Sony CEO Says Developing New Kind of TV

He said Sony would have been profitable this year, if not for the natural disasters it has faced. Many of its facilities were damaged by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, and it also is seeing problems stemming from the severe flooding in Thailand.

The Wall Street Journal, said TV manufacturers, driven by their desire to rack up market share, have bred an intensely competitive market. As a result, they are scrambling to come up with a new generation of TV sets that will separate them from the pack and command premium prices.

Mr. Stringer declined to discuss details of what Sony has on the drawing board, but said, "There's a tremendous amount of R&D going into a different kind of TV set." He added that he has "no doubt" Apple's late leader Steve Jobs also was working on changing the traditional TV set.

Sony said last week that it expects a loss of more than $1 billion in the fiscal year through March, in part because of its struggling television business, which has been a thorn in its side for close to a decade. The business has bled red ink because of plunging prices and declining demand.

Sony isn't alone in struggling to turn a profit in the TV market. Manufacturers are finding it more difficult to establish the differences among models, so consumers often choose the least expensive one available. The resulting pressure on profits has increased recently, as demand has declined in the U.S., Japan and Europe.

Mr. Stringer said he wouldn't underestimate Apple's ability to come up with a novel concept, but he noted it is a tricky process. "It will take a long time to transition to a new form of television," Mr. Stringer said.

Once a dominant competitor in the television business, Sony was late with liquid-crystal-display sets in the early 2000s and trails current industry leaders Samsung Electronics Co. and LG Electronics Inc., both of South Korea. In addition, it has pushed 3-D televisions that have failed to gain traction with consumers, and its Internet-connected TV based on Google Inc.'s operating system also has struggled.

Mr. Stringer said Thursday that he didn't realize it would be so difficult to get the programming necessary to expand the market for 3-D TV. He said that for the format to take off, there needs to be regular TV content produced for it.

Mr. Stringer also said that other phone makers will catch up to Apple's iPhone, but that their devices need to become "seamless."

"The beauty of the iPhone is it's really well organized," he said.

Sony has a "four screen" strategy of offering network services on mobile phones, tablet computers, personal computers and TV sets. "I spent the last five years building a platform so I can compete against Steve Jobs," Mr. Stringer said. "It's finished, and it's launching now."

He added that Mr. Jobs had recommended that Sony focus on a smaller number of products, but Mr. Stringer said that would be difficult for the company, as it would mean closing business and having layoffs.Mr. Stringer said he isn't leaving Sony, despite reports he is considering such a move.