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[p_xavier]

For those who say that the Sony ecosystem is the problem, you are correct.

Let's take for example their Media Go software (which initially they were selling at retail!). It's basically Sony's version of iTunes. Oh, but you can't buy Music tracks, just Movies and PlayStation games (which you can't play on the PC anyways).

There's a Media Sharing option in Media Go. I had assumed this would be a DLNA enabler and I would be enjoying all my music and videos through the software. Wrong again. The Media Sharing is only for a few devices supported by Sony and is using a proprietary protocol based on DLNA. So that means your DLNA device will show Media Go as a server but won't be able to play the music. Nowhere this was mention in the software documentation nor in any Sony website.

So, what is Sony's solution to play music and movies for their devices? Well, install Windows Media Player. So all the playlists and movies you set up/downloaded through Media Go? Useless.

I was one of the biggest Sony fanboy, but can't comprehend how such a company can't have accessible interfaces.

The Sony tablet again has many flaws, first, I don't want to rebuy all my media (PlayStation games, movies...) and second, it's managed by Media Go. So you have many "stores" for Android, for using DLNA and then again for the Sony media.

I've waited two years for an Android Walkman, it's too little too late, plus they can't even get the software right to manage media easily.

 

[Hellion]

I bought my 46in bravia from a neighbor who moved away for $400 3years ago. It replaced my 30in Samsung. To me Sony > Samsung > Sharp.

Panasonic has them beat on price and quality.

 

[demosthenes]

Just saw a commercial for the Sony Entertainment Network. First commercial I've seen for this.

 

[slider]

Just saw a commercial for the Sony Entertainment Network. First commercial I've seen for this.

Where are you based? Was it a "good" commercial or were there weird crying babies? Let's hope it was good.

 

[HocusPocus]

Just don't see this company able to continue doing what they are doing now with so much overhead.

 

[To Far Away Times]

It's sad, because a healthy, innovative Sony is absolutely great for the electronics industry.

Samsung is now pretty much the Sony from 15 years ago.

 

[demosthenes]

Where are you based? Was it a "good" commercial or were there weird crying babies? Let's hope it was good.

They made it sound just like iTunes pretty much. I thought it was good. Showed products they worked on (tablets, phones, TVs), and said the content (music, movies (buying/renting) and video games).

They just talked about PSN (for PS3 PSP/Vita) getting revamped so maybe this is part of it, have the whole thing unified across all their stuff. This would be a positive step for them.

 

[Raistlin]

It's sad, because a healthy, innovative Sony is absolutely great for the electronics industry.

Samsung is now pretty much the Sony from 15 years ago.

Except their R&D isn't nearly as innovative.

 

[demosthenes]

How do you edit posts now?

I'm from Buffalo, NY.

 

[kame-sennin]

Was it always true? Don't get me wrong: if you're right about there being more content on VHS from the get-go, I agree with you. But what about the early days of VHS and Betamax? IIRC the thing is that VHS could hold more stuff, meaning that it was able to hold 90 minutes movies sooner than Betamax, which might have in turn allowed for content (i.e. movies) to go VHS earlier, allowing VHS to win the content war in the end.

The urban legend is that pornagraphic films were released on VHS, but not on Betamax, spurring hardware sales of the former.

Is there anyone like Morita left at Sony?

I have no idea, but it's clear from the article that regardless of vision, Sony engineers are reluctant to cede authority to the CEO. It's been said that company founders are more successful than hired CEOs at pushing their companies through major change due to a higher level of perceived authority, but that's completely anecdotal.

 

[LosDaddie]

I think PSN is a perfect illustration as why Sony is in such dire straits right now. Instead of innovating/pushing the envelope, they had to play catch up to XBL the entire generation. I think the only feature PSN had on XBL is cloud saving.

Apple dominating the lucrative music market is another example.

Except their R&D isn't nearly as innovative.

It's posts like that are why I wish this thread was posted on the Gaming side.

 

[Patriots7]

Disagreed. One of the major problems for Sony from the technical side was their inability to compete on a software front or hell even care about software. Ken Kutaragi was the ultimate expression of the 'old Sony'. An engineer with a complete and total hardware fetish who did not give a single fuck about software let alone software as a service or even content. This myopia is what allowed Microsoft to bite into what was Sony's exclusive Playstation pie using the software driven Xbox Live service on the 360 and let Apple (led by Jobs, a man with as much of a hardware fetish as Kutaragi COMBINED with an obsessive software fetish to boot) take all of Sony's damn lunch with the iTunes driven iPod.

