After Mitsubishi suddenly and unexpectedly suspended production of its flagship LaserVue HDTV in early February, many took the liberty of believing that the end was nigh for this extremely high-end set (given the not-exactly-booming economy). We contacted Mitsubishi in order to follow up, and today we've received direct confirmation that the LaserVue is indeed "back in production." In other words, the supply channels are all moving smoothly again, and whatever caused the issue to begin with truly was simply a snag and not a foreshadowing of the set's death. Too bad this thing is still up near seven grand in many places -- after seeing one in action, it's hard to look at any other technology the same way.

We had heard that certain Mitsubishi representatives had been telling Diamond dealers that production had been suspended on the outfit's flagship LaserVue HDTV, and sure enough, the story is true. We have confirmed with Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America that the outfit has "temporarily suspended production of LaserVue televisions due to a problem with manufacturing equipment used to produce LaserVue TVs." We're also informed that "Mitsubishi Electric engineers are taking the necessary action to ensure that the company resumes production as quickly as possible, while maintaining the highest standards for product quality and reliability." So far as we know, this isn't a sign of sudden discontinuation, as Mitsu has affirmed that it's "expecting production to resume in early 2009." We'll update with more as we get it in.

Update: We asked a few followup questions, and we did find that Mitsu isn't anticipating any supply issues, which indicates the problem may be short lived (or at least it hopes so). As for an official comment on what went wrong? "LaserVue production was suspended due to a manufacturing equipment issue." That's all we've got.

[Thanks, Chuck]

Hey Sony -- we know that experiencing your first annual operating loss in 14 years calls for drastic measures, but this is bordering on downright rash. Barely a month after announcing that 16,000 employees would be axed, Sony has now revealed plans to close one of its two television plants in Japan and rid itself of 2,000 domestic full-time jobs as it attempts to "revive its electronics business." Of note, it's stated that those 2,000 -- which seem to be a part of the previously mentioned 16,000 figure -- will be shed via "early retirement and other programs." Just think what a 40-inch XEL-1 would do for business. No, seriously Sony, just think.

[Image courtesy of DigitalWorldTokyo]

We heard recently that Sony was looking to ship real live Blu-ray Discs to China despite rampant reports of piracy, and now that very company is partially responsible for a newly activated BD production facility. This week, a plant in Shanghai began producing official Blu-ray Discs, and it's all thanks to Shanghai Epic Music, a joint venture of the SMG-controlled Shanghai Synergy Culture and Entertainment Group, the Shanghai Jingwen Investment Company and Sony. The facility's monthly production capacity is half a million discs, and not surprisingly, it'll produce wares for both domestic and overseas markets. Alright guys, now let's keep this place legitimate -- we don't need any KIRFs pumped out during the night shift.

Panasonic already notified the world that it would be moving all plasma panel production to two facilities, and now it's announcing a cut back in investment dollars previously earmarked for a separate pair of plants under construction in Hyogo prefecture. In an effort to take slumping flat-panel demand into account, it's scaling back its investment through 2012 by around $1.5 billion to ¥445 billion ($4.9 billion). Interestingly enough, Panny is simultaneously aiming to "boost its flat TV unit sales by 50 percent next business year," which should be pretty tough unless it steals some serious share from Samsung and LG. Let the battle wage on, we say.

If your doctor was getting up to speed on a new surgical procedure via video footage, you'd want that video to be in HD, right? Thanks to Dr. Diethrich, a co-owner of VAS Communications in Phoenix and also Medical Director at Arizona Heart Hospital, that's now a possibility -- VAS Communications recently rolled out its HD production truck, complete with its own 2.4-meter antenna for satellite uplink. Also onboard are a Panasonic HD video switcher and an Yamaha digital audio console for putting everything together. The "HDMD" is the first HD production truck in Arizona, so you just know that between medical telecasts it's been pressed into action for local news work.

We already caught Panasonic gloating about its H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC-related Emmy earlier this year, but now the full list of award winners are getting their moment in the spotlight. TV Technology is reporting that a number of entities, outfits and agencies responsible for fostering growth in the high-def arena are set to accept Emmy awards on the eve of CES 2009. Some of the big winners are the Advisory Committee on Advanced Television Service, Advanced Television Systems Committee, the Advanced Television Test Center and the Advanced Television Evaluation Laboratory, all of which helped in "devising the standardization of the ATSC Digital System." Also of note, the Metropolitan Opera was gifted with an award for its achievement in HD "cinema-casting," and awards are headed to Toshiba, Sony, Panasonic, Hitachi, Philips, Molex, Japan Aviation Electronics and Intel (among others) for their work on HDMI. Glasses up to the victors!

