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In the 1970s, the video output devices of mainframes and minicomputers were smart terminals, and the personal computers in the embryonic state used various signal lights to indicate the operating status.

Woz's Apple-I, which can be connected to a television through a specially designed circuit, is the first personal computer to have a display output device.

By the second stage of the development of personal computers after the introduction of Apple-II, the display output device evolved into a CRT display similar to the green screen or orange screen of the mainframe and small computer smart terminals. Of course, its functions cannot be compared with smart terminals.

Since then, computer hosts and monitors have been used for data processing, and game consoles and TVs have been used for entertainment, forming a new application division of labor.

The original commercial PC CRT monitors were monochrome displays, which could only display green or orange on a black background, and often only supported characters.

With the gradual reduction of memory prices, there is room for enhancement in the video output function of personal computers, and the specifications of CRT displays are also increasing.

But it was the second generation of Fangyuan PCs and the IBM-PC, which came to a later stage, with color CRT monitors entering the market as the mainstream, and the biggest beneficiaries were video games on PC platforms.

Usually the manufacturing of CRT monitors is handled by personal computer manufacturers, such as Apple, which has its own CRT monitor production line, and the latest product is a MAC monitor that supports graphical user interface functions; As for the almighty IBM, not to mention, there is almost nothing it will not do on its own.

Although Fangyuan Computer also has its own CRT display production line, it is more likely to disperse orders to vassal industrial clusters, such as the Hsinchu Science and Technology Park on Treasure Island. Or simply OEM.

It is undeniable that the traditional home appliance giants that produce TVs have an innate advantage in manufacturing CRT displays, and the OEM partners of Fangyuan Computer refer to them, including Sharp, Philips, Sony, etc.

With its unique single-shot, three-beam color cathode ray tube technology, Trinitron, Sony is one of the suppliers of high-end displays used in Fangyuan graphics workstations. occupies an important position.

It is precisely because of this reality and the entanglement of many commercial interests in the future that Sony has to come over diligently after being slapped by Tang Huan to determine the final victory or defeat of the VHS tape format, for fear that he will be out of more business and will not even have a chance to drink soup.

Compared with another set of design scheme of color picture tube - three-gun three-beam type, Trilon with a single-gun three-beam tube structure uses an electron gun to undertake the emission of RGB-red, green and blue three primary color electron beams at the same time, and the biggest advantage is that the three-color convergence is easy and accurate, and theoretically there is no color shift caused by the different aging degrees of the three guns. The colors look bright and clean.

In addition, the current Trilon is horizontally convex and vertically straight, which is called the "cylindrical CRT", which is flatter and more natural than the "spherical CRT" used by most competitors, and has less geometric damage.

With these unique advantages, Sony's Trilon CRT monitor price is high and expensive.

Users who can afford to use the Radius Graphics Workstation. Budgets tend to be more generous, therefore. In many cases, they choose the better performance of the Trilon CRT display in the configuration scheme.

The next generation of 32-bit PCs will be a platform that will last for decades, bringing milestone updates in video processing performance, including improved resolution, number of colors, and other metrics.

Demand stimulates consumption, and applications drive demand. Applications such as video games, videos, graphic images, etc., are undoubtedly the most attractive to the average consumer.

Seeing this, Tang Huan hopes that Sony can promote the Trilon CRT monitor to the mainstream market and do a good job of "face engineering" for the fourth generation of Fangyuan personal computers.

Akio Morita said reservedly: "Trilon, which embodies Sony's countless efforts, has been on the market since 1968. Now after 16 years, it has been equated with high-end and quality, rashly changing the market positioning, the risk to be taken is really difficult to assess. ”

Seeing that the other party was still holding a shelf in front of him, Tang Huan smiled faintly, "I understand, Trilon is the lifeblood of Sony, and there will be its own consistent approach in management." But just like the videotape, Walkman and other markets, no product is indispensable, and there are always alternatives, so I'll leave this cooperation to Philips and Sharp. ”

A few years later, Akio Morita and Shintaro Ishihara, a Japanese political figure, co-edited a book called "Japan Can Say No".

