IEEE History Center: Nobutoshi Kihara Abstract

This interview is part of the Japanese Oral Histories Collection.

Nobutoshi Kihara is a mechanical engineer employed by Sony. He is best known for his development of video tape recording technology. He was educated at Waseda University and went to work at Sony in 1947 after his graduation. At Sony he worked on a variety of recording technologies until he began work on video tape recorders in the late 1950s, a process which culminated in Sony's production of Betamax technology in 1975.

The interview begins with Kihara's education and early experience with radio mechanics. He discusses his involvement in a variety of projects at Sony, including his work on the Hellschreiber, wire recorders, tape recording, the portable tape recorder, stereo tape recording, and transistorized television and tape recorders. He emphasizes the advantages and disadvantages of the Japanese patent systems; he also mentions the effect transistorization and miniaturization processes had on parts supplying companies. Finally, he discusses the development of the video recorder from the late 1950s into the 1960s, describing the joint agreement between Ampex and Japan around 1959, which brought together Sony's transistor technology and mass production capacity and Ampex's FM recording technology. He outlines the key elements of VTR development, describes the various technical challenges involved, and notes that the larger goal was production for the consumer market. The interview concludes with Kihara's assessment of Sony's ability to develop new products as an extension of a traditional engineering way of thinking, and his strong belief in the need for engineers to make the impossible possible and to rely on their own ideas rather on building off of someone else's ideas.

Table of Contents

1	Waseda University
	Iron-Casting Research Center
2	Early mechanical experiences
	Making radios
3	Engineering students exempted from military service
	Sony founder Masaru Ibuka lecturer at Waseda
4	Going to Sony in 1947
	Hellschreiber
5	Hellschreiber received radio signals from Germany
6	Wire recorder, NEC
	Working on wire and wire drawing process
	Experimenting with diamond dies
	Switch to tape
7	Coating for tape based on ground iron material
	Use of lacquer- based coating
8	Tape versus wire
	Once product developed in principle, would turn it over to others to bring it to final product stage
9	Fundamental challenge: raising recording density
	Development of information recording density
10	Development of portable tape recorder
	NHK radio, for man-on-the-street interviews
	Need for motor which could operate on small battery
11	Sony held Japanese patent for high-frequency bias
	Innovative products: spring-operated system for tape recorder
12	Stereo tape recording for broadcasters
	Recorded Herbert von Karajan conducting
	Using transistors in radios
	Power consumption was major issue
13	Transistors also solve problem of poor signal reception
	Early seven-transistor radios
	Power consumption was major issue
	Reducing size of components as aid to miniaturization
14	Parts suppliers pressured to produce very small components
	Mitsumi etc. go on to success based on miniaturization skills
15	Transistors in tape recorders
	Babycorder; Cinecorder; TR-55
	All-transistor television; lower power consumption, miniaturization; more reliability
16	Transistor challenges
	Specific product applications meant clearly defined goals
	Development of video recorder in late 1950s, 1960s
17	1957 first broadcasting use video recorder from Ampex
	August 1958 Sony had finished first successful prototype
	Transistorization, R&D done by 1959
	Joint development with Ampex on transistor-based VTR
18	Joining with Ampex: patents, needed cross-licensing agreement
	Sony's transistor technology; Ampex's FM recording technology
	Ampex had limited mass production capability; Sony strong in mass production
19	Development on Sony side
	Goal: home use of VTR
	Breakthroughs: rotary head size: cost reduction
	Model CV developed in 1965
20	CV model led to crucial patents that govern basics of video tape recording, held in connection with Betamax and 8mm development
	Towards cassette-based system
	Color video-tape recorders
21	Towards Betamax in 1975
	Sony able to develop new products; believes this is due to traditional engineers' way of thinking
	Training his engineers in this way of thinking
	Principles: break through common sense and make impossible possible
	Develop own devices, assemble own prototypes: do it all yourself
	Accumulation of experience important