This is absolutely wrong.
Stringer and Kaz are the worst thing to happen to Sony since Idei. If you don't believe me, look at how much Sony's market cap has decreased since both of the idiots have taken charge and since Kutaragi left. Kutaragi was not old Sony. He was the Sony that could have fiercely taken on Apple. Old Sony hated Kutaragi. Old Sony would not have let PlayStation exist had it not been for Kutaragi overstepping his bosses and taking the matter to Ohga.

Kutaragi was a visionary. Take for example:

In the late 1990s, Gates was in talks with Kutaragi to include the Windows operating system in the PS2. But Kutaragi had long seen Gates as the most lethal threat to his empire. Bernie Stolar, a former Sony executive, remembers Kutaragi asking him as early as 1994 where he thought the nascent PlayStation console's main competition would come from. Nintendo, Stolar guessed. Maybe Intel. Kutaragi looked him squarely in the eyes. "No, Bernie, you are wrong," he said. "It is Microsoft. And I will kill them."

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2/business2_archive/2005/11/01/8362844/index.htm

Kutaragi never positioned PlayStation as a videogame console. It was never supposed to be. He always saw the potential it had to give Sony complete dominance over. Is he to blame for the failure of the PS3? Partially. But had Sony not placed Blu-Ray into the PS3, they would have lost billions because HD-DVD would have wrecked Blu-Ray.

Kaz is a useless business man with no vision. He's neither technologically savvy nor a software visionary. He isn't even that effective of a manager. He's been in control of all of Sony's hardware and services and what has he done? Absolutely nothing. He had the PSN fiasco, he's seen the TV division continue to flounder, and has been late to the game for everything else. If he is the next CEO, Sony will be continue its rapid decline until it's eventually sold for dimes.

 

[2San]

People talk about Sony needing better visionaries who combines on the software front and hardware front. While I agree, haven't they failed in basic management as well? They don't even try the most basic forms of cost management. They invest outrages amounts in R&D and release multiple similar products side by side which pretty much all cater to the same market. They are their own worst enemy. How about releasing one high end model a mid range model and maybe even a cheap one and call it day? You get scale advantages that way as well. They also make no attempts at any of form of synergy between their various business units.

 

[Raistlin]

How do you edit posts now?

I'm from Buffalo, NY.

Click edit above your avatar. What are you trying to say about Buffalo? :s

It's posts like that are why I wish this thread was posted on the Gaming side.

But why? I'm referring to SE's R&D, not necessarily SCE's given the context of the article. SCE's is an entirely different discussion.

Out of curiosity though, what exactly are you implying? Is there actually an argument here?

 

[demosthenes]

Click edit above your avatar. What are you trying to say about Buffalo? :s





But why? I'm referring to SE's R&D, not necessarily SCE's given the context of the article. SCE's is an entirely different discussion.

Out of curiosity though, what exactly are you implying? Is there actually an argument here?

Someone asked me where I was from, that's why I mentioned it.

Yea, for w/e reason it wasn't showing up.

 

[Raistlin]

Someone asked me where I was from, that's why I mentioned it.

Yea, for w/e reason it wasn't showing up.

lol sorry ... thought it was some sort of sleight on our city's educational system

 

[Noshino]

The urban legend is that pornagraphic films were released on VHS, but not on Betamax, spurring hardware sales of the former.

I have no idea, but it's clear from the article that regardless of vision, Sony engineers are reluctant to cede authority to the CEO. It's been said that company founders are more successful than hired CEOs at pushing their companies through major change due to a higher level of perceived authority, but that's completely anecdotal.

Incorrect, just within Sony, you have Ohga as an example.

There are books that talk about the engineers at Sony, and you ll see why they followed (well, not followed but rather "respected") Ibuka, Morita, and Ohga.

Idei was simply just not like them, and neither was Stringer. And while Kaz might be more charismatic and tech savvy than the other 2, he is certainly not at the level of Ibuka, Morita, nor Ohga.

I think PSN is a perfect illustration as why Sony is in such dire straits right now. Instead of innovating/pushing the envelope, they had to play catch up to XBL the entire generation. I think the only feature PSN had on XBL is cloud saving.

Apple dominating the lucrative music market is another example.

