Who is Matshita (Matsushita, Panasonic, DVD-RAM optical drives)?

You're trying to figure out exactly what model CD-ROM or DVD or DVD-RAM drive your computer has, you open up the "System" Control Panel applet to get the answer, and lo and behold it claims your drive is a "Matshita". Who the heck is Matshita?

Actually, it's a trick question. At some point, due to some geeky limitation beyond the grasp of mortal mind, some programmer had to store a long company name in only 8 characters. The long company name was "Matsushita-Kotobuki Electronics Industries Ltd.", or more often, just "Matsushita".

If you're still thinking "Hey, I don't remember ever buying a Matshita drive.", it's possible you bought the drive from a company that Matshita owns: Panasonic. So, when you see "Matshita", think "Matsushita", and if that still doesn't make sense, then assume "Panasonic".

Matsushita has a long history in the optical drive business, often under the Panasonic name. You can expect to stumble across that mysterious "Matshita" for some time to come.

See Also

• Are you looking for Matshita or Panasonic CD-ROM drivers?

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