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Sony Electronics unveils LCD HDTV sub-brand ‘Bravia’
MUMBAI: Sony Electronics has introduced a new sub-brand Bravia for its line of high-definition LCD TVs with an unveiling of a right field sign at Yankee Stadium before the New York Yankees — Toronto Blue Jays game.
Sony high-definition flat-panel LCD TVs in North America will now carry the Bravia logo. The first models to carry this new sub-brand will be five LCD TVs ranging in screen sizes from 26- to 40-inches.
The 2005 sponsorship arrangement with the Yankees also includes designating Sony as the official LCD TV of the team. Bravia, short for “Best Resolution Audio Video Integrated Architecture,” is affixed to Sony’s latest LCD flat-panel product line, including soon to be announced models.
The designation also highlights Sony’s pedigree in overall picture performance and quality, states an official release. “I’m confident that Bravia will become as important and recognized as Sony’s Trinitron brand,” said Dick Komiyama, president and chief operating officer for Sony Electronics. “Consumers look to Sony for leadership in television and Bravia signals a completely new tradition — it is the culmination of 36 years of innovation and expertise in TV. Teaming Bravia and the New York Yankees is a winning combination.”
With the launch of the new sub-brand, Sony is commencing a comprehensive advertising/promotion campaign that reinforces Sony’s HDTV leadership and advanced technology. Additionally, Sony recently launched the http://www.sony.com/HDTV consumer education web site that aims to demystify consumers’ confusion surrounding high-definition technology.
Brands
Google nears Nvidia in race for world’s most valuable company
Market cap gap narrows as Google hits $4.65 trillion, Nvidia at $4.86 trillion.
MUMBAI: In the AI gold rush, even the giants are sprinting and Google is suddenly gaining ground. Google is rapidly closing in on Nvidia in the race to become the world’s most valuable publicly listed company, with the gap between the two narrowing sharply amid diverging stock momentum. The tech giant’s market capitalisation has surged to around $4.65 trillion, following a more than 140 per cent rise in its share price over the past year.
That rally has added over $2.6 trillion in value in just 12 months, including nearly $900 billion since January alone. Its stock recently hovered at $381.80, slipping marginally by 0.04 per cent, but still reflecting strong upward momentum.
Nvidia, meanwhile, continues to hold the top spot with a valuation of approximately $4.86 trillion. The chipmaker crossed the $5 trillion milestone in October last year and peaked at $5.27 trillion on 27 April. However, its shares have largely plateaued over the past six months, rising just 0.2 per cent recently to $199.99.
The contrast in trajectories is striking. While Nvidia has seen relatively flat movement, Google has gained over 36 per cent in the same six-month period. Barron’s estimates suggest that if current trends hold, the valuation gap could shrink to as little as $190 million by the time Nvidia reports its first-quarter earnings on 20 May.
Daily momentum paints a similar picture. Nvidia recorded average daily gains of about 0.66 per cent last month, compared to Google’s stronger 1.42 per cent, an edge that could prove decisive in the short term.
Driving Google’s resurgence is its aggressive push into artificial intelligence across its ecosystem, from search and YouTube to cloud computing. The company has already invested $144 billion in capital expenditure over the past two years and plans to deploy a further $490 billion over the next two.
Its cloud division is also gathering pace. Google Cloud reported an order backlog of nearly $220 billion in the latest quarter, with total backlog touching a record $462 billion, around half of which is expected to be realised within two years. The company’s entry into chip sales is also beginning to factor into its growth narrative.
The last time Google briefly topped the S&P 500 by market value was in February 2016, when it edged past Apple for just two days. This time, the stakes and the numbers are far higher.
At the heart of the contest lies a single force: artificial intelligence. As both companies pour billions into infrastructure, chips and platforms, the leaderboard is no longer just about size, it is about who can scale the future faster.