It's posts like that are why I wish this thread was posted on the Gaming side.

On PSN you can upload videos, take screenshots, share games.

Also, do you mind being more clear with your last statement?

 

[LosDaddie]

But why?
Out of curiosity though, what exactly are you implying? Is there actually an argument here?

Also, do you mind being more clear with your last statement?

Like someone else said on the first page; for the freakouts that always come with bad financial reports for Sony. We'd have a lot more of "The industry is better when Sony is innovative" type of posts. I don't agree with that premise because the industries Sony is involved with have moved forward in the decade Sony has floundered.

On PSN you can upload videos, take screenshots, share games.

That's true, well except for the game sharing bit. I haven't upload any pictures/vids yet, but it's definitely a feature PSN has. And what game(s) can you upload screenshots from? In Halo REach, you can upload screenshots and videos to Bungie.net with ease.

 

[Technosteve]

i wished crazy ken was in charge, at least sony stuff would be interesting instead of piddling dilddling vanilla

 

[teruterubozu]

Howard Stringer is the worst thing that happened to Sony. Nobody likes working for gaijin-san. The nationalistic fervor to put Sony as the ultimate Japanese corporation is totally gone.

 

[Cipherr]

i wished crazy ken was in charge, at least sony stuff would be interesting instead of piddling dilddling vanilla

He made some mistakes, but I do seriously wonder if it was a bad move to shuffle him out the door the way they did.

 

[Raistlin]

Like someone else said on the first page; for the freakouts that always come with bad financial reports for Sony. We'd have a lot more of "The industry is better when Sony is innovative" type of posts. I don't agree with that premise because the industries Sony is involved with have moved forward in the decade Sony has floundered.

The issue is that innovation doesn't necessarily translate to sales success.

While Sony has made many great products, their strength has always been in R&D IMO. Their IP portfolio (as we loosely call it) is one of the most important in the CE industry. Most don't realize just how many tech's they've either created or have their hands in. Had they not been around, the industry would be quite a bit behind where it is now - particularly in terms of A/V quality.

The corollary to this is what will happen moving forward if Sony is in a weak position (not playing to their R&D strengths), or worse yet ... gone? Many are concerned it could slow down A/V progress.

 

[Slappers Only]

"Is it a Sony? Yep, it's a Sony. Ah. I like Sony better when it's called Visio."

The Sony name is in the shitter, and salespeople can only do so much to push customers into overpaying an unnecessary 40% more for a re-badged LED panel.

The Playstation brand has seen better days as well. Which makes me sad, as I've always been a fan.

 

[Raistlin]

"Is it a Sony? Yep, it's a Sony. Ah. I like Sony better when it's called Visio."

I really don't think most people equate Sony to Visio, even if they aren't willing to pay the extra money.

The Sony name is in the shitter, and salespeople can only do so much to push customers into overpaying an unnecessary 40% more for a re-badged LED panel.

What exactly is an LED panel? They're LCD.

Regardless, few of their TV's use a 're-badged' panel other than some low-end offerings.

 

[Slappers Only]

I really don't think most people equate Sony to Visio, even if they aren't willing to pay the extra money.


What exactly is an LED panel? They're LCD.

Regardless, few of their TV's use a 're-badged' panel other than some low-end offerings.

Well yeah, they're LCD. More specifically, they're LED-backlit LCD displays -- the ones postured to garner the most disproportionately high margin. I suppose I wasn't clear before.

This generation of Sony TVs has finally started to approach something I'd consider buying over offerings from bottom-end LCD manufacturers, but not at the prices they ask, and I'm not big on LCD altogether.

 

[LosDaddie]

The issue is that innovation doesn't necessarily translate to sales success.

While Sony has made many great products, their strength has always been in R&D IMO. Their IP portfolio (as we loosely call it) is one of the most important in the CE industry. Most don't realize just how many tech's they've either created or have their hands in. Had they not been around, the industry would be quite a bit behind where it is now - particularly in terms of A/V quality.

The corollary to this is what will happen moving forward if Sony is in a weak position (not playing to their R&D strengths), or worse yet ... gone? Many are concerned it could slow down A/V progress.

yeah, it's no doubt Sony was a major player in the past helping the A/V industry move forward . My point was that in the decade Sony has declined, their competitors have stepped up to the plate, and have done so admirably. Which leads me to believe Sony isn't all that important anymore.

