Reborn Tech Maniac

Chapter 283 The Hero Is My Enemy
Sony quickly started to make use of this technology. It launched the first Reel-to-Reel video recorder 1963' PV-2 in 100 for business, medical, aviation and educational purposes. Philips' similar product is 1'EL3400 .

These applications are in the professional arena, but the first VCR for home use also appeared in 1963 with the Telcan of the UK Nottingham Electronic Valve Company - UK Nottingham Electronic Valve Company.

However, the shortcomings of this product are too obvious, the price is expensive, it can only record 20 minutes at a time, it only supports the only black and white format available in the UK, and it is quite difficult for users to assemble it by themselves.

But Japanese companies are best at solving these problems. In 1964, Sony launched a more mature and usable home video recorder, the CV-2000.

Ampex and RCA followed suit in 1965 with their own Reel-to-Reel black and white VCRs for the home consumer market, priced under $1000.

At the same time, non-encapsulated disk systems gradually evolved into box systems.

In 1970, Sony and seven other co-manufacturers developed an industry standard, the Sony U-matic system, the world's first commercial videocassette format.

This videotape uses 3/4 inch - 1.9 cm tape and has a maximum playback time of 90 minutes.

Due to the ease of use, U-matic video recorders quickly swept other video tape systems in Japan and North America, and were widely used in TV stations, schools and business fields.

It can be said that from the 1950s to the 1970s, the development of the video tape system belonged to the stage of technology accumulation and survival of the fittest, and it was far from the success of the mass market.

It wasn't until the late 1970s, when European and Japanese companies developed advanced machines with more accurate electronic timers and longer recording times, that VCRs became a mass consumer product.

Until now, there were three competing, physically incompatible standards for videocassette technology.

Among them, the Video 2000 format, which ranks third, was launched by Philips in 1978.

This product is only sold in Europe. Due to its limited features and unreliable reputation, its prospects are pessimistic. It can be regarded as a passer-by and ignored.

It has to be said that Japan's innovation capabilities may not have much advantage, but it has repeatedly occupied the top spot in the world in terms of technological improvement and optimization.

And this videotape format dispute is a good proof.The remaining two standards belong to Japanese companies. One is Sony, which was the first to launch Betamax, and the other is JVC, which quickly followed up and launched Video Home System-VHS.

Of course, although the manufacturers who participated in the previous stage of the development of the video tape system became spectators, this did not prevent them from following suit and making money.

Through the success of U-matic in the first battle, Sony has accumulated a deep technical background in the field of video recorders. Betamax evolved from U-matic and was launched in 1975. It uses 0.5 inches - 12.7mm video tapes, The storage method is helical scanning, and the number of magnetic heads is 2.

Normally, Betamax, like U-matic, supports a recording time of 60 minutes according to the usage habits in the professional field.

However, in 1977, Sony introduced the SL-8200, a long-time video recorder that adopted this standard.Two hours of recording time are available.

The VHS standard was developed by JVC in 1976, with support from Panasonic behind it. Its most obvious feature is that, under normal circumstances, it directly supports a recording time of two hours.

Comparing the two, VHS provides a longer playback time than Betamax, and the tape transport mechanism is not as complicated as Betamax.

In addition, the fast forward and rewind speed of VHS is much faster than that of Betamax, because the playback head has left the tape before the tape scrolls at high speed.

In terms of picture quality, the Betamax format is better, but this advantage is often not as attractive to users as the longer playback time, and when it entered the United States, it was sued by Universal, which was afraid of impacting the film business.

The reason why Sony's Betamax lost in the second stage of the video recorder standard competition is very complicated. For example, it has become arrogant because of its victory in the first stage of market competition. Independence leads to lack of partners and so on.

However, JVC and its backstage boss, Panasonic, have a low enough attitude and a flexible enough attitude. When RCA asked to increase the playback time by reducing the picture quality, Sony refused, and Panasonic knelt and licked.

In this way, the balance of power between the two camps has undergone a decisive change.

However, Betamax, which was defeated in the field of mass applications, is favored in the field of broadcast applications, after all, the latter cares more about image quality.

According to the historical development trajectory, the direction of this standards war will not become clear until 1984. Before that, each of them was desperately trying to seduce the market and seize the market.

Tang Huan is familiar with the stakes and how to choose, but his own strength is impressive after all. If he stands on Sony's side, maybe Sony will win in the end.

Therefore, the original situation of time and space can only be used as a reference, and Tang Huan has to do some actual research to know what he knows.

