Quasar (brand)

Last updated
Quasar Company
IndustryElectronics
Founded1967
Key people
Bob Greenberg CEO
Alex Stone CEO
F. Jack Pluckhan CEO
ProductsTelevisions, VCRs, record players, cassette players, air conditioners, Palmcorders, and microwave ovens
Parent Panasonic Corporation

Quasar is an American brand of electronics, first used by Motorola in 1967 for a model line of transistorized color televisions. These TVs were marketed as containing all serviceable parts in a drawer beside the picture tube. It was then established as a subsidiary brand, with all Motorola-manufactured televisions being sold as Quasar by Motorola. In 1974, Motorola sold its television business to Matsushita Electric, now Panasonic, which continued producing and marketing televisions under the Quasar brand until 2005. In 2013, Panasonic re-registered the Quasar trademark.

Contents

History

Quasar was established as a television brand in 1967 by Motorola, who wanted to emphasize the simplified design of their all-transistor television sets; the chassis was designed in such a way that the electronic components were contained within a drawer that could be slid out by a technician for easy replacement or repair. [1]

On May 29, 1974, Motorola, Inc., sold its television manufacturing division—including its plants in Pontiac, Illinois; Franklin Park, Illinois; and Markham, Ontario —to Matsushita. [2] Production of home television receivers continued under a newly incorporated entity, Quasar Electronics, Inc., an American-managed subsidiary of Matsushita Electronic Corporation of America (MECA). Motorola continued to operate a plant in Quincy, Illinois, until 1976, when this also was transferred to Matsushita. [3] In the late 1970s, Quasar Company was established as a sales operation, with Quasar Electronics, Inc., manufacturing both televisions and microwave ovens in Franklin Park, Illinois. In 1981, improved production operations at this plant were praised by the media and management specialists, and quality control employees noted that they rarely were required to repair manufacturing defects, which had been a problem previously. [2] The Franklin Park plant and Matushita's management and manufacturing processes were discussed in Theory Z , a book by University of California, Los Angeles management professor William Ouchi. [4]

In 1999, the Quasar brand was revived to serve as low-priced models of home electronics for Costco Wholesale stores, with the VHQ-940 VHS VCR model being the #1 best-selling VCR in America during the 1999 Christmas holiday shopping season.[ citation needed ] Then, VHQ-40M and VHQ-41M as successors for the next three years. Quasar's brand recognition and sales peaked by 2000–2001 and has declined ever since.[ citation needed ] By 2004, Quasar Electronics, Inc. and Quasar Company ceased to exist, after declining demand for VCRs and CRT televisions caused Costco to end the sales agreement.

After Costco ceased selling Quasar-branded electronics, the name was little used in North America, typically affixed to a few discontinued products from the Panasonic line being offered as closeout value products in drug stores and supermarkets. The trademark expired in 2007, by which time it was only being used on window air conditioners. [5] In 2013, Panasonic re-registered the Quasar trademark to be used on a wide variety of electronics. [6]

In the media

According to a 1992 episode of the PBS investigative documentary program Frontline , entitled "Coming from Japan", Matsushita's acquisition of Motorola's Consumer Division was the beginning of the downfall of the U.S. TV industry. [7] Frontline stated that Matsushita's acquisition was a ruse intended to allow Japanese-made sets, and sets assembled of Japanese parts, to avoid tariffs, with products under the Quasar brand still considered "domestically made", although Quasar's U.S.-based engineering, management and manufacturing division was slowly being liquidated. Some of the American management who transitioned to Matsushita's Quasar after the acquisition said that they were laid off en masse; they filed a discrimination lawsuit afterwards. [7] The lawsuit was initially victorious, but overturned on appeal in 1991 when the Seventh Circuit Federal Appeals Court ruled that Matsushita's decision to treat executives differently based on citizenship rather than national origin was not legally discrimination. [8]

In Brazil

Float Quartz Transcriptor Pi-One Float Quartz Transcriptor Pi-One.png
Float Quartz Transcriptor Pi-One

There was a company called "Quasar" in Brazil, [9] [10] [11] this company apparently has no connection with the original company. This company operates from 1960 to 1982. [9]

This company used the Quasar Logo described here at the end of its existence. Apparently this company was genuine as it was founded in 1960. [9] This company manufactured receivers, [12] amplifiers, turntables, [13] equalizers, [14] among others. One turntable of the company was displayed on the MOMA, [15] the "Float Quartz Transcriptor Pi-One". Only 21 units was made. [15]

Quasar QFM 1400 Tuner Quasarqfm1400.png
Quasar QFM 1400 Tuner

The company stood out because exclusive devices, like the QFM1400, [16] a turner with a "vu meter" style tuning dial.

