IHT:In 1997, Japan's premium electronics company took little notice of Samsung Electronics, a South Korean television maker fighting a life or death battle to survive the Asian currency crisis. Less than a decade later, Samsung has twice the market capitalization of Sony. (...) Samsung also has a huge capacity to build raw components like memory chips and display panels, lowering production costs. Samsung was once a back-of-the-store brand with bulky televisions and boom boxes. After the Asian currency crisis, Samsung upgraded its product lines to compete directly with Sony for the premium market, leaving cheaper electronic goods to new companies in China. (...) "Samsung is like the old Sony," said Gilder, who edits the Gilder Technology Report. "Samsung has much of the spirit of Sony 10 years ago."