Samsung to end plasma production later this year

Samsung SDI has become the latest TV manufacturer to announce that it will bring an end to all plasma production, with the move to be completed by November 30th.

It's expected to leave Samsung's fellow Korean firm LG as the last major manufacturer of plasma screen technology, with Panasonic taking a similar decision last year.

MORE: Panasonic officially ends plasma TV production

In an official statement, Samsung said: "We plan to continue our PDP TV business until the end of this year, due to changes in market demands.

"We remain committed to providing consumers with products that meet their needs, and will increase our focus on growth opportunities in UHD TVs and curved TVs."

Samsung's vice president of visual display R&D, John Ryu, has admitted before that he didn't see much future for plasma beyond 2014 due to the difficulties and expense of producing a 4K version.

One of the last Samsung plasma TVs we reviewed here at What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision was the PS51F8500. We gave it a full five stars and praised it for its strong blacks, terrific detail and impressive sound.

Panasonic's decision last October to end its plasma production by March 2014 was down its aim "to create a business structure that can respond to changes in the business environment and to accelerate the growth strategy of the company".

According to the Yonhap News Agency, industry watchers say LG will also end its plasma production in the near future, having already converted one of its plasma production lines to manufacture solar batteries. Watch this space for more.

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by Max Langridge

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Max is a staff writer for What Hi-Fi?'s sister site, TechRadar, in Australia. But being the wonderful English guy he is, he helps out with content across a number of Future sites, including What Hi-Fi?. It wouldn't be his first exposure to the world of all things hi-fi and home cinema, as his first role in technology journalism was with What Hi-Fi? in the UK. Clearly he pined to return after making the move to Australia and the team have welcomed him back with arms wide open.