The products were of high quality, with all electronic components being tested [17] before being used in assembly and manufacturing.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Motorola</span> American telecommunications company (1928–2010)

Motorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois. It was founded in 1928 as Galvin Manufacturing Corporation by brothers Paul and Joseph Galvin. The company changed its name to Motorola in 1947. After having lost $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009, Motorola was split into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions, on January 4, 2011. The reorganization was structured with Motorola Solutions legally succeeding Motorola, Inc., and Motorola Mobility being spun off.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VHS</span> Consumer-level analog videotape recording and cassette form standard

The VHS is a standard for consumer-level analog video recording on tape cassettes, invented in 1976 by the Victor Company of Japan (JVC). It was the dominant home video format throughout the tape media period in the late 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panasonic</span> Japanese multinational electronics corporation

Panasonic Holdings Corporation is a Japanese multinational electronics company, headquartered in Kadoma, Osaka, Japan. It was founded in 1918 as Matsushita Electric Housewares Manufacturing Works in Fukushima, Osaka by Kōnosuke Matsushita. In 1935, it was incorporated and renamed Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. In 2008, it changed its name to Panasonic Corporation. In 2022, it became a holding company and was renamed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">JVC</span> Japanese international electronics corporation

JVC is a Japanese brand owned by JVCKenwood. Founded in 1927 as the Victor Talking Machine Company of Japan and later as Victor Company of Japan, Ltd., the company was best known for introducing Japan's first televisions and for developing the Video Home System (VHS) video recorder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">S-VHS</span> Improved version of VHS

S-VHS (スーパー・ヴィエイチエス), the common initialism for Super VHS, is an improved version of the VHS standard for consumer-level video recording. Victor Company of Japan introduced S-VHS in Japan in April 1987, with their JVC-branded HR-S7000 VCR, and in certain overseas markets soon afterward. By the end of 1987, the first S-VHS VCR models from other competitors included Hitachi VT-2700A, Mitsubishi HS-423UR, Panasonic PV-S4764, RCA VPT-695HF, and Toshiba SV-950. It has been standardized as IEC 60774-3 and IEC 60774-4.

National was a brand used by Panasonic Corporation to sell home appliances, personal appliances, and industrial appliances. Neither National Semiconductor nor National Car Rental are related to Panasonic or the "National" brand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kōnosuke Matsushita</span> Japanese industrialist (1894–1989)

Kōnosuke Matsushita was a Japanese industrialist who founded Panasonic, the largest Japanese consumer electronics company. Matsushita is referred to as the "God of Management" in Japan.

Aiwa is a Japanese consumer electronics brand of Aiwa Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Towada Audio holdings. The current company was established in 2017 and creates mainly audio products; the brand is also licensed to or owned by other companies in different regions of the world, producing various electronics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sanyo</span> Japanese electronics company

Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. is a Japanese electronics manufacturer founded in 1947 by Toshio Iue, the brother-in-law of Kōnosuke Matsushita, the founder of Panasonic. Iue left Matsushita Electric Industrial to start his own business, acquiring some of its equipment to produce bicycle generator lamps. In 1950, the company was established. Sanyo began to diversify in the 1960s, having launched Japan's first spray-type washing machine in 1953. In the 2000s, it was known as one of the 3S along with Sony and Sharp. Sanyo also focused on solar cell and lithium battery businesses. In 1992, it developed the world's first hybrid solar cell, and in 2002, it had a 41% share of the global lithium-ion battery market. In its heyday in 2003, Sanyo had sales of about ¥2.5 trillion. However, it fell into a financial crisis as a result of its huge investment in the semiconductor business. In 2009, Sanyo was acquired by Panasonic, and in 2011, it was fully consolidated into Panasonic and its brand disappeared. The company still exists as a legal entity for the purpose of winding up its affairs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Videotape format war</span> Period of competition

The videotape format war was a period of competition or "format war" of incompatible models of consumer-level analog video videocassette and video cassette recorders (VCR) in the late 1970s and the 1980s, mainly involving the Betamax and Video Home System (VHS) formats. VHS ultimately emerged as the preeminent format.

Zenith Electronics, LLC, is an American research and development company that develops ATSC and digital rights management technologies. It is owned by the South Korean company LG Electronics. Zenith was previously an American brand of consumer electronics, a manufacturer of radio and television receivers and other consumer electronics, and was headquartered in Glenview, Illinois. After a series of layoffs, the consolidated headquarters moved to Lincolnshire, Illinois. For many years, their famous slogan was "The quality goes in before the name goes on". LG Electronics acquired a controlling share of Zenith in 1995; Zenith became a wholly owned subsidiary in 1999. Zenith was the inventor of subscription television and the modern remote control, and was the first to develop high-definition television (HDTV) in North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">8 mm video format</span> Magnetic tape-based videocassette format for camcorders

The 8mm video format refers informally to three related videocassette formats. These are the original Video8 format and its improved successor Hi8, as well as a more recent digital recording format known as Digital8. Their user base consisted mainly of amateur camcorder users, although they also saw important use in the professional television production field.

