Chapter 577: Sony Betamax Admits Defeat
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In the 1980s, the video output devices of mainframes and minicomputers were intelligent terminals, and personal computers in their infancy used various signal lights to indicate the operating status.
The app1e-i designed by Woz can be connected to a TV through a specially designed circuit. This is the first time that a personal computer has a display output device.
Wait until the second development stage of personal computer after the launch of app1e-, the display output device has evolved into a crt display similar to the green screen or orange screen of the mainframe and minicomputer intelligent terminal. Of course, its functions cannot be compared with smart terminals.
Since then, computer hosts and monitors are used for data processing, and game consoles and TVs are used for entertainment, forming a new application division of labor.
The original commercial personal computer crt monitors were all monochrome displays, which could only display green characters on a black background or orange characters on a black background, and often only supported characters.
With the gradual reduction of memory prices, personal computers have room to enhance the video output function, and the specifications of crt monitors are also constantly improving.
But it was the second-generation Fangyuan personal computer and the ibm- that really brought about a leap forward. In this third stage of development, color crt monitors entered the market as the mainstream, and the biggest beneficiary was the personal computer platform. Video games too.
Usually, the manufacture of crt monitors is handled by personal computer manufacturers. For example, Apple has its own crt monitor production line. The latest product is a monitor that supports graphical user interface functions; It won't do it by itself.
Although Fangyuan Computer also has its own crt display production line, it mostly distributes orders to subordinate industrial groups, such as the Hsinchu Science and Technology Park in Baodao, or simply OEMs.
It is undeniable that the traditional home appliance giants that produce TVs have inherent advantages in manufacturing crt monitors, and Fangyuan Computer's OEM partners are referring to them. These include Sharp, Philips, Sony, and more.
With the unique single-gun three-beam color cathode ray tube technology - Trinitron, Sony occupies an important position in the supplier of high-end monitors used in Fangyuan graphics workstations.
It is precisely because of this reality and the entanglement of many commercial interests in the vision that it is difficult to let go. After Tang Huan slapped Sony in the face that decided the final victory of the VHS video tape format. I have to come over attentively, for fear that I will be out of more business, and I won't even have a chance to drink soup.
Compared with another design scheme of color picture tube - three guns and three beams,
Trinitron with a single-gun three-beam tube structure uses one electron gun to simultaneously emit rgb—red, green, and blue three primary color electron beams. One??Reading??·1 to k?a?n?s?h?u?·The biggest advantage it brings is that the three-color convergence is easy and accurate, and theoretically there is no problem caused by the different aging degrees of the three guns. Color cast, the color perception is bright and clean.
In addition, the current Trinitron is convex horizontally and straight vertically, which is called "cylindrical picture tube". Compared with the "spherical picture tube" adopted by most competitors, it has a flatter and more natural look and feel, and the geometry is damaged. smaller.
With these unique advantages, the price of Sony's Trinitron crt monitor is high and expensive.
Users who can afford a Fangyuan graphics workstation. The budget is often relatively generous, so in many cases they choose the Trinitron bsp with better performance in the configuration plan; the next generation of 32-bit personal computers will be a platform that can last for decades. Milestone updates in terms of processing performance, including resolution, number of colors, and other indicators, will be improved.
Demand stimulates consumption, and applications drive demand. Applications such as video games, video, and graphics are undoubtedly the most attractive to ordinary consumers.
Tang Huan who saw this. I hope that Sony can push Trinitron CRT monitors into the mainstream market and do a good job of "face engineering" for the fourth generation of Fangyuan PCs.
Akio Morita said reservedly: "Trinitron, which has condensed countless painstaking efforts of Sony, has gone through 16 years since it was launched in the market in 1968. It has already equated with high-end and quality, and hastily changed its market positioning. , the risks involved are really difficult to assess.”
Seeing that the other party was still putting on airs in front of him, Tang Huan smiled lightly, "I understand that Trinitron is the lifeblood of Sony. It will have its own consistent approach in business. But just like video tapes, Walkmans and other markets, there is no Which product is indispensable, and alternative solutions can always be found, then I will hand over this cooperation to Philips and Sharp.”
