With the news that Sony is now effectively outsourcing its TV and home theatre products to a new joint venture with TCL, I've been a bit nostalgic this week.
Back when I was a kid, Sony was like Apple. It was the epicentre of innovation for audio and visual products. If it wasn't a Sony, it was a product that wanted to be a Sony.
I have so many memories of Sony AV product launches from the past 20 years. I recall hustling to see Sony's first OLED TV, the 11-inch XEL-1, which cost $6,999.
I remember going "eyes on" with the experimental 3D viewer at CES back in 2011.
I also recall visiting the Sony museum in Tokyo and seeing some of the brand's earliest TVs, including the iconic Trinitron.
And of course, I remember my own Bravia TV mounted on my wall, which has done an incredible job over the past 10 years.
The move to split off its TV arm to a joint venture with TCL won't kill off the brand by any means, but it still gives me pause. I remember when Pioneer's plasma was the best TV you could buy, hands down. The company no longer makes TVs.
Panasonic filled the gap in Pioneer's market, but 10 years later Panny no longer really competes in the TV market.
It's a cutthroat industry, and Sony is obviously doing what it thinks it needs to in order to survive.
I really hope it does.
Until next week
–Nick