Under the advance arrangement of Hideaki Yaskawa, Tang Huan first visited Sony Corporation, and its chairman Akio Morita and director Norio Ohga personally entertained them, while the president Kazuo Iwama failed to show up due to health reasons.

Tang Huan didn't care about this, because he knew that according to the historical development, next year, Kazuo Iwama would die of cancer, and Norio Oga would take over as president.

In other words, in the next decade or so, Sony's head of family will be Akio Morita and Norio Ohga.

Although it seemed that he was being treated warmly, Tang Huan did not have any mood swings.

I am worthy of such a standard, and the courtesy of the Japanese is only out of respect for the strong.

Even though he nodded and bowed and was polite, he still had the evil idea in his head.

During the exchange of greetings, Tang Huan made a special observation of Akio Morita, who was very famous in Japan.

This person served as a naval technical lieutenant during World War II and met Ibuka, so after the war, the two co-founded Sony.

Like most company founders, Jing Shen is specialized in technology research and development, while Morita Akio is good at public relations.

Its contribution to Sony is manifested in many aspects, such as Sony's financing and listing in the United States, creation of the extremely successful Walkman "Walkman" brand, and acquisition of Columbia Pictures... It can be said that it has promoted the SONY brand to the world.

However, Akio Morita is not a peaceful businessman, and his remarks are even more noticeable.

For example, in the 1960s, Akio Morita created "On the Uselessness of Education", which emphasized that companies should focus on personal ability rather than academic background.

This concept questioned the traditional Japanese employment practices, and aroused great repercussions in Japan at that time. It became a super bestseller and was reprinted more than ten times.He also won the reputation of "breaking the traditional framework and employing talents in an eclectic manner".

In the last year of the 1980s in the original time and space, Akio Morita and political figure Shintaro Ishihara co-edited a book - "Japan Can Say No".

The publication period of this book was at the craziest stage of Japan’s economic situation. Sony bought Columbia, Panasonic bought Universal Pictures, and Mitsubishi bought Rockefeller Center... It gives people the feeling that Japan can’t wait to buy the entire United States. down.

In this climate of strong economic growth in Japan, the book quickly became a hot topic of discussion, and many unauthorized editions were translated into English and circulated in the United States.

It can be said that this book is famous for advocating that Japan should improve its independent status in various fields including economy and diplomacy, especially relative to the United States.

The book says: "The belligerent Japanese who provoked the war for no reason and the brutal Japanese who caused the Nanjing Massacre are two misunderstandings about the Japanese and the two root causes of 'beating Japan'. We must take measures to eliminate it.”

However, Akio Morita's article was not included in the authorized translation, which is said to be due to Sony's concern that its own interests would be affected.

His hero is my enemy, that's all.

Although Tang Huan doesn't like Akio Morita, it won't affect his business with Sony.

What's more, with a communication channel, there will be a chance to make a move, right?

Just like what Weng Jingjing once asked, "Can a big shot also be a good actor?" The answer is of course, everyone has a copy of "The Self-cultivation of Actors" in their hearts.

"I feel very sorry for disturbing Sony this time. I specially prepared a small gift to express my heart." Tang Huan waved his hand, and his entourage brought up a few words written by him, all of which came from "The Analects of Confucius". Classics still have a certain status in Japanese high society, and the names of the Japanese royal family are often quoted.

Tang Huan's calligraphy was completely mastered, and Akio Morita and Norio Oga seemed very happy.

"We also prepared a small gift, but we have a good understanding with Mr. Tang." Akio Morita gestured with his eyes, and then the secretary presented a beautiful gift box.

When Tang Huan opened it, it turned out that Sony was working hard to build it, and it was also Akio Morita's proud work - "Walkman".

"I've been famous for this product for a long time." Tang Huan pretended to be pleasantly surprised, even put on headphones, and pressed the play button.

It is undeniable that the quality of Sony products is indeed unique. Take the earphones in front of you as an example. After decades, the mass products may not be able to match the sound quality.

Tang Huan raised his eyebrows slightly, not because he admired the excellent quality of Sony Walkman, but because he actually heard Deng Lijun's song, which is the new single released in Japan in the first half of this year - "First Dream".

It seems that Sony has taken great pains in choosing gifts.Of course, this also shows Sony's public relations ability.

Through this kind of reciprocity, the atmosphere of the talks between the two parties naturally became more harmonious, and the content of the conversation quickly turned to the main topic.

Tang Huan didn't directly say, I want to see whether your Betamax or JVC's VHS is better, but took a roundabout route.

