A major figure in Sony's transition to high definition television is retiring.
Sony said Larry Thorpe, a top broadcast executive at the company since 1982, will leave on Jan. 5, 2004. He is currently senior vice president of Content Creation Systems, a position that gives him responsibility for all broadcast studio and portable cameras, both high and standard definition.
A participant in broadcast standards organizations for over a quarter century and the holder of ten broadcast-related patents, Thorpe has been one of Sony's most visible executives and remains a popular figure in the broadcast industry. He was has been most closely associated with Sony cameras, from Betacam to HDCAM.
From 1966 to 1982, Thorpe worked for RCA's Broadcast Division, where he developed a range of color television cameras and telecines. In 1981, he won the David Sarnoff Award for his innovations in automatic studio color cameras.
The announcement of Thorpe's departure follows that of Pat Whittingham, president of the Sony Broadcast and Production Systems Division, who will also retire effective Jan. 5, 2004.
