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Sony Working on "Different Kind of TV"

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Sony plans to revitalise the TV market by working on a "different type of TV," according to Sony CEO Sir Howard Stringer.

Sony HQSpeaking to the Wall Street Journal, Stringer says "we can't continue selling TV sets [the way we have been]. Every TV set we all make loses money."

Current times are tough for the Sony TV business-- and the TV business in general. Once the company golden child, Sony now projects TV-related losses totaling $1.15 billion for 2011.

It is also reducing sales volume and splitting the TV business into 3 entities, in attempts to return to making profit from TVs by 2014.

On the success (or rather, the lack thereof) of 3DTV, Stringer says more regular TV content needs to be in 3D-- a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation, then.

Stringer also has "no doubt" on Apple working on a TV product. Steve Jobs had actually advised Sony to "focus on a smaller number of products," even if that would involve closing business and layoffs.

Now Sony plans to directly "compete against Steve Jobs" with a "four screen strategy"-- a single seamless consumer platform uniting TVs, PCs, tablets and mobile phones.

Stringer concludes "You have bad years ... The trick is to weather them, learn from them, act graciously through them, and learn why and when you have to change."

Go Sony CEO Says Company Developing a Different Kind of TV (WSJ.com)

Go Sony TV Business: (Not So) Great Expectations

Sony TV Business: (Not So) Great Expectations

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Forty years ago, Sony regarded the TV business as a golden child-- now the company sees it as a profits-sucking burden, complete with vastly reduced forecasts, a lack of profitability spanning 8 years and soaring production costs.

Sony TV Yet more writing on a wall screaming out "the TV industry is in trouble!"

Sony slashes midterm sales targets by 50%-- projecting WW unit sales of 20M for the fiscal year ending March 31 2012 (from previous estimates of 40), together with a 4th consequtive annual loss of $1.15 billion.

The reduction in sales volume will result in penalties worth $640M Sony has to pay to Samsung, the company with whom Sony has a panel-making joint venture-- a venture Sony is negotiating to dissolve, according to sources speaking to the Financial Times.

Sony also plans a number of cost-cutting measures-- from LCD panel cost reductions to improving on model mix in developed markets and splitting the TV business organisational structure from 1 business into 3 entities.

This way, Sony hopes to return to making profit from TVs by 2014-- even if investors are described to be "unconvinced," hoping Sony would just retreat from making TVs instead. Meanwhile, TV makers Japan and elsewhere (including Grundig and Panasonic) continue facing stiff competition from South Korea and Taiwan.

Go Sony TV Business Profitability Improvement Plan

Go Sony TV Business to Become 3-Headed Beast

Go Sony Retreats From Making TVs (FT.com)

DuPont Finds Partner in AMOLED TVs

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DuPont signs a technology licensing agreement with an unnamed "leading Asian manufacturer" enabling the use of AMOLED technology in large TV display production.

TVThe agreement will allow for the production of large display at lower costs than any alternative, according to DuPont. The company has been wanting to bring AMOLED HDTVs to the market since 2006, when it announced it has a cheaper OLED panel production process.

AMOLED technology is already in use in mobile device displays and (technically at least) beats LCD technology in every way-- colour, contrast, response speed, viewing angle and power efficiency-- except production costs.

DuPont claims it "will significantly cut production costs for television-sized displays when compared to the current methods of producing AMOLED or LCD displays."

No details on the technology licensee are available as yet, but more details will hopefully be available by CES 2012.

Go DuPont Signs Technology Agreement for Large AMOLED TV Displays

Web Standards Needed for TV-as-as Service

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The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the official standards organization of the Web,  reports on the transition of TV to a service, identifying priorities to be addressed for Internet TV to become a widely available, open, cross-platform service.

W3CW3C's proposes Open Web Platform as the one solution for application development, to "give designers cross-platform interoperability." Open Web Platform priorities will be adaptive streaming (constant stream of quality video despite bandwidth changes), home networking, metadata and Semantic Web technology, and the possible extension of HTML5 for TV.