Sony has made significant progress this year in the development of 3.5-inch floppy disks and corresponding drives.In this regard, the second generation of Fangyuan Computer is really very interested.

You know, the external storage device that is currently popular on personal computers is the 5.25-inch floppy disk system.Such a size really makes the chassis design of the host feel inconvenient, and its performance in terms of capacity is not satisfactory.

In addition, with the in-depth research and development of database applications, a new generation of computer monitoring systems has also been included in Zheru's plan. It is logical that Sony's Betamax standard has become the focus of investigation.

For these two potential markets, Sony is very tempted.

The global monthly shipments of second-generation Fangyuan computers have exceeded 10000 units.

Simply calculate, if the 3.5-inch floppy disk system just launched by Sony can become the standard equipment for the second-generation Fangyuan computer, it means that it has sold 10000 units.

If the common dual floppy drive configuration is used in high-end models, this number will obviously increase.

As for the surveillance field, Sony has dabbled in the first stage of the previous videotape development, but it really feels fresh and interesting in the new generation of surveillance systems controlled by computers.

Therefore, when Tang Huan started to visit, Sony tried its best to show its advantages, which can be said to be undefended.

After mentally ignoring the false courtesy of Sony engineers lining up to welcome him, Tang Huan focused directly on the sample of the floppy disk system. Its specifications were double-sided 80 tracks and 9 sectors, with a capacity of 720KB.

Tang Huan raised his eyebrows. This indicator can only be said to be quite satisfactory. If the 3.5-inch size advantage is considered, it is still very competitive in the market, but that is for Sony product sales, and his own needs have not been met.

With the introduction and popularity of Tang Huan's microcomputer database system and desktop publishing system, the demand for data carrier capacity has become increasingly urgent. At the very least, breaking through 1M is a hard target.

In the original time and space, it was not until 1984 that Apple Computer began to adopt Sony's 3.5-inch floppy disk system, and the specifications should be like this. Competitor IBM realized 5.25M capacity on the 1.2-inch floppy disk system to deal with it.

Tang Huan believes that as long as the market demand in the United States stimulates various manufacturers in Japan, from double-sided 80-track 9 sectors to double-sided 80-track 18 sectors, the capacity will be doubled from 720KB to 1.44M , this technical threshold can be crossed within this year at the slowest.

Proud and conceited technology developers like Sony generally have a common problem. You can put forward reasonable, high-level, and difficult demands. Even if you can't do it right now, he won't be disgusted.

And like RCA, asking Betamax video tapes to sacrifice image quality in exchange for longer recording time will make him feel insulted to his perfect work, and he will feel as unhappy as eating flies, so it is natural to refuse to change.

Therefore, when Tang Huan said: "The current 3.5-inch floppy disk system, I can include it in the list of optional accessories for the second-generation Fangyuan computer, but if you can double the capacity to 1.44M within this year, I will include it." Your product is defined as a must-have accessory."

After hearing this statement, after a little hesitation, Sony's technical director immediately bent down, pouted his buttocks and replied, "Hay, we will definitely be able to satisfy Mr. Tang."

Tang Huan nodded slightly, picked up the floppy disk, and pointed out earnestly: "Technology research and development must learn divergent thinking, and don't take it for granted that the write protection function can only be realized by pasting a piece of tape. You can design a write protection switch here. achieve the same purpose.”

After receiving the simple schematic diagram drawn by Tang Huan, the other party's eyes lit up, and he quickly led his engineers to bow again, "Thank you, Mr. Tang, for your guidance. We will realize this design immediately."

Although the Japanese have always boasted about their high work efficiency, Akio Morita was still amazed at the speed with which Tang Huan signed all the cooperation documents.

He naturally didn't know that after Tang Huan saw Sony's 3.5-inch floppy disk system, he confirmed that this was the product that finally unified this field in the original time and space, so he no longer planned to make any detours.

After all, external devices such as hard disks and floppy disks belong to traditional mechanical and electrical products to a certain extent. They are very troublesome in design, production, quality control, etc., and the OEM method is the most worry-free. Anyway, the price can be increased proportionally in the sales process.

Besides, this thing is installed in the main box, whether it is produced by Sony or other manufacturers, it has nothing to do with the overall situation.

Seeing that the business of the 3.5-inch floppy disk system was negotiated so smoothly, Akio Morita looked forward to the next cooperation with Betamax, Tang Huan's new surveillance system product plan, and the two Hollywood companies in his hands - United Artists and Michael Kors Mei, are extremely attractive.

You know, one of the major applications of home video recorders now is to rent out movies that have been made into videotapes.

(End of this chapter)