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| JVC | |
Native name | 日本ビクター株式会社 |
Romanized name | Nihon Bikutā kabushiki gaisha |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Electronics |
| Founded | September 13, 1927; 97 years ago (1927-09-13) Yokohama, Japan |
| Defunct | October 1, 2011 (2011-10-01)[a] |
| Fate | Merged withKenwood Corporation, brand name still in use |
| Successor | JVCKenwood Corporation |
| Headquarters | Yokohama ,Japan |
Key people | Shoichiro Eguchi, President |
| Products | Audio, visual, computer-related electronics and software, media products |
| Revenue |  ¥658.4 billion (Fiscal year ended March 31, 2008) |
Number of employees | 19,044 (consolidated, as of March 31, 2008[update]) |
| Parent |
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| Website | www |
| Footnotes / references [1] | |
JVC (short forJapan Victor Company) is a Japanese brand owned byJVCKenwood. Founded in 1927 as theVictor Talking Machine Company of Japan and later asVictor Company of Japan, Ltd. (日本ビクター株式会社,Nihon Bikutā kabushiki gaisha), the company was best known for introducing Japan's firsttelevisions and for developing the Video Home System (VHS) video recorder.
From 1953 to 2008, theMatsushita Electric Industrial Co. was the majority stockholder in JVC. In 2008, JVC merged withKenwood Corporation to create JVCKenwood. JVC sold their electronic products in their home market of Japan under the "Victor" name with theHis Master's Voice logo. However, the company used thename JVC or Nivico in the past for export; this was due to differing ownership of the His Master's Voice logo and the ownership of the "Victor" name from successors of theVictor Talking Machine Company. In 2011, the Victor brand for electronics in Japan was replaced by the global JVC brand. However, the previous "Victor" name and logo are retained byJVCKenwood Victor Entertainment, and are used as JVCKenwood's luxury HiFi marque.
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JVC was founded in 1927 as the Victor Talking Machine Company of Japan, Limited, a subsidiary of the United States' leadingphonograph andrecord company, theVictor Talking Machine Company ofCamden, New Jersey. In 1929, theRadio Corporation of America purchased Victor and its foreign subsidiaries, including the Japan operations. In the late 1920s, JVC produced only phonographs and records; following the acquisition by RCA, JVC began producingradios, and in 1939, Japan's first locally-madetelevision. In 1943, amidst the hostilities between the United States and Japan duringWorld War II, JVC seceded fromRCA Victor, retaining the 'Victor' and "His Master's Voice" trademarks for use in Japan only. After the war, JVC resumed distribution of RCA Victor recordings in Japan until RCA established its separate distribution in Japan during the late 1960s. Today, the record company in Japan is known asVictor Entertainment.
In 1953, JVC became majority-owned by thePanasonic Corporation. Panasonic released its ownership in 2007.[2]
In the 1960s, JVC established the Nivico (Nippon Victor Corporation) brand for Delmonico's line of console televisions and stereos.
In 1970, JVC marketed theVideosphere, a portablecathode-ray tube (CRT) television inside a space-helmet-shaped casing with analarm clock at the base. It was a commercial success.[3]
In 1971, JVC introduced the first discrete system for four channelquadraphonic sound on vinyl records -CD-4 (Compatible Discrete Four Channel) orQuadradisc, as it was called by theRadio Corporation of America (RCA) in the United States.[citation needed]
In 1973, the JVC Cutting Center opened (in the USA) to provide mastering for CD-4 discs. The Mark II 1/2 speed system was used until mid-1975 when it was replaced with the Mark III 1/2 speed system. In 1978, Mobile Fidelity began using the JVC Cutting Center to 1/2 speed master Stereo/Mono discs.
