Thomson
Thomson, formally known as Thomson Multimedia is a multinational electronics manufacturer and media services provider headquartered in Boulogne, France.
Thomson operates under its four strategic brands servicing a variety of global markets:
- Thomson: Providing consumer electronics to Europe
- RCA: Providing consumer electronics to North America
- Grass Valley: Providing equipment and services to broadcast industries throughout the world
- Technicolor: Providing services to film industries throughout the world
Thomson also controls licensing of the MP3 patents in countries such as the United States of America and Japan that recognize software patents. Thomson Consumer Electronics has decided to cash in on the patents.
They also produce a TiVo-based personal video recorder.
Thomson is named after the electrical engineer Elihu Thomson who was born in Manchester, England, on March 26, 1853. Thomson moved to Philadelphia at the age of 5, with his family.
Thomson formed the Thomson-Houston Electric Company in 1879 with Edwin Houston. The company merged with the Edison General Electric Company to become the General Electric Company in 1892. In 1893, the Compagnie Francaise Thomson-Houston was formed in Paris, a sister company to GE in the United States. Like its American counterpart, the French Thomson has manufactured a variety of electrical, and later electronic, products for industrial, consumer, and military markets.
Thomson was nationalizated in 1982 by Francois Mitterand.
In 1987, the state-run Thomson bought RCA and GE Consumer Electronics from GE.
In 1996, an EU directive forced the privatization of Thomson. The French government split it into its military and consumer components. The military component, known as Thomson-CSF went through a series of transactions, including with Marconi plc, before becoming Thales in 2000. The consumer division became Thomson Multimedia.
In 2000, Thomson Multimedia purchased Technicolor from Carlton Television (owned by Carlton Communications) in the UK.
In 2001, Thomson Multimedia purchased the Grass Valley Group from a private owner.
In 2002, Thomson Multimedia renamed itself ThomsonHistory