"In a world migrating from TV as a device to TV as a service available on any device," says W3C's François Daoust, co-chair of the Workshop, "the W3C is looking forward to developing ubiquitous Web technologies to enable scenarios that combine local (e.g., from home network devices) and global (e.g. social networks) sources to enhance the user experience on TV."

Right now, devices and services mainly compete on content offerings rather than functionality. This will change, says W3C..."As television evolves further into a service, people will expect the service to be available on a variety of devices, and to connect smoothly with other favorite services, including social networking and shopping. As the number and diversity of devices grows (across multiple industries), interoperability challenges will also grow."

Go W3.org on TV and web of devices

Sony TV Business to Become 3-Headed Beast

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According to Greek and Roman mythology, the 3-headed dog Cerberus guards the Underworld. Sony wants a similar beast to guard business interests, announcing it will split its ailing TV business into 3 parts.

SonyReuters says the 3 divisions cover LCD TVs, outsourcing and next-generation TVs. The company puts it as "by dividing into three divisions, we will make clearer the mission and responsibilities of these."

The company might also sell off a stake worth nearly 50% in LCD joint venture S-LCD to Samsung, sources say.

Analyst predict Sony will report even more losses for Q3 2011-- falling short of operating profit outlooks of $2.63BN for the year to March 2012, as the company fails to beat chief competitors Vizio and Samsung.

Not to mention generally wobbly consumer confidence and reports of Bravia TV sets melting down...

Go Sony Starts Moves to Overhaul TV Biz (Reuters)

Go Sony Recalls 1.6M Bravia LCDs

If You Were Francis Ford Coppola, What TV Would You Choose?

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Copolla PalazzoFilm director Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather Trilogy, Apocalypse Now, Dracula) apparently has a hobby: he recently restored and renovated a 5-star boutique hotel, Palazzo Margherita, in the historic centre of the hometown of his grandfather.

With fine stucco decoration and fresco paintings restored to their original splendor, the Hollywood director turned to another important detail: which TV for the rooms?

Coppola chose Loewe TVs for the nine suites: the Loewe Individual 46 Compose 3D TV that was a recent winner of the prestigious EISA Award Best Product 2011-2012.

The Individual Compose enables the personalisation of the TV system’s colours and furnishing. Delivering images from the 400Hz full HD LED display, with realistic 3D, and terrestrial and satellite digital decoders, the TV also includes a 500 GB hard disk and the Loewe MediaPortal with Loewe MediaNet, an app for surfing the Web and access to 500 pre-loaded Apps. Probably the 80 watts of audiophile-level music power might be top of the list of things the next door neighbour wishes you didn’t have, but you do have it.

The official opening was timed with the marriage of Coppola’s daughter, Sofia, a director in her own right, and lead singer of the Phoenix, Thomas Mars.

Palazzo Margherita boasts one of the most beautiful gardens in Italy, says the Italian Ministry for Cultural Affairs. That would make it a far cry from Apolcalypse Now…and a great setting for a Godfather prequel.

Go Loewe TV

What's So Smart about a Smart TV War?

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You are cruising on the high seas in a ship stuffed with 3D TVs... Suddenly, a shout goes up, "Connected TV off the starboard bow..."

..and everyone aboard rushes to starboard and the entire ship starts to tilt dangerously towards the water line, endangering all...

LG Smart TVWelcome to the Smart TV Wars.

It's the Age of Disruption. And all the traditional forms of content delivery have been sunk. The web disrupted the news business by firing a broadside volley against newspaper publishers. iTunes fired a shot from the good ship Apple's armoury, blasting the traditional music business model out of the water. The App Store and the humble app torpedoed the packaged software business for everyone. PC gaming is now under siege from disruption.

Everyone in the Age of Disruption suffers from Apple envy. CE companies like Samsung, Sony, LG and others would like to claw back market share, with each introducing app stores that mirror Apple's tried and tested model.

Incumbent TV makers have watched apps...the next-generation of software...already alter the mobile phone business forever (henceforth... the smartphone business.)

That's why LG joining the Net TV consortium is so important.

Read more...