In 1975, JVC introduced the first combined portable battery-operated radio with inbuilt TV, as the model 3050. The TV was a 3-inch (7.6 cm) black-and-white CRT. One year later, JVC expanded the model to add a cassette recorder, as the 3060, creating the world's firstboombox with radio,cassette and TV.[citation needed]
In 1976, the first VCR to use VHS was theVictor HR-3300, and was introduced by the president of JVC at theOkura Hotel inTokyo on September 9, 1976.[4][5] JVC started selling the HR-3300 inAkihabara, Tokyo, Japan on October 31, 1976.[4] Region-specific versions of the JVC HR-3300 were also distributed later on, such as the HR-3300U in the United States, and HR-3300EK in the United Kingdom.
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In the late 1970s, JVC developed the VHS format, introducing the first VHS recorders to the consumer market in 1976 for the equivalent of US$1,060.Sony, which had introduced theBetamax homevideocassette tape a year earlier, became the main competitor for JVC's VHS format into the 1980s, creating thevideotape format war. The Betamax cassette was smaller, with slightly superior picture quality to the VHS cassette, but this resulted in Betamax having less recording time. The two companies competed fiercely to encourage others to adopt their format, but by 1984 forty companies were using JVC's VHS format, while only 12 used Betamax. Sony began producing VHS recorders in 1988. However, Sony stopped making Betamax recorders for the US market in 1993; they stopped production of the format completely in 2002. One reason for the market penetration of VHS in the UK were the sales of blank tapes by JVC UK Ltd to major Hollywood studios. This launched the nascenthome video rental market, which was hardly touched by Sony at the time. This ability to take movies home helped the sale of the VHS hardware immensely. Added to this JVC stated in a promotional tape presented byBBC TV legendCliff Michelmore, that "You'll be able to buy the sort of films the BBC andITV will never show you, for whatever reason". The adult movie industry adopted VHS as their common format and with a certain level of software availability, hardware sales grew.[6]
In 1979, JVC demonstrated a prototype of itsvideo high density (VHD) disc system. This system was capacitance-based, likecapacitance electronic disc (CED), but the discs were grooveless with the stylus being guided by servo signals in the disc surface. The VHD discs were initially handled by the operator and played on a machine that looked like an audio LPturntable, but JVC used caddy-housed discs when the system was marketed. Development suffered numerous delays, and the product was launched in 1983 in Japan, followed by theUnited Kingdom in 1984, to a limited industrial market.[citation needed]
In 1981, JVC introduced a line of revolutionary direct-drive cassette decks, topped by the DD-9, that provided previously unattainable levels of speed stability.[7]
During the 1980s JVC briefly marketed its portable audio equipment similar to theSony Walkman on the market at the time. The JVC CQ-F2K was released in 1982 and had a detachable radio mounted to the headphones for a compact, wire-free listening experience. JVC had difficulty making the products successful, and a few years later stopped making them. In Japan, JVC marketed the products under the name "Victor".[citation needed]
In 1986, JVC released the HC-95, apersonal computer with a 3.58 MHzZilog Z80A processor, 64 KB RAM, running onMSX Basic 2.0. It included two 3.5"floppy disk drives and conformed to the graphics specification of theMSX-2 standard. However, like thePioneer PX-7, it also carried a sophisticated hardware interface that handled video superimposition and various interactive video processing features. The JVC HC-95 was first sold in Japan, and thenEurope, but sales were disappointing.[citation needed]
JVC video recorders were marketed by theFerguson Radio Corporation in the UK, with just cosmetic changes. However, Ferguson needed to find another supplier for its camcorders when JVC produced only theVHS-C format, rather thanvideo8. Ferguson was later acquired byThomson SA, which ended the relationship. JVC later inventedhard drive camcorders.[citation needed]
In October 2001, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences presented JVC anEmmy Award for "outstanding achievement in technological advancement" for "Pioneering Development of Consumer Camcorders". Annual sponsorships of the world-renowned JVC Tokyo Video Festival and the JVC Jazz Festival have helped attract the attention of more customers.[citation needed]
JVC has been a worldwide football (soccer) supporter since 1982, having a former kit sponsorship withArsenal and continuing its role as an official partner of2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan. JVC made headlines as the first-ever corporate partner of theKennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. JVC has recently forged corporate partnerships withESPN Zone and Foxploration. In 2005, JVC joinedHANA, theHigh-Definition Audio-Video Network Alliance, to help establish standards in consumer-electronics interoperability.
