India's colour TV market, which currently comprises five million sets, could double in size and easily touch ten million, in the next 'five to six years',  said sources at Sony, one of the players in the field.

Sony India managing director Teruo Ishii said here that though his company had only a five per cent share, in quantity terms, of the colour TV market, and 35 per cent of the mini HiFi segment, these two sectors were the 'bread and butter' of Sony's operations in India.

“We had flat growth over this year, because there was no big sporting events, like a cricket world cup. But in the September-October Diwali season, we sold around 50,000 units of our colour TVs, which was the highest record for us in five years,” he added.

Currently India's five-million-set colour TV market compares quite favourably in size to that of the US (20 million), Japan (8 million), or China (12-15 million for domestic consumption), Ishii said.

Sony also sees immense potential in the shift from 'rounded to flat' screens in the TV segment. Colour TVs are increasingly getting divided into two categories -- low cost TVs and the high-cost segment.

Sony introduced the flat-screen TVs in 1996, and these came to India soon after. “Earlier, we enjoyed a very high market share. Till last year, there was virtually just one company with the flat TV screen. It was Sony. Since last year, we've had also other firms in the market, like Panasonic, BPL, Onida, Sharp, Videocon and Akai,” Ishii said.

He said his company believed in 'offering the Indian customer a very wide choice of TVs' ranging from the 14-inch to the 34-inch TVs.

In a country like Japan, the shift-over from rounded screen TVs to flat-screens had been very fast. Today, flat-screens -- which are costlier --accounted for nearly 80 to 90 per cent of the market. In countries like the US, however, Ishii conceded, the market for these was less.

“World over, there has been a tendency towards flatness. In India however, it is currently less than five per cent (of the total market in TVs). India's total colour TV market is about five million sets. We estimate only around 120,000 of these are flat-screen colour TVs,”said Ishii.

Sony expects India's consumer durables market to see a virtual 'explosion' in the next five years. “Colour TVs should easily grow to ten million sets in the next five to six years. So this is a very high potential market,” said Ishii.

Sony India was set up in January 1995, and is a 100 per cent subsidiary of Sony Corporation, Japan. It has its offices in all the metros, and factory at Dharuhera in Haryana. In addition, the company has a network of 33 distributors, 1500 dealers and 91 after-sales service stations.

Currently, the company manufactures its colour TVs and audio systems in its Haryana factory. It has about 980 employees on its rolls, and the company achieved a turnover of Rs 613 crore in financial year ‘99. This represented a 21 per cent growth over FY98 (Rs 505 crore). In financial year 2000, the company has an ambitious target of Rs 720 crores, which it hints is proving hard work to attain.

Sony admits that because it was importing its colour monitors and cameras as 'finished goods' from abroad, there was a price difference between what consumers paid for those products here and abroad.

Asked about problems being faced by customers through their service outlets, Sony India says that steps were being taken to ensure a proper inventory of parts in all centres. “So many models were brought in by grey market channels (that it is sometimes difficult to find the right parts),” said Sony India's deputy director and general manager for sales and service Prem K Nair.

To a query whether Sony 'preferred' China to India as a production centre, Ishii said this was not the case. “We've had a longer history in China. Sony India is only five years old,” he argued.

“Easing of importable items into India by the government of India is a boon to global players who can now offer their international range to the discerning Indian customer,” the Sony India chief said.

By end-November, Sony said it plans to "widen" its portable audio range available in India. It is to launch various models of its Walkman, including the CD Walkman, the MD Walkman, the Memory Stick Walkman, two-in-ones and card radios.

Speaking to indiamarkets, Sony India deputy director Prem K Nair admitted that the company's popular computer floppy discs had been affected by counterfeits. The company had not been able to trace the source of where these had come from.

“But over the last two years, we have been working with the government to destroy such fake floppy discs around India. We have no idea where they come from,” said Nair, but he said the MRP stickers were a sign that the product was valid.

Sony's digital cameras range includes its popular Mavica cameras – including the MVC-FD73, FD90, FD95 and DSC-S30. Its HiFi 'movie experience' range includes the 'Cinema Space'. This piece of equipment promises to 'turn any room into a virtual theatre'. It uses sophisticated sound technology, to build a three-dimension sound stage with only two front speakers.

Sony's 'Picture Navigator' allows you to get to any part of your favourite VideoCD movie faster. With a simple turn of your finger, you can advance or rewind in ten-second or 30-second steps.