Before work begins on a new Sony TV, our designers and engineers all come together and have what’s known in Japan as a ‘shingy’.
“We always talk, talk, talk, and then draw, and then write, and then mock up, and then go back to talking,” Sony’s chief art director Hirotaka Tako told Ars Technica in a recent interview. “It’s really the unique system of the in-house design studio. Even for really small details like the radius on the corner of the X90C stand for example, we gather together in one room, then point out a flaw and say ‘it’s better to have 1mm more here.’ This kind of discussion is always happening, and it’s really important.”
By constantly deliberating and discussing ideas, the ‘shingy’ is the secret catalyst behind our televisions. But in fact, it’s just one of the numerous traditional Japanese ideas that helps us to keep on creating and innovating.
For over 2000 years, the Japanese have embraced the art of reductionism - making the best use of available space - and so it’s naturally inspired the way we approach design and engineering. In 1968 we launched the KV-1310, our very first Trinitron TV, which used unique Sony technology to deliver a picture that was twice as bright as the TVs using conventional shadow-mask tubes. Trinitron became such a huge success that it won an Emmy award in 1973, and its success helped pave the way for us to go on and become technology giants.
Then in 1996 came the KV-28SF5, the tech industry’s first TV to come with a horizontally and vertically flat screen. This was made possible with the ‘Super Flat Trinitron’ tube, which allowed us to dramatically improve overall quality while reducing size. Since then we’ve also created the Qualia 005 (the world’s first LED backlit TV), Triluminos technology and the first OLED screen just to name a very select few - proof that innovation never stops.
The Japanese have also been directly inspired by line-led designs that dominate their day-to-day life, from Tatami mats to sliding doors. The simple and clean look of these designs have fed into all of our TVs including our recent ‘Pure Geometry’ concept, which focuses on geometric shapes that blend into any environment.
When you fuse all of these ideas together, you get our flagship BRAVIA X90C. By packing an incredible 4K picture and the new Android TV platform into a display that’s just 4.9mm at its thinnest point, it is the epitome of reductionism, and the Pure Geometry design is brought to life through the clean, minimal bezel and the sleek, triangular stand.
In a video for Sony, Tako said: “We pursued [Pure Geometry’s] simplicity especially with the design of the BRAVIA X90C. If you turn on the TV, it’s like a picture on the wall or a window. It becomes part of the space and architecture around it. It wants to be outstanding, but at the same time it’s disappearing.”
It’s been said that you are a product of your environment, and for us this couldn’t be truer. As a company whose roots are planted firmly in Japanese soil, we are influenced by the way they work; the things they create; even the food and drink that they consume. All of this seeps into the look, feel and user experience of each of our televisions, and it creates something unique and special.
