Mbps and 17 Mbps modes. With two memory card slots, the camcorder supports Panasonic’s proprietary UHS-1 cards, and fortunately works with SDXC and SDHC to boot. It’s slated to arrive in “late fall 2012,” according to the company, and will ring the register at $ 2,250. So, if the first thing that pops into your mind is not DOF, but zebras, timecode and XLR inputs, check the PR for all those specs.
Filed under: Digital Cameras
Panasonic AG-AC90 professional camcorder: three CMOS sensors in a handheld package for $ 2,250 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Aug 2012 07:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Thanks to recent certification from the FCC, the Panasonic Eluga Power has just earned its figurative passport for travel within the United States. We first met the 5-inch behemoth back at Mobile World Congress, which packs a dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 and Android 4.0. At the time, it was thought that the smartphone only supported quadband GSM and 2100/900MHz UMTS connectivity. The story has changed a bit, as FCC documents reveal additional 3G support for the 850MHz spectrum. While the Eluga Power’s usefulness here in North America is still rather limited, those who’d hoped to import one can now do so with a solid pat on the back from the FCC.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless
Panasonic Eluga Power earns nod of approval at FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Jul 2012 03:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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We’ve got a big, no, massive soft-spot for the GX1 around these parts. It was being reviewed during this year’s CES and our man behind the lens rapidly became the object of our envy. In fact the only thing that really made us wince when testing it was the $ 950 price for the kit model — otherwise we could feel our wallets opening obligingly. But how about those of you who did opt for one of these beauties? Does your experience match our own, or were there some unexpected bumps along the way? Now’s your chance to share them with us.
How would you change the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 Jul 2012 22:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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