....and when it gets updated to 4k video it will get another sales boost, a PS4 is going to be cheaper than a new UHD Bluray player when they get released, especially when take the price of Panasonics top of the range Bluray player into account.

Sony still remains in the top four global flat screen TV manufacturers as at December 2014:
Samsung 29.2% (2013: 26.7%)
LG 16.7% (2013: 15.2%)
Sony 7.9%
Hisense 5.5%.
Source: IHS DisplaySearch via http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2015/...arket-in-2014/

They should just concentrate on mid and high end products, reduce the wide range and stick to making more decent products like they did many years ago. Forget the budget sector that makes no money. It may not work, but it isn't working now anyway. Pioneer tried and failed but they did have a loyal following.

I can see the same problems for Samsung in 5 or 10 years time once Vestel and other bottom of the range manufacturers swamp the market and Samsung (and others like them) will struggle.

Suspect figures - given they don't list Panasonic in there.

HiSense are an OEM - but then so are Vestel and they don't get a mention. So it's difficult to know how these figures have been arrived at.

I hope they don't abandon their mobile division. I've only ever had two phones which weren't Sony (or Sony Ericsson for a period) and they've always been fantastic pieces of hardware. My current Z3 Compact is by far the best mobile I have ever had the pleasure of owning.

I don't think the figures are suspect - they're from a highly reputable source, IHS DisplaySearch.
You need to bear in mind that to appear in the top four manufacturers list, you need a good presence in Asia, America and Europe. I believe that Vestel has a good presence in Europe and the Middle East but not outside it.

Vestel is utterly unknown in North America -- I don't even think they sell there.

I have to say though that any list that misses Panasonic surely is questionable.

As it's a list of the top four (supposedly), then if Panasonic is number five then it's not on the list - it's not a difficult principle to understand

Perhaps you've prefer the 'top xxx down as far as Panasonic'

I would imagine that Panasonic pulling out of Plasma possibly reduced their world market share?.

But it means that their share is under 5.5% -- surprising to say the least, and surely lends more weight to the rumours that they'll be out of the market altogether in the near future.

It's questionable IMO because HiSense are very much a bit player in the European market -- one of the largest. I can only surmise that they're very big in Asia.

Probably big in the USA?.