 

[entremet]

Except their R&D isn't nearly as innovative.

Yeah, they just copy from other companies. LOL. See: Apple

 

[Raistlin]

Well yeah, they're LCD. More specifically, they're LED-backlit LCD displays

My point is the 'panel' has nothing to do with the lighting engine ... they wouldn't be sourcing it from the same company. Also, I was noting the fact they aren't actually re-badge panels anyway.

-- the ones postured to garner the most disproportionately high margin. I suppose I wasn't clear before.

I suspect the extra margin doesn't vary all that much between manufacturers. Also, they actually do cost more to manufacture ... with local dimming models being very costly.

 

[Raistlin]

yeah, it's no doubt Sony was a major player in the past helping the A/V industry move forward . My point was that in the decade Sony has declined, their competitors have stepped up to the plate, and have done so admirably. Which leads me to believe Sony isn't all that important anymore.

Have they though? Don't get me wrong, a ton of awesome products have come out, but I'm talking about more about pushing tech forward.

Sony completely borked themselves as far as flat panels, and I think most would argue the upgrades have been pretty incremental in TV tech during that time. Would Sony have done better had they not flip-flopped? Who knows - maybe, maybe not. Either way, we haven't seen a big bump really. For audio and video tech though, things have been more interesting. We've actually gone backwards since SACD failed ... and for video, Sony was the main innovator of BD.

It isn't really that many think literally no one would pick up the slack ... simply that things could move at a slower pace if they aren't involved. Certainly at some point we'll reach a point were stuff is truly 'good enough' ... but I don't feel we're there yet. You want companies to continue pushing stuff, and Sony has always been one of the best for this.

Yeah, they just copy from other companies. LOL. See: Apple

My detector is broken. What are you saying?

 

[tino]

yeah, it's no doubt Sony was a major player in the past helping the A/V industry move forward . My point was that in the decade Sony has declined, their competitors have stepped up to the plate, and have done so admirably. Which leads me to believe Sony isn't all that important anymore.

I agree. I think the reason is... the CE world no longer rely on new specification to push out hardware upgrade any more.

Sony used to be the master of these kind of hardware upgrade cycles. They are so good with this shit they used to push out new spec without themselves as the front man so people believe that this is the "must have new standard".

I think Blu-ray and SD card are the last important hardware "standarization". After that, there is no more must have hardware you need to buy for your living room. Every one is running on different hardware to store content, transfer content and playback content.

Sony without a way to push out the new movie media format, music media format and camcorder format is effectively Sony with its wings chopped off. And without hardware standards, there is little synagy between the hardware division and the content publishing divisions.

 

[lunarworks]

I agree. I think the reason is... the CE world no longer rely on new specification to push out hardware upgrade any more.

Sony used to be the master of these kind of hardware upgrade cycles. They are so good with this shit they used to push out new spec without themselves as the front man so people believe that this is the "must have new standard".

I think Blu-ray and SD card are the last important hardware "standarization". After that, there is no more must have hardware you need to buy for your living room. Every one is running on different hardware to store content, transfer content and playback content.

Sony without a way to push out the new movie media format, music media format and camcorder format is effectively Sony with its wings chopped off. And without hardware standards, there is little synagy between the hardware division and the content publishing divisions.

Give it time. People have always said stuff like "I don't see any new standards ahead." I'm sure we'll see some new medium in the next few years.

 

[Azih]

If you don't believe me, look at how much Sony's market cap has decreased since both of the idiots have taken charge and since Kutaragi left.

Sony's current troubles started when they bet the horse on the Kutaragi driven exotic PS3 CELL! hardware to carry the whole damn company and when that crashed and burned ($599!) was when the knives came out. (Of course you can say that Sony depending on the PS3 to do PS2+ type numbers was insanely risky in the first place but I'm sure Ken was a part of convincing everyone that the PS3 would do just that).

The PS3 was Kutaragi's baby and if that had succeeded then he would be heading the whole company right now. It didn't. Partly because Kutaragi just cared about hardware and did not care about software or network driven services at all. PSN at launch was completely inadequate to compete with Xbox Live because Sony didn't care and Sony didn't care because Kutaragi didn't care. He had the fanciest hardware in the world and it seemed like that was all he cared about. No matter what it cost and no matter it had a barebones networking service and was hard on game developers.

