http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/ ... firm_panel

The sooner Sony realises it's not a big brand anymore the sooner they'll see that their strategy's doomed...

I think you're wrong. Their are many people who still believe "It's a Sony" means it's quality guaranteed. Seriously; look at their laptops and tell me you wouldn't have liked one in your Christmas stocking? They're delicious - but expensive.

Sony is a top brand, but then so is Samsung.

I still think of Sony as a big brand. Certainly more than Samsung. Unfair really as Samsung make decent stuff, I just can't get the image of cheapness out if my head.

My monitor is Samsung. I do rate some of their stuff, and in my experience I prefer their TVs to many of Sony's offerings.

But as a pure brand? Sony is still shining brighter than any other big name I can think of. It's only geeks who read geek magazines (and x404) that will choose a Samsung knowing it's a better product that the Sony equivalent. And I believe they're right to believe. I confess to being something of a Sony fan-boy, despite some of their more rubbish TVs and the PS3

I'm a bit of a Sony boy as well. My WEGA telly is so good, I just can't bring myself to go hd yet.

We have both Sony and Samsung TVs in the house, and whilst on a technical basis the Samsung is superior, overall I think the Sony is a superior TV.

Out of my own tech. I have a Samsung monitor and a Sony TV, and I think I made the right call on both counts - the Samsung monitor is excellent all round (especially the display), and whilst there were technically superior Samsung equivalents to the TV I got (mostly Full HD as opposed to HD-ready), the Sony has superior sound, superior EPG, superior playback options and the look of it screams quality.

It's the attention to the "user experience" and overall quality that people expect from every Sony product.

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I see them as equals in terms of being big brands. They both are.
However I seem to buy Samsung when it comes to household electronics as Sony are a bit too expensive.
Having said that I do have a Sony laptop. But my TV is Samsung, and I'm looking at getting a Samsung Bluray player.

My brother has a couple of Samsung TV's and I've got a Sony one.
I'd have to say I find the Samsung interfaces a lot more clunky than the Sony ones and that's been equally true of the Samsung mobile phones I've had a play with (I haven't tried any of their Android offerings however).

On the other hand, the last 3 HDD's I've bought have all been Samsungs, shame they've sold that bit to Seagate IIRC.

It's not about Brands, it's about markets. The LCD display market either is or is about to become utterly commoditised (seriously, have you seen the price of LCD TVs & LCD monitors recently?) in which case the vast majority of the profit to be made in that market already has been and it will only reduce from now on. Sony have obviously done some maths and decided the profit they stand to make by selling them between now and whenever LCD screens get overtaken by the next generation of technologies is somewhat less than the near billion dollars Samsung were willing to pay for it.

Samsung obviously think otherwise but personally I suspect Sony have a better handle on the current state of R&D and the likely onset rate of new tech than Samsung do.

Jon

I suspect OLED will still take a while to take off for TV's and monitors (I know mobiles often use them). I'm sure samsung will make their money back on this before that happens. We've just bought a Samsung LED backlit TV a few months ago. The picture quality is brilliant. I'm sure there are people like us who still have/had CRT TV's that need replacing in the near future.

I have a Samsung TV in my lounge and the bedroom TV is some make I have never heard of but we bought it because it has a built in DVD player and a Samsung panel.

I really shouldn't start stuff with just a PS3 joypad to hand

What I was getting at regarding the Sony brand was that they seem to think they're on top of their game, when any figures I've seen down the years have suggested they're haemorrhaging money on nearly everything bar films and games

These excerpts from the article kinda sum up the requirement for a brand loyalty that the Koreans seem to be dominating recently (if anyone is):



To me that says 'Apple'* far more than 'Sony'. Actually I'd love to know how the 'halo effect' breaks down for Apple, I'd guess it's quite impressive with their margins

* Cos I can't think of anyone else who's capable tbh

EDIT - Somebody would need to buy me a Sony laptop at their prices, but I'm not the sort of person who could justify one in any sense really

LG announces 55-inch OLED TV panel, gotten round the expensive manufacturing process apparently...

http://www.techradar.com/news/televisio ... el-1050426

Hmm, I'll believe it when I see it...