In 2005, JVC announced their development of the firstDVD-RW DL media (the dual-layer version of the rewritable DVD-RW format).[8]
In December 2006, Matsushita entered talks with Kenwood andCerberus Capital Management to sell its stake in JVC.[9] In 2007, Victor Company of Japan Ltd confirmed a strategic capital alliance with Kenwood and SPARKX Investment, resulting in Matsushita's holding being reduced to approximately 37%.[10]In March 2008, Matsushita (Panasonic) agreed to spin off the company and merge it with Kenwood Electronics, creating JVCKenwood Holdings on October 1, 2008.[11]
In April 2008, JVC announced that it was closing its TV plants inEast Kilbride (Scotland) and Japan. This left it with one plant in Thailand. It stated it would outsource European production to anOEM.[12]
JVC TVs for North America are now being manufactured by AmTRAN Video Corporation along with distribution, service, and warranty under license from JVCKenwood.[13] In Europe,Currys plc, owner ofCurrys, has a similar arrangement with JVCKenwood.[14]
In Europe, JVC sells mainly some audio accessories, like headphones, and until recently DIN-type car audio. Also in Europe, JVC is present with camcorders, security cameras, audio systems, and with their emblematic boom box, projectors. JVC TV sets in Europe are manufactured mainly by Turkish manufacturerVestel but are unavailable in all countries.
JVC manufactures car audio head units and speakers for the aftermarket car audio market.[15]
JVC is a well-known brand among English football fans due to the firm's sponsorship ofArsenal from 1981 to 1999, whenSega took over as Arsenal's sponsors. JVC's 18-year association with Arsenal is one of the longest club-sponsor associations with any professional football club.[16] JVC also sponsored Scottish football clubAberdeen in the late-1980s and early-1990s as well as theFIFA World Cup from 1982 to 2002.
JVC also sponsors the "away" shirts of the AustralianA-League club,Sydney FC, andDutch race driverChristijan Albers.[citation needed]
JVC has also been a sponsor of amassively multiplayer online game calledRise: The Vieneo Province since 2003.[17]
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JVC is generally known within Japan by theVictor brand, preceded by theHis Master's Voice logo featuring the dogNipper. Because of a conflict in trademarks between HMV, RCA, and Victor, HMV and RCA are not allowed to use Nipper in Japan.[18] At one time, the company used theNivico name (for "Nippon Victor Company") overseas, before rebranding toJVC, which stands forJapan's Victor Company. Therefore, the Victor and JVC-Victor web sites looked quite different. Conversely, the entertainment retailerHMV cannot use the His Master's Voice motto or logo in Japan; its logo is a stylized image of a gramophone only.[19] After theRadio Corporation of America (RCA), purchased the Victor Talking Machine Company in 1929 and becameRCA Victor in Japan, RCA also had acquired the use of Nipper and His Master's Voice logo, but for use in theWestern Hemisphere. In 2011, JVC decided to phase out the "Victor" brand for electronics in Japan, but retained its use for its premium audio products, recording studios Victor Studio, andrecord labelJVCKenwood Victor Entertainment.
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![JVC QL-Y5F Direct drive turntable with electronic JVC tonearm[20]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fwikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aJVC_QL-Y5F_8535057066crop.jpg)
Victor Company of Japan, Ltd. (JVC) is pleased to announce that it has developed the world's first [as of April 4, 2005] single-sided, dual layer DVD-RW disc technology with a maximum storage capacity of 8.5GB
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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