In 1946, in a burned out warehouse in Tokyo, Masaru Ibuka wrote a founding prospectus for his new company that would be later be called Sony. He wrote an ideology, "always do what never has been done before." In the years that followed, Sony was first in Japan with the tape recorder, the transistor, the world's first transistor TV, the Nobel Prize winning tunnel diode, the videocassette recorder, the camcorder, the boombox, and of course the CD and Walkman.

One of Sony's most unique accomplishments was the introduction of the Trinitron color TV picture tube.

In the beginning, all color TV picture tubes were round. They used 3 electron guns with different lenses to focus the electron beams which then pass through a metal sheet with holes, the shadow mask. Even today, all color TV picture tubes, other than Sony, still use the shadow mask, based on 1950's patents.

The Trinitron. In 1968, Sony introduced the Trinitron picture tube. This new tube used one electron gun with one large lens to more accurately control the electron beams. Instead of the shadow mask the Trinitron uses vertical metal slits to align the electron beam with the colors on the screen. More electrons get through, less heat is produced, and alignment is only critical in one direction. The tube face is vertically flat. The Trinitron was such an improvement in TV technology that Sony won an Emmy. Where critical video quality is important... broadcast studios, hospitals, NASA, aviation and computer monitors, the Trinitron became the standard by which other TVs were judged.

Wega FD Trinitron. In 1998, Sony again changed the shape of television, introducing the Sony Wega FD Trinitron with a totally flat face, eliminating geometric distortion. FD stands for flat display.

The electron gun was elongated increasing the focus ability. A new high precision deflection yoke with active electronics was developed. The result was a consistent beam size and shape. The aperture grille was improved with a finer pitch. Accurate geometry, color saturation, uncanny detail and contrast made Sony Wega a tremendous success.

Other TV makers copied it. They copied the flat face, they copied the silver color, but they couldn't copy the one gun Trinitron. All other flat TVs, with their 3 guns, have a far harder job of making flat picture.

Super Fine Pitch Trinitron. For 2004, Sony is introducing Super Fine Pitch Trinitron CRT. Super Fine Pitch increases the number of vertical slits by 65%. This increases the resolution. A new improved high luminescent phosphor is used. The electron gun has been further improved also. The KV34XBR900 Wega Trinitron was named video product of the year.

CineMotion. Motion picture film has 24 frames per second, but video has 30 frames. To compensate the way film is shown on video, a reverse 3:2 pulldown circuit creates a video picture that emulates film more accurately.

DRC. Digital Reality Creator is an proprietary Sony technology that displays 960 lines from conventional 480 line analog pictures. It's more than a line doubler and creates a picture with 4 times the data. The new version allows adjustment of detail (Reality) levels and smoothness (Clarity) to make the best picture.

Memory Stick. Sony is the world leader in Digital Still Cameras. They store the digital pictures on a small Memory Stick. The new XBR has a Memory Stick slot. Insert the Memory Stick and you see beautiful, big, slide show of your photos

KV34XBR910 34in 16:9 HD SuperFine pitch Wega $2500
39 1/8 in wide 24.5 h 23 1/4 deep 2 year warranty
KV30XBR910 30in 16:9 HD SuperFine pitch Wega $2000
35 3/8 in wide 23 7/8 h 22 1/8 deep 2 year warranty

KV34HS510 34in 16:9 HD Wega $2000
39 1/8 in wide 24.5 h 23 1/4 deep 1 year warranty
KV30HS510 30in 16:9 HD Wega $1500
35 3/8 in wide 23 7/8 h 22 1/8 deep 1 year warranty

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