Emerson Radio Corporation is one of the United States' largest volume consumer electronics distributors and has a recognized trademark in continuous use since 1912. The company designs, markets, and licenses many product lines worldwide, including products sold, and sometimes licensed, under the brand name G Clef, an homage to Emerson's logo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KDK</span>

Kawakita Denki Kigyosha, is the brand name used by Matsushita Ecology Systems Co. to manufacture the group's ventilating products. Before becoming part of Matsushita Electric, KDK was a separate company not affiliated with Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. KDK was registered as a trademark in 1912 but originated in 1909 as Nippon Electric Industry Co. Ltd.

VX was a consumer analog recording videocassette format developed by Matsushita launched in 1975 in Japan which was short-lived and unsuccessful. In the United States, it was sold using the Quasar brand and marketed under the name "The Great Time Machine" to exhibit its time-shifting capabilities, since VX machines had a companion electro-mechanical clock timer for timed recording of television programs. In Japan, the VX-100 model was launched in 1975, with the VX-2000 following in 1976. The first and only model sold in North America was the Quasar VR-1000, with the VT-100 timer.

Technics is a Japanese audio brand established by Matsushita Electric in 1965. Since 1965, Matsushita has produced a variety of HiFi and other audio products under the brand name, such as turntables, amplifiers, radio receivers, tape recorders, CD players, loudspeakers, and digital pianos. Technics products were available for sale in various countries. The brand was originally conceived as a line of high-end audio equipment to compete against brands such as Nakamichi.

SirMasaharu Matsushita, was a Japanese businessman who served as the second President of Panasonic for sixteen years beginning in 1961. He was the son-in-law of Panasonic's founder, Konosuke Matsushita. Masaharu Matsushita has been credited with expanding Panasonic into a global brand during a time of high economic expansion in Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">JVC HR-3300</span> Worlds first VHS-based VCR

The JVC HR-3300 VIDSTAR is the world's first VHS-based VCR to be released to the market, introduced by the president of JVC at the Okura Hotel on September 9, 1976. Sales started in Japan under the name Victor HR-3300 on 31 October 1976. Foreign sales followed in 1977 with the HR-3300U in the United States, and HR-3300EK in the United Kingdom.

Dixon Technologies is an Indian electronics manufacturing services company, based in Noida. It is a contract manufacturer of televisions, washing machines, smartphones, LED bulbs, battens, downlighters and CCTV security systems for companies such as Samsung, Xiaomi, Panasonic and Philips. It has 17 manufacturing units in India. The company is listed on BSE and NSE since its initial public offering in 2017.

References

  1. ↑ "'Works in Drawer' Gives Motorola TV a Repair Advantage". Chicago Tribune. November 16, 1969. Section 5B, p. 7. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  2. 1 2 Hayes, Thomas C. (October 16, 1981). "The Japanese Way at Quasar". New York Times. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  3. ↑ "Motorola Completes Sale of TV Business to Matsushita". The Daily Leader. May 29, 1974. p. 1.
  4. ↑ Ouchi, William G. (January 1993). Theory Z: How American Business Can Meet the Japanese Challenge (reprint ed.). Avon Books. ISBN   0380719444.
  5. ↑ "QUASAR - Trademark Details". JUSTIA Trademarks. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  6. ↑ "QUASAR - Trademark Details". JUSTIA Trademarks. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  7. 1 2 "Coming from Japan". Frontline. PBS. February 8, 1992.
  8. ↑ "Matsushita Wins Quasar Appeal". The Seattle Times . Retrieved 25 April 2013.
  9. 1 2 3 "AUDIORAMA - Equipamentos de Audio & Video - QUASAR". www.audiorama.com.br. Retrieved 2023-10-12.
  10. ↑ "Home". quasar. Retrieved 2023-10-13.
  11. ↑ "Website Quasar". quasar.scienceontheweb.net. Retrieved 2023-10-13.
  12. ↑ "AUDIORAMA - Equipamentos de Audio - QUASAR Amplificador". www.audiorama.com.br. Retrieved 2023-10-12.
  13. ↑ "AUDIORAMA - Equipamentos de Audio - QUASAR Toca-Discos". www.audiorama.com.br. Retrieved 2023-10-12.
  14. ↑ "AUDIORAMA - Equipamentos de Audio - QUASAR Equalizador". www.audiorama.com.br. Retrieved 2023-10-12.
  15. 1 2 "AUDIORAMA - Equipamentos de Audio - QUASAR Toca-Discos". www.audiorama.com.br. Retrieved 2023-10-12.
  16. ↑ Amplificador Quasar QA5500 + Tuner Quasar QFM1004 , retrieved 2023-10-14
  17. ↑ "Sua História - Site Não Oficial da Quasar". quasar.scienceontheweb.net. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.