A few years later in the original time and space, Akio Morita and Japanese politician Shintaro Ishihara co-edited a book - "Japan Can Say No".
The book is known for advocating that Japan should increase its autonomy in all fields, including economics and diplomacy, especially relative to the United States. Because it was launched under the climate of Japan's economic growth, the book quickly became a hot topic of discussion.
Akio Morita said in the book: "The militant Japanese who provoked the war for no reason, and the brutal Japanese who caused the Nanjing Massacre, these are two misunderstandings of the Japanese, and they are also "beating Japan". Two root causes. We must take steps to eliminate it."
It is not difficult to see from this that Akio Morita is a hardliner among the Japanese business elite, and at the same time he is tirelessly promoting the globalization of Sony's technology and management philosophy. ??One?Reading 1·
No matter how gentle such a person looks on the outside, the superiority and arrogance in his bones are the real essence.
Tang Huan, who has already figured out Akio Morita's temperament, is not used to his faults. If the other party is interested, then he can save some effort and use Sony's ready-made solution; if he is awkward and unconvinced, then kick him Kick it off and find another replacement.
Akio Morita's face froze, and he thought that I was still waiting for you to bargain, why did the road be blocked all of a sudden.
Dahe Dianxiong on the side saw this, and couldn't help being clever, muttering to himself, how similar is this situation to the situation when negotiating the betamax video cooperation, President, are you going to repeat the same mistakes? We can't be bigger than anyone else.
Thinking of this, Dahe Nianxiong quickly opened his mouth to smooth things over, "Mr. Tang, the cooperation you mentioned is a brand new proposal. It is of great importance. We need to go back and evaluate it carefully. Why not. Let's start from the easy to the difficult, let's talk about what we already have. Basic cooperation matters."
Tang Huan nodded slightly, "Then where is the right place to start talking?"
"We came here this time with sincerity. For example, after discussion, Sony is willing to accept the infrared remote control data standard and the A-V terminal standard." Norio Ohga made the groundwork first, and then tentatively stated the purpose, "In addition, The thing that you invited us to join the alliance before... we can restart this cooperation."
"I don't have any objections, but Sony should also show its sincerity." Tang Huan smiled playfully, "The battle between betamax and vhs formats has been settled, why doesn't Sony directly announce that it will give up continuing to support betamax."
Hearing this, Dahe Dianxiong's face was also a little stiff, and it was really unreasonable to slander Tang Huan.
"Sony has invested huge resources in betamax, it is impossible to just give up like this." Akio Morita took over the conversation and replied.
"So, Sony still wants to make betamax struggle to the death?" Tang Huan asked in a drawn-out voice.
"Mr. Tang, you misunderstood. It is impossible for Sony to give up support for betamax directly. This is irresponsible to users who have already purchased betamax recorders. It will seriously damage our reputation." Norio Ohga quickly explained: "However, Sony The promotion of betamax home video recorders can be gradually abandoned."
I asked why the two of you came together. It turned out that one was going to be a bad face and the other a bad face.
Tang Huan snorted softly, and said impatiently, "It's a lack of sincerity to be so obsessed with words. If you want to give up, then just give up. What's the point?"
Norio Ohhe immediately complained: "Mr. Tang should be able to imagine that we still have a lot of betamax products in stock. We must find a way to properly deal with them. In addition, they are our biggest partners, and we always need to communicate and negotiate with each other. Let's go."
Tang Huan sneered, "That is to put all one's eggs in one basket on the video tape business. In fact, there is only one piece of skin left. It is hard to say whether it will survive next year. Do you care about it?"
"Okay, as Mr. Tang wishes, we will end the sales of betamax home video recorders within this year and apply for authorization instead. We will produce VHS video recorders." Akio Morita looked directly at Tang Huan, "Now, Mr. Tang should be able to feel our support Be sincere."
"So, Sony still has hope for the application prospect of betamax in the broadcast field?" Tang Huan, unmoved, continued to exert pressure.
