Sony, Panasonic team-up on next-generation TVs

Technology Jun. 26, 2012 - 05:52AM JST ( 11 )

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11 Comments

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REMzzzJun. 26, 2012 - 07:37AM JST

Companies like Sony and Nokia have been resting on their laurels far too long. Just like the American auto industry has at one point, building cars that at a time of gas shortages compared unfavorably to the practical and well built Japanese compact cars, which moved in to fill the market demand. While GM's best offering of the time, the Chevy Vega project ended up mismanaged by bureaucrats and on the receiving end of Wildcat strikes.

Empires rise and fall, so do corporations. Lots of stuff can be learned from history, but it seems that unwieldy and overgrown bureaucratic enterprises don't have the guts or the brains to look back and see those same mistakes, and correct theirs before a tipping point is reached where it becomes too difficult to fix anything. The market changes fast, but it's not magic or unpredictable. You simply have to keep an eye on upcoming technologies and consumer habits, respond in time and not keep an excess of useless drones who collect a salary regardless of company performance.. those guys are a money drain at times when the company doesn't earn well enough to justify their existence.
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FoxieJun. 26, 2012 - 08:35AM JST

Excellent! All we need now is good TV channels. You would think that in this age, it wouldn't be a problem having a TV that would show movies and documentaries with a choice of subtitles in different languages. It would also be good if you could chose what to watch at your own convenience. No more time restrictions. If, one day, they provide that, I will watch TV again. This OLED technology doesn't mean anything to me right now.
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Robert DykesJun. 26, 2012 - 08:54AM JST

"All we need now is good TV channels" whats a TV Channel. I haven't watched cable TV for 10 years. more and more people are moving to just downloading the shows they want.

I think 3D hurt these companies far more than it helped. Tons of R&D costs. Slow sales. It will never pick up at 100% like HDTV has. Too many people out there with 1 blind or bad eye, and nearly 10% of people get headaches watching 3D.
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herefornowJun. 26, 2012 - 09:05AM JST

“Each company plans to utilise its own strengths to develop and commercialise its own competitive, high-performance, next-generation OLED televisions and large-sized displays,” the firms said in a joint statement

What am I missing? How are they "teaming up" if each is going to devlop and commercialise" on its own?

The market changes fast, but it's not magic or unpredictable. You simply have to keep an eye on upcoming technologies and consumer habits, respond in time and not keep an excess of useless drones who collect a salary regardless of company performance..

REMzzz -- spot on. Even this new technology will not make these companies competitive if the rest of their cost structures are still based on pre-bubble models/economics. Have to be lean and mean in all areas, not just production. For example, cost of going to market in Japan with new products is exponentially more expensive than elsewhere due to the stranglehold Dentsu and Hakuhodo have on media/promotion. Japan Inc. is on life-support, and everyone sees that, except the guys at the top.
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REMzzzJun. 26, 2012 - 09:06AM JST

@ Foxie,

Right on!

Maybe Sony should do something about its entertainment division... a discount on all the movies and recordings they own, if you buy their TV... that would do much more to regulate consumption.

OLEDs are nice, however the market is already overflowing with older TV sets that are still in perfectly good condition. Plasma, LCD and rear projection. When many people were suddenly forced to upgrade by the analog to digital broadcast signal conversion, the demand created a temporary and unsustainable "boom". Manufacturers raised their output to match, but by then, consumption dropped off to less than it was before, when the majority of owners now feel that they are good to go for the next 7 years. Good luck now, the bubble has burst.

But buyer beware. OLEDs will burn out faster than a regular LED backlit LCD panel. It's an expensive toy with a limited lifespan.
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svidetic@gmail.comJun. 28, 2012 - 12:35AM JST

everybody have a glass on window at home. glass is everywhere on cars... idea is a device which transmit a TV program via antenna or broadcast on glass. you simply attack the device on glass and connect to antenna and the TV start. the problem of TV, IS LIGHT. so you have enough light from sun on glass, it is invert of normal TV, you must convert light into shadows and shadows are picture.
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globalwatcherJul. 21, 2012 - 05:04AM JST

Michael BonincontriJun. 27, 2012 - 03:02PM JST

@REMzzz

Companies like Sony and Nokia have been resting on their laurels far too long. Just like the American auto industry has at one point, building cars that at a time of gas shortages compared unfavorably to the practical and well built Japanese compact cars, which moved in to fill the market demand.

American auto industry was not efficient enough and research and development far behind Japanese car-makers. that's why they suffered

The problem in Japan is, they focussed too much and too long on electronic industry where it's very difficult to protect copyright laws, so the Korean did everything what the Japanese invented, AND Koreas salary for an company-worker is half of the Japanese one. it's logical they can produce much cheaper in Korea!

Mr. Michael Intelligent, Korean electronics industry stole many patents from Japanese. Shame. Before opening your mouth, do more research on this. Japanese electronics industry is moving ahead beyond home appliances market.