|
General Vintage Technology Discussions For general discussions about vintage radio and other vintage electronics etc. |
|
Thread Tools |
1st Aug 2007, 5:10 pm | #1 |
Retired Dormant Member
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: North London, UK.
Posts: 6,168
|
EMI: past present and future
EMI is a strange company. It was formed in 1931 by merging the Gramophone Company (HMV) and the Columbia Graphophone Company. The history is actually more complex than that with significant US shareholdings. Apart from making records, EMI was an innovative company with huge achievements notably in television, radar and CT scanning.
More than once it indulged in that great British practice of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. In 1971(?) incomptence in managing the CT scanner business drove EMI to the verge of collapse. It merged with (taken over by would be a fairer description) Thorn to create Thorn-EMI. Gradually through the 1980s and 1990s the group disposed of many of its businesses such as television (Ferguson), lighting, electron tubes, radar and reverted to being purely a music and entertainment company. It is now being bought by a private equity company. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6926032.stm |
1st Aug 2007, 5:24 pm | #2 |
Heptode
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Cheltenham Spa, Gloucestershire, UK.
Posts: 525
|
Re: EMI: past present and future
hmmmmmmmm thats that then..............................another old firm going............................................. .........ianj
|
2nd Aug 2007, 9:18 am | #3 |
Octode
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Bath, Somerset, UK.
Posts: 1,804
|
Re: EMI: past present and future
Brilliant autobiography by Godfrey Hounsfield here who developed the CT scanner whilst at EMI as well as early computing design for the firm:
http://www.engology.com/eng5hounsfield.htm One of the "Great Britons", Neil
__________________
preserving the recent past, for the distant future. |
2nd Aug 2007, 12:04 pm | #4 |
Octode
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Hampton Vale, Peterborough, UK.
Posts: 1,698
|
Re: EMI: past present and future
They picked up some good men when Columbia was merged with HMV, among them being Alan Blumlein, one of the driving forces behind EMI's successful 405 line TV system and pioneer of stereophonic recording. HMV were very traditional makers of wind-up gramophones in the early days and only went into radio production when the acoustic gramophone trade was threatened by the 'newcomer'. Pity to see yet another proud name losing status, but that's the way of the world today, I guess.
-Tony |