JVC

For the US branch, see JVC Musical Industries. For the European branch, see JVC Music Europe.

JVC

Founded: 1927-09-13^[1]

Defunct: 2011-10-01

T-series code: T-315

Merged with: Kenwood (2008)

Merged into: JVCKenwood Holdings (2011)

Headquarters:

Yokohama, Japan

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JVC (Japan Victor Company), officially known as Victor Company of Japan, Ltd or Nihon Victor Kabushiki Gaisha (日本ビクター株式会社) was a Japanese multimedia and electronics company.

JVC began its live in 1927 as The Victor Talking Machine Company of Japan, Ltd, a Japanese subsidiary of the US-based Victor Talking Machine Company. In 1929 the conglomerate merged with RCA, becoming RCA Victor, but the JVC branch kept its original branding. JVC severed its ties with RCA Victor during World War II, becoming its own stand-alone company (though the Victor name and "Nipper" the dog trademark was shared between the two, and both companies continue to work closely to this day).

JVC has spent most of its existence producing electronics, notably the first Japanese televisions in 1939, as well as stereos, multimedia equipment, and the VHS home video standard in 1976. In the 1980s it began a venture into the home computer market, producing the HC-95 MSX computer.

In Japan, JVC usually trades under the older, "Victor" brand, and many of its subsidiaries over the years have favoured the name "Victor" over "JVC". In 1972 it established one of these subsidiaries as Victor Musical Industries (later Victor Entertainment and then Victor Interactive Software) to originally cater for the audio market (before going on to publish video games). This is one of several forays JVC have made into the video gaming world, alongside Electronic Arts Victor (a partnership with Electronic Arts) and BMG Victor (a partnership with BMG Interactive Entertainment).

JVC has itself published video games, and has created hardware including the Wondermega and V-Saturn.

In 2008, JVC and Kenwood merged to become JVCKenwood Holdings and JVC became a subsidiary of said company. In 2011, JVC and Kenwood were absorbed into JVCKenwood Holdings, effectively renaming the company to JVCKenwood Corporation, officially ending JVC's run as a company after 84 years.