In a historical perspective, the flat panel TV is still a relatively new thing, even though most of us own one or maybe even a few. But how did our TVs look 5 years ago? In a series of galleries FlatpanelsHD takes a look at 5 years of TV design by every major TV maker. We kick off with a look at Sony.

Every Friday FlatpanelsHD takes at look a TV makers’ design tradition. Check back in again on next Friday.

Sony: 5 years of TV design
In our series of TV design galleries we start with Sony in 2008 and two designs are top of mind. Sony launched the new X series that had speakers on the sides – something rarely seen today – and Sony launched their white photo frame TVs.


We give you the opportunity to relive Sony’s TV design over the last 5 years

For years Sony was criticized for its relatively bulky TVs that were not nearly as slim and minimalistic as the South Koreans’ TVs but Sony soon changed that. In 2009, Sony introduced the world’s thinnest TV called ZX1 as a lightning bolt from a clear sky. This was possible because Sony was the first to take advantage of edge LED backlighting. Unfortunately it was expensive and not transferred to cheaper TV until years after.

In 2010, Sony introduced the Monolithic design philosophy. Monolithic means that something is cut from one piece and this design direction has defined Sony’s TVs in 2011 as well as 2012 where we have seen very elegant Monolithic Sony TVs with a backward-leaning expression and unique stand solutions. The crowning of the Monolithic philosophy happened just a month back with the introduction of the HX950.

Go to the Gallery section and see 5 years of Sony TV design, and come back every Friday to see new galleries.