Sony and Samsung to produce LCD TV

With its headquarters in Japan, Sony Corp. stated that the plant it built as a joint venture together with the South Korea's giant, Samsung Electronics, will start the production of LCDs this summer, which outruns the schedule.

The joint LCD plant, which was named S-LCD Corp., is expected to use the technology of the "eighth generation". The production of the large-size liquid crystal displays was expected to begin in autumn.

At a news conference held in Taipei, where Sony housed its electronics product show, the company's executive deputy president, Katsumi Ihara, said "it is expected to be ahead of the schedule and start production in summer." In addition he outlined that the company expects some of its LCD TVs to be sold this Christmas. These TVs will comprise the panels of the eighth generation.

Mr. Ihara, being the head of Sony's consumer product group, stated that bad weather, which was expected to occur in 2006, could interrupt the construction of the joint LCD plant in Seol.

Samsung's development of S-LCD has helped the Japanese giant's brand recognition to enlarge the market for larger television panels. At the same time Samsung continued a stable supply of panels to Sony.

It is worth mentioning that the Japanese company bought 1.5 times more Taiwan electronics products during the 2006/2007 business year that it did in the year before. Ihara said that in the year ended March, Sony sold over six million LCD TVs, which is much higher than 2.8 million LCD TVs the company sold previous year.

Sony has the goal of selling 10 million LCD TVs in its upcoming business year, which is to start in April.