The book is known for advocating that Japan should be more autonomous in all areas, including economics and diplomacy, especially relative to the United States. Because it was launched in the context of Japan's economic growth, the book quickly became a hot topic of discussion.

Akio Morita said in his book: "The belligerent Japanese who provoked the war for no reason, and the brutal Japanese who caused the Nanjing Massacre, these are the two misunderstandings that people have about the Japanese, and they are also the two root causes of 'beating Japan'." We must take steps to eliminate it. ”

It is not difficult to see that Akio Morita was a hardliner among Japan's business elite, and he was also tireless in promoting the globalization of Sony's technology and management philosophy.

No matter how gentle such a person is on the outside, the superiority and arrogance in his bones are the true essence.

Tang Huan, who has long figured out the temperament of Akio Morita, is not used to his problems, if the other party is interested, then he will save some effort and use Sony's ready-made solutions; If you are not convinced, then kick it away and find a replacement.

Akio Morita's face stiffened, and he said in his heart I am still waiting for you to bargain, why did you block the road all of a sudden.

Seeing this, Norio Ohga on the side couldn't help but be clever, and muttered to himself, how similar is this situation to the situation when the Betamax video cooperation was negotiated, is this going to repeat the same mistakes, President? We can't be bigger than anyone else's.

Thinking of this, Norio Ohga hurriedly opened his mouth to play a round. "Mr. Tang, this cooperation you mentioned is a brand new proposal, the stakes are very high, and we need to go back and evaluate it carefully. Let's go from easy to difficult, and first talk about the cooperation matters that have already been established. ”

Tang Huan bowed slightly. "So where is the right place to start?"

"We are here with sincerity. For example, after discussion, Sony was willing to accept the infrared remote control data standard and the A-V terminal standard. Norio Ohga first made a little foreshadowing, and then tentatively said the purpose, "Also, the thing you invited us to join the VCD Alliance before...... We can restart this collaboration. ”

"I don't have a big deal, but Sony should show its sincerity." Tang Huan smiled playfully, "The battle between Betamax and VHS format has been decided. Why don't Sony just announce that they are abandoning continued support for Betamax. ”

As soon as he heard this, Norio Ohga's face was also a little stiff, and he really didn't forgive Tang Huan.

"Sony has invested a lot of resources in Betamax, and it's impossible to just give up." Akio Morita took over and replied.

"So, Sony still wants to make Betamax struggle to the death?" Tang Huan dragged out his voice and asked rhetorically.

"Mr. Tang, you misunderstood, it is impossible for Sony to directly give up support for Betamax, which is not responsible for users who have already purchased Betamax recorders. It would seriously damage our reputation. Norio Oga quickly explained: "However, Sony can gradually abandon the promotion of Betamax's home video recorders. ”

I said how did you two get here together? It turned out that one was going to sing white face and the other red face.

Tang Huan snorted lightly and said impatiently, "It's inevitable that there is a lack of sincerity in chewing words like this, since you want to give up, then simply give up." What else is going on? ”

Norio Ohga immediately complained: "Mr. Tang should be able to think that we still have a lot of Betamax products in stock, so we must find a way to deal with them properly." In addition, RCA is our biggest partner, so we always need to communicate and negotiate with each other. ”

Tang Huan sneered. "RCA is also betting on the video tape business, in fact, there is only one skin left, it is difficult to say whether it can survive next year, do you care about it."

"Well, as Mr. Tang wishes, we will end the sale of Betamax home video recorders within this year, and instead apply for authorization to produce VHS video recorders." Akio Morita looked directly at Tang Huan, "Now, Mr. Tang should be able to feel our sincerity." ”

"So, is Sony still hopeful about the future of Betamax in the broadcast field?" Tang Huan, who was unmoved, continued to exert pressure.

