Culture

Best Japanese TV Brands

The electronics industry is one of Japan’s most successful industries, generating billions in revenue each year. One of the country’s best exports is televisions, and the Japanese brand names are some of the most well-known in homes all over the world. In this article, we will look at how they became dominant and why they are still on top of the industry today. 

This article will go into detail about the five best Japanese TV brands: 

  • Sony
  • Sharp
  • Panasonic.
  • Toshiba
  • Hitachi

Japanese TVs are renowned for being some of the best in terms of picture quality. They have excellent contrast ratios as well as impressive color accuracy while maintaining an attractive price point that many other manufacturers struggle with competing against. Today I will discuss where these qualities come from.

Let’s dive into a brief yet deep discussion to explore the TV brands.

Photo by Stocksnap on pixabay

Best Japanese TV Brands

Sony 

With more than 111,700 employees and equity of ¥5.621 trillion, Sony is the best and biggest Japanese Tv manufacturer.

Sony started its journey as a producer of radios, televisions, and tape recorders in 1946. It has grown to become one of the most well-known electronics companies in the world producing all sorts from cameras, game consoles to music players. As a company, they are incredibly innovative with many technological firsts such as their Walkman brand, CD technology, and android tablets.

However, Sony is best known for its televisions. It also produces a wide range of home theatre sets, LCDs, LED TVs to budget models. It has introduced some of the most unbelievable cutting-edge technologies in its television sets over the last few years. Some include ultra-slim design, LED backlighting, and quantum dots for color reproduction. Sony also produces a range of screens from 32″ to 103″.

One thing that Sony is always doing differently though is being environmentally conscious in the manufacturing process. They use green power, reuse their materials and recycle where possible to save on energy costs as well as reduce pollution. 

Sony has three factories in Japan that produce televisions for the markets all over the world. They are all located in different parts of Japan so they have proximity to shipping ports which cuts down on transport time dramatically and reduces cost too.

Photo by John Karakatsanis on Flickr

Sony has a total market share of about 18% in the US, and it is still growing. Last year (2020) Sony made $25 billion in revenue from TV sales and that surely shows the popularity of Sony televisions and of course their built quality.

Sony makes a wide range of televisions with lucrative features that will meet the need of almost all types of customers. However, my recommendation is the Sony X800H which features a 4k Ultra HD LED screen.  If you have a more flexible budget, you can go for the Sony A8H that comes with a 4K Ultra HD OLED screen and produces an astonishing picture.

Founded: 1946

Website: https://www.sony.com/electronics/tv/t/televisions

Recommended Model: Sony X800H

Panasonic

Panasonic is one of the most talked-about companies when it comes to the introduction of technologies in consumer electronics.

Previously known as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd, Panasonic is a multinational electronics company with headquarters in Kadoma, Osaka. Panasonic is among the top five TV manufacturers in Japan. Currently, the company has 244,000 employees and their manufacturing plants are located in different countries in the world.

This Japanese brand was founded back in 1918 and they specialize in manufacturing TVs, refrigerators, washing machines, and many other household appliances. They produce their products mainly in China where it has a total revenue of about $14 billion per year (2020). Panasonic also manufactures its TVs in Japan where it has a total revenue of about $256 million per year (2020).

The motto of Panasonic is A Better Life, A Better World and they proved that by technology and services that are designed to improve the quality of life for people around the world. 

The most sought-after TV from Panasonic is the Panasonic JZ2000 and Panasonic HZ2000 and both feature the most advanced OLED panels.

Founded: 1918

Website: https://www.panasonic.com/global/consumer.html

Recommended Model: Panasonic JZ2000

Sharp

Established on September 15, 1912, by the Sharp Corporation, Sharp Electronics is one of the world’s leading electronic companies. The Sharp Corporation was founded by Tokuji Hayakawa as a trading company dealing with the import of American cotton and exporting Japanese silk to America.  

This Japanese company makes some of the most popular and well-known televisions. They are very well known in Japan and China for their manufacturing quality TVs, both analog and digital. They have a market share of about 11% in those two countries combined. Apart from TV’s sharp also specializes in manufacturing in different areas such as microwaves, water purifiers, and solar energy.

Sharp has three plants for manufacturing televisions, with one plant in Mexico which is responsible for assembling LCD television panels. The other two are based located in Japan and China.

The televisions from Sharp stand out in the market for their quality and design. Sharp TVs are available in both analog and digital, as well as plasma TVs that offer a full Ultra HD resolution with the option of an anti-reflective screen on some models.

Sharp has a total market share of about 12% and in last year (2020) they made a total revenue of about USD 16.329 billion which surely indicates the quality and popularity of their products.

The most popular TV models from sharp in 2020 are the 70″ Sharp PN-LE PN-LE701 and the 80” Sharp 4K Android Smart TV 4T-C80CL1X.

Founded: 1912

Website: https://my.sharp/products/tv

Recommended Model: Sharp PN-LE PN-LE701

Toshiba

Toshiba is one of the world’s leading electronics companies with headquarters located in Tokyo, Japan. Toshiba has a long history as they were founded back in 1875. It specializes in the manufacturing of TVs, refrigerators, washing machines, and many other household appliances.

Currently, Toshiba manufactures its TVs in four different plants located in Japan. They have a total market share of about 12% and in last year (2020) they made a total revenue of about 3.693 trillion JPY which surely indicates the quality and popularity of their products. 

Photo by Wang John on Unsplash 

If you are looking for a good quality Japanese-made television at a reasonable price point, then I suggest you check out the Toshiba 43LF421U21 43-inch Smart HD TV. For some extra bucks, you can also get the Toshiba 50LF621U21 50-inch Smart TV that features 4K UHD resolution and Dolby Vision

Founded: 1875

Website: https://toshiba-tv.com/

Recommended Model: Toshiba 50LF621U21

Hitachi

Hitachi is a well-known Japanese company that manufactures TVs and other consumer electronic items. They are headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It is one of the most popular TV brands in Japan because it offers high-quality products at affordable prices. 

Hitachi has more than 100 years of history since it was founded back in 1910 by Takashi Aman, Kenjiro Iida, and Naoji Sakamoto. 

They also manufacture other appliances like microwaves, air conditioners, etc. Hitachi specializes in manufacturing TVs at two plants located outside of Japan but still within the country’s borders (China). 

Hitachi has a total market share of about 12% and in last year (2020) they made a total revenue of about ¥36,693 billion.

In 2020, had total revenue of more than 8.767 trillion JPY and that has facilitated the employment of 350,800 people.

Image by 영훈 박 from Pixabay

Hitachi televisions cost a little more than compared to other brands, but when you compare the quality and durability, the price you pay worth it. 

In my opinion, Hitachi 55RH1 55″ UHD Tv has enough features to meet the entertainment requirements of most people. However, you can also have look at the 43″ Hitachi 43R80 that comes with 4k resolution and Roku connectivity, just like the previous one I mentioned.

Founded: 1910

Website: https://tv.hitachi.eu/eu/en

Recommended Model: Hitachi 55RH1

Eli Civil

A software engineer, entrepreneur, and Japanese culture enthusiast. I travel the world while working from my laptop and try to visit Japan as often as I can. About Eli Civil

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