I'll give you the point that the PS3 helped kill HD-DVD for sure. But what I'm saying is that technology was moving on from those kind of hardware battles anyway and Kutaragi had no interest in and no expertise in competing in the changed environment.

He was the Sony that could have fiercely taken on Apple.

Kutaragi had no chance of competing with Jobs. Jobs had a vision for hardware AND software AND services all integrated. Kutaragi was nothing but hardware. PS3 was rocked technically by Xbox on services (PSN vs Live) and got rocked by Wii on software (content) with Wii Sports. I still remember Kutaragi standing on stage with the horribly smug expression on the PS3 launch conference where they were revealing the sixaxis motion sensor as if it somehow completely countered the Wiimote. It didn't as it didn't have any software designed to showcase it unlike the Wiimote's Wii Sports.

Kutaragi was a hardware obsessive dinosaur that didn't care about software developers let alone creating a software/services Live/iTunes type system to support his beautiful futuristic sci fi chips.

 

[industrian]

I feel for Sony, basically because I work for a company that is in a similar "difficult transition" and "lost their direction" situation.

To put it short, the company I work for is a major player in OEM, but the company now wants to be "going forward" with the B2C market as the shit margins in OEM are getting even worse. The problem being that because the company is family managed there is zero chance of change at the absolute top which is absolutely necessary for when companies want to make hard turns off their usual course. It doesn't help that the CEO is a heavy victim of doublethink - constantly demanding change yet totally afraid of it - and that everyone gets their work micromanaged to oblivion by them. That and (probably an Asian thing) all of the upper management and "strategic planning" level people are terrified of challenging any of the CEO's decisions and just go with the flow.

 

[popeutlal]

Today I felt bad for Sony, while looking to buy a tablet...I didn't even consider buying the Sony Tablet S.

Did anyone care at all for the Sony Tablet? People talked about the Samsung tablet, people are talking about the ASUS tablet (best android tablet out now)...the Sony tablet came and went

 

[Divvy]

Today I felt bad for Sony, while looking to buy a tablet...I didn't even consider buying the Sony Tablet S.

Did anyone care at all for the Sony Tablet? People talked about the Samsung tablet, people are talking about the ASUS tablet (best android tablet out now)...the Sony tablet came and went

It feels like crap when you hold it. Super plasticky and doesn't feel well made. Plus no one wants to ruin their memories of their PS1 classics by being forced to play them with shitty touchscreen controls.

 

[YoungHav]

Sony is the world's leader in videogaming for 16yrs straight.

 

[entremet]

Sony is the world's leader in videogaming for 16yrs straight.

In what? Revenue? Profit? Marketshare?

 

[Divvy]

In what? Revenue? Profit? Marketshare?

Hardware pricing of course.

 

[heliosRAzi]

599 US DOLLARS

 

[Takao]

In what? Revenue? Profit? Marketshare?

In number of supporters named "Takao".

 

[alphaNoid]

It's sad, because a healthy, innovative Sony is absolutely great for the electronics industry.

Samsung is now pretty much the Sony from 15 years ago.

I couldn't have said it better. Samsung is the new Sony.

 

[Kilrogg]

Today I felt bad for Sony, while looking to buy a tablet...I didn't even consider buying the Sony Tablet S.

Did anyone care at all for the Sony Tablet? People talked about the Samsung tablet, people are talking about the ASUS tablet (best android tablet out now)...the Sony tablet came and went

To be fair, pretty much every maker apart from Apple and Amazon (maybe Samsung too?) is regretting their foray into tabet computing right now. There was a thread some time ago in the OT forum.

 

[Log4Girlz]

I remember reading an article about how certain divisions in Sony would be working on nearly identical products with no knowledge of either existing. Sony is a mess of a company. A tech company should be lead by someone tech savvy. Why did it take so long to create a phone? Why is it an xperia and not a playstation? Why such a shitty tablet? Wtf were they thinking with the PS3? They have no direction and that won't be changing anytime soon. I think the company is doomed in the long run.

 

[popeutlal]

Well the Sony tablet is pretty lame, it's just like any other Tegra2 tablet but with "our shitty skinned version of honeycomb" being the only difference.

Meh Sony.