"In the high-end field of broadcasting, the u- format of the era has laid a good user base for Sony. We have no reason to give up." Speaking of this, Akio Morita even asked, "Isn't it?"
"Alright, I think it will be good to witness the experience of the big waves washing the sand one more time." Tang Huan made a gesture, "Then invite Sony to join the alliance's home entertainment application team."
"We still don't know the operation mechanism of the alliance. Could it be that there are different categories in it?" Norio Oga heard the subtext and asked quickly.
"Naturally, digital video is a brand-new application field after all, and of course the specific work needs to be refined." Tang Huan tapped pointedly: "I hope that Sony can make an effective contribution to the promotion of industry standards."
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Tang Huan had no extravagant hope of taming Sony. After all, Akio Morita’s Sony management philosophy was globalized, and he was thinking about taming other people. As long as some of the technologies Sony mastered could be used by me, that would be fine.
After the intriguing negotiations, Tang Huan invited Akio Morita and Norio Oga to attend his thank you reception. The two parties seemed to be in a happy and harmonious manner, as if the betamax was beaten to death by VHS in the previous video tape format war. Existence is the same, making others look surprised.
Tang Huan specially invited some celebrities in the Japanese film industry to attend, because next year will be the anniversary of the end of World War II, and he wants to find a team mainly composed of Japanese to shoot a commemorative film.
In addition, Tang Huan also specially promoted the Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada, who officially debuted in 1978, at the reception. His role as an alchemist in "Phantom of the Tomb: Wrath of the Dragon Emperor" can also be regarded as helping the film to be released. warmed up.
In fact, Hiroyuki Sanada, who is only 24 years old this year, had the experience of participating in Chinese-language films as early as 1982. It was produced by Wu Siyuan and Yuan Heping, and Li Yuanba, Shinichi Chiba and Hiroyuki Sanada starred My martial arts movie is called "Dragon Ninja".
The box office of this movie was so-so, which made Yuan Heping look for a cash cow according to Cheng Long's standard. Li Yuanba had a good foundation to become a kung fu star.
Chiba Shinichi and Sanada Hiroyuki were specially introduced by Tang Huan on such a high-profile occasion. They were overjoyed and wished that the blockbuster "Phantom of the Tomb: Wrath of the Dragon Emperor" would be released in Japan soon, so that their careers Take it to the next level.
Seeing Tang Huan dancing with his long sleeves among all kinds of people, Akio Morita asked Norio Ohga in a low voice, "Tell me, what benefits does Tang Huan want to get by showing such a polite attitude in front of these film industry celebrities?" ?”
"Doesn't Tang Huan have a big film group? Using a low profile to make friends with these people is nothing more than for the box office of the Japanese film market." Norio Ohga replied naturally.
"It shouldn't be that simple. He randomly arranges an executive to win people's hearts. Although the effect may not be as good as his own, it is enough to cope with various rules in the film industry." Akio Morita shook his head, "We have already discussed Well, the reason why betamax was defeated like a mountain and out of the game is closely related to Tang Huan's too good cards, such as the Hollywood film company."
Norio Ohga nodded in agreement, "Yes, his Hollywood film company stood up and raised its arms, and immediately helped the VHS camp attract a large number of clear supporters, which greatly weakened the foundation of betamax's program content. , has become water without a source.”
Akio Morita put his wine glass down heavily, "So, Sony should also have a well-established Hollywood film company, which can not only increase the right to speak for the next generation of home entertainment platforms, but also help to further promote the company's brand worldwide. Reputation."
Dahe Nooro smiled wryly, "I've heard a saying that Tang Huan combined the three lowest-ranked Hollywood companies into a top-notch production group. In other words, Tang Huan has already bought all the bargains. The rest are big, hard bones, and we simply can't afford them."
"As long as you raise enough funds, you can't believe that you won't be able to take it down, just like when you borrowed a huge sum of money from the bank to develop Trinitron." Akio Morita said fiercely with his eyes shining brightly.
? (To be continued.)
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