"In the high-end segment of broadcast, the 1970s format U-Matic gave Sony a good user base, and there's no reason for us to give it up." Speaking of which, Akio Morita even asked rhetorically, "Isn't it?" ”

"It's okay, I think it will feel good to have one more experience of witnessing the big waves and sand." Tang Huan made a gesture, "Then please ask Sony to join the home entertainment application group of the VCD Alliance." ”

"We don't know how the VCD Alliance works, but there are different categories here?" Norio Ohga heard the subtext and hurriedly asked.

"This is natural, after all, digital video is a new application field, and the specific work must be refined." Tang Huan tapped meaningfully: "I hope that Sony can make a fruitful contribution to the promotion of VCD industry standards." ”

……

Tang Huan didn't have the luxury of being able to tame Sony, after all, the globalization of Sony's management philosophy promoted by Akio Morita was still thinking about taming others, as long as some of the technologies that Sony mastered could be used by me.

After the intrigue negotiations, Tang Huan invited Akio Morita and Norio Oga to attend his thank-you reception, and the two sides were happy and unestranged, as if the knot in which Betamax was hit by VHS in the previous videotape format war did not exist at all, which surprised others.

Tang Huan specially invited some celebrities in the Japanese film industry to attend, because next year will be the 40th anniversary of the end of World War II, and he wants to find a team composed mainly of Japanese to make a commemorative film.

In addition, Tang Huan also deliberately promoted the Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada, who officially debuted in 1978, at the reception, who played an alchemist in "Phantom of the Tomb: Wrath of the Dragon Emperor", which can be regarded as helping the film to warm up for its release.

In fact, Sanada Hiroyuki, who is only 24 years old this year, had the experience of participating in Chinese movies as early as 1982, which was produced by Wu Siyuan and Yuan Heping, and starring Li Yuanba, Chiba Shinichi, and Sanada Hiroyuki, called "Dragon Ninja".

The box office of this movie is so-so, and it can be regarded as a cash cow that Yuan Heping is looking for according to Cheng Long's standards - Li Yuanba, who has a good foundation to become a kung fu star, but unfortunately people's hearts are unpredictable, and this star-making plan made another wave and finally died.

Chiba Shinichi and Sanada Hiroyuki were specially introduced by Tang Huan in public on such a high-profile occasion, and they were overjoyed, and they couldn't wait for the blockbuster "Phantom of the Tomb: Wrath of the Dragon Emperor" to be released in Japan immediately, so as to take their careers to the next level.

Seeing Tang Huan dancing with long sleeves among all kinds of people, Akio Morita asked Norio Ohga in a low voice, "You say, Tang Huan made such a frugal gesture in front of these celebrities in the film industry, what benefits do you want to get?" ”

"Doesn't Tang Huan have a big film group, and making friends with these people with a low profile is nothing more than for the box office of the Japanese film market." Norio Ohga replied as a matter of course.

"It shouldn't be that simple. He casually arranged a senior executive to win people's hearts, although the effect may not be as good as his own appearance, but it is enough to deal with various rules in the film industry. Akio Morita shook his head, "We have already discussed, the reason why Betamax was defeated and out of the game is closely related to Tang Huan's good cards, such as Hollywood studios. ”

Norio Ohga nodded thoughtfully, "Yes, his Hollywood studio stood up and raised his arms, and at once it helped the VHS camp pull a large number of clear supporters, greatly weakening the content base of Betamax's program, and becoming a source of water." ”

Akio Morita lowered his glass, "So, Sony should also have a Hollywood studio with good foundations, which can not only increase the voice of the next generation of home entertainment platforms, but also help further promote the company's brand awareness around the world." ”

Norio Ohga smiled bitterly, "I've heard a saying that Tang Huan combined the three lowest companies in Hollywood's eight to form a first-class production group. In other words, Tang Huan has already bought all the bargains, and the rest are big and hard, and we can't afford them at all. ”

"As long as you raise enough funds, you can't believe that you can't take it, just like when you borrowed a huge amount of money from the bank to develop Trilon." Akio Morita had a gleam in his eyes and said fiercely.

? (To be continued.) )