Come one, come all to the flat-panel production cutting party. Just look at these spectacles on stage -- AU Optronics, Sharp, LG, Panasonic, Sony, Toshiba, Hitachi, et al. We'd say that this is getting downright bizarre, but we suspect that's plainly obvious by now. As the output-cutting bandwagon continues to take on passengers, LG has too decided (purportedly, at least) to downsize its plasma panel output starting in 2009. Potentially more striking is the assertion that it may "completely halt production of its 32-inch panels," which are losing it money hand over fist. The interesting bit is that nearly half of LG's PDP output is at the 32-inch level, so unless it starts digging into another size, it'll have quite a bit of equipment (and employees, we imagine) sitting idle. And to think -- things looked so much brighter just three years back.

It's not pulling a Sony or anything, but even Sharp has been unable to absorb the downturn in flat-panel demand. We already knew that the firm was looking to scale back production by as much as 10% from the middle of this month, and our deductive reasoning skills are leading us to believe that this is the cutback we've been expecting. The outfit will be closing down two LCD panel production lines in Japan in order to "move production to a newer and more cost-efficient plant as the global downturn hits demand for electronic goods." Along with the closings will come 380 job cuts -- all temporary workers -- which will presumably be sent home when the lines halt for the final time in January.

Man, what a difference a year few months makes. At the front end of 2008, panel makers the world over were boasting about big investments to expand production lines and live large on Malta. Now, it's tough to go a week without hearing of at least one plant closing. Take Taiwan's AU Optronics, for instance -- in February of this year, it pledged $9.3 billion to build a pair of LCD factories. Now, it's placing those lofty plans on hold, noting that construction on "two new LCD plants" would be delayed by at least six months. According to chairman KY Lee: "One has to use the brakes and slow down a bit on a downhill path." A curious analogy, but we suppose it works.

With practically every other flat-panel maker out there cutting back production like it's going out of style, it's no shock that rumors were a-flowin' that LCD maker Chi Mei Optoelectronic would soon be following suit. After suffering a $125 million loss in Q3 and facing a grim Q4, the outfit has proudly proclaimed that it has zero intentions of shutting down factories or otherwise lowering production in order to counter the slump. 'Course, CMO did trim output by around 20% last quarter, but in an official filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange, it clearly stated that it currently had "no plans to close factories as reported by the media." So, what exactly is it doing? Encouraging employees to take unpaid vacations. Interesting.

[Image courtesy of UberGizmo]

And just like that, another mainstay in the flat-panel world is forced to make significant business changes to deal with drooping demand and a bizarre economy. Shortly after Sharp announced that it would likely be cutting LCD panel production by around 10%, in flies word that Panasonic is making an even more drastic move. Currently, the outfit produces 65-inch plasma panels at a plant in Ibaraki, while all other sizes are concocted at two factories in Amagasaki. Starting soon, all sizes will be made at the pair of plants in Amagasaki, a move that will supposedly cut production costs by up to ¥4 billion ($41.92 million) per year. Panny is hoping to use the Ibaraki venue to "concentrate [on] development and testing of flat-panels," which follows logic given its intentions to spark up a "development segment for LCD panels there next fiscal year."

Sharp hasn't cut production in its Kameyana plant since it began operating in 2004, but it's dangerously close to dialing things back a bit. As with practically every other flat-panel manufacturer out there, Sharp is feeling the pinch of the worldwide economic crisis, and as demand weakens for LCD TVs / LCD monitors, it's looking like now is an opportune time to slow things down. Purportedly, the company is considering scaling back production by as much as 10% from mid-December, though it is still expecting to reach sales of 11 million LCD TVs in the year ending March 2009.

Ah, how quickly things can change in this volatile, volatile world. At the tail-end of June, Samsung seemed pretty adamant that it would be keeping its flat-panel production lines humming along as usual. Enter a tiny factor called the worldwide credit crisis, and that plan begins to look terrible. In an effort to "cope with excess inventory amid lackluster demand from global markets," Sammy has decided to lower its panel output by about 5% (which it has been doing since August, actually), though it is keeping a close eye on demand in case it needs to ramp back up in short order. Whatever happens, we're just hoping for lower prices for consumers come Black Friday (and beyond).

Even with all the partnerships and plant expansions, Sony and Toshiba still think they can't meet demand and keep price down for their LCD HDTVs. Word from Japan's Nikkei over the weekend indicates Sony is upping the share of LCD TV production subcontracted out to Taiwan, Mexico and China-based manufacturers from less than 5% last year to 20% in fiscal '08, adding up to 3 million screens. Toshiba's cut a deal with a manufacturer in China to make 20% of its TVs this year, as it and Sony load up to do battle in the 30- to 40-inch size range. Of course, Sharp and Panasonic claim keeping things in-house give them an important tech edge, but the Vizios of the world would beg to differ and it looks like Sony and Toshiba have decided if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

[Via Trading Markets]