 

[longdi]

sony tablet has good form factor imo. it is cheap feeling but unless you use aluminium, plastic always feels cheap. what sucks about tablet s and sony is the lack of any cutting edge hardware!
no amoled+ retina ppi screen? not even ultra-bright ips? <-untypical sony!
sd slot that does not read sd cards? <-typical sony!
sony hardware does not have the wow factor anymore and i blame stringer for cutting the hardware budget, software still sucks, no clear corporate goals...they are in the worse of both worlds! maintain sell on sony stocks

 

[radioheadrule83]

Stringer is gradually sorting Sony out. The rationalisation of the business, reorganizing things, removing redundancy in the business, has been vital and the fruits of that haven't yet had a chance to show. They are not the premium brand they once were because competitors have set a high bar and control their product lines so well. Under Stringer, they've brought some expertise in house, looked to their own SMEs at the likes of Sony Ericsson, manufactured their own parts / designs, not reinvented the wheel and instead looked to partners like ARM, IBM, Toshiba, Google.. the vita is remarkable in its differences from ps3: it will reduce in cost quickly, and won't be a millstone around their neck. They still have room to improve.. their mac support for connected devices is non existant, crap like media go and timescape needs to die. They need to reduce the amount of crap they sell at ludicrous prices. Sony pictures needs skyfall nao. Anyway, I think the adulation for the likes of ken and kaz is misplaced... They need leadership, someone who will trim the fat and reduce the bleed on crazy expensive investments... That's what Stringer has been trying to do!

 

[longdi]

you mad? stringer sucks imo. sony products since stringer took over, are very unremarkable, hovering at 2nd tier mark, their hardware now is like the old lg/asus used to make.......

 

[Quadrangulum]

I couldn't have said it better. Samsung is the new Sony.

I don't agree. Sony's domination in the past was total; you can't say the same about Samsung as they're far behind Sony in fields like photography. I'd argue the same about televisions despite them being the largest TV maker; they chose to abandon LED local dimming, leaving that innovation all to Sony and Sharp. When Sony had the cash, they advanced technology even if it didn't seem lucrative. Moreover, Samsung has never made the kinds of halo products Sony was known for a couple of years ago and I don't believe Samsung competes in the professional arena or the publishing and creation of media. Sadly, we don't have an old Sony today.

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

This is absolutely wrong.
Stringer and Kaz are the worst thing to happen to Sony since Idei. If you don't believe me, look at how much Sony's market cap has decreased since both of the idiots have taken charge and since Kutaragi left. Kutaragi was not old Sony. He was the Sony that could have fiercely taken on Apple. Old Sony hated Kutaragi. Old Sony would not have let PlayStation exist had it not been for Kutaragi overstepping his bosses and taking the matter to Ohga.

Kutaragi was a visionary. Take for example:

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2/business2_archive/2005/11/01/8362844/index.htm

Kutaragi never positioned PlayStation as a videogame console. It was never supposed to be. He always saw the potential it had to give Sony complete dominance over. Is he to blame for the failure of the PS3? Partially. But had Sony not placed Blu-Ray into the PS3, they would have lost billions because HD-DVD would have wrecked Blu-Ray.

Kaz is a useless business man with no vision. He's neither technologically savvy nor a software visionary. He isn't even that effective of a manager. He's been in control of all of Sony's hardware and services and what has he done? Absolutely nothing. He had the PSN fiasco, he's seen the TV division continue to flounder, and has been late to the game for everything else. If he is the next CEO, Sony will be continue its rapid decline until it's eventually sold for dimes.

If Sony hadn't targeted MS, the Xbox wouldn't exist. MS created the Xbox specifically because they feared Sony infringing on Windows' dominance in the home, because Sony began positioning the PS brand as "computer entertainment systems."

 

[Captain Tuttle]

TOKYO/SEOUL (Reuters) - Sony Corp has agreed to sell its nearly 50 percent stake in an LCD joint venture with Samsung Electronics to the South Korean company for $940 million, as it struggles to reduce huge losses at its TV business.

The seven-year-old venture cut its capital by 15 percent in July and industry sources had said Sony was negotiating an exit, aiming to switch to cheaper outsourcing for flat screens for its TVs while Samsung pushes ahead with next-generation displays.

"In terms of direction it is a positive (for Sony)," said Keita Wakabayashi, an analyst at Mito Securities in Tokyo, about the deal. "But if they are making a loss on the sale, one could ask why they didn't make this decision sooner."

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/sony-agrees-end-lcd-venture-052036514.html

Looks like Sony's ready to make some hard choices.