Digital Lifescapes

As the number of consumer electronic (CE) devices and their capabilities continue to evolve and converge, many require significantly more communication bandwidth to provide the quality interactive experience users have come to expect. SuperSpeed USB brings significant performance enhancements to the ubiquitous USB standard, while remaining compatible with the billions of USB-enabled devices currently deployed in the market. The additional throughput is required to accommodate the need to transfer large digital media files between devices. According to the latest market study by NPD In-Sta t, they now forecast that SuperSpeed USB-enabled device shipments are on a fast track and will surpass 1 billion in 2014, that's up from 70 million in 2011. "Because the throughput of SuperSpeed USB, ten times that of high-speed USB, is not required in some devices, adoption will not initially be as broad as for full- and high-speed USB," says Brian O’Rourke, Research Director at N...

There is mounting evidence that the market development of digital video entertainment distribution in America has reached a significant milestone. Previously, the primary barrier to the increased adoption of long-form video online streaming was the apparent difficulty of viewing that content on a TV monitor. Resolving the PC-to-TV connectivity and device configuration issues were considered the realm of the early-adopter and technology-savvy video entertainment consumer. While the perceived roadblocks are still a deterrent to a large segment of the total addressable market, the pragmatists in the early-majority seem to be guiding their peer-group to the practical solutions. According to the latest market study by In-Stat , there are now 30 million U.S. broadband households currently viewing some form of online video on their TV sets. In addition to downloading digital video, close to 90 percent of these households also stream online video to their primary television. Over the n...

Digital video players, blu-ray disc players, game consoles, and now television sets are connecting to the Internet. Moreover, everything online is becoming accessible on smartphones and other connected mobile devices. Internet video streaming is the new service that's in high demand. However, most TVs are not enabled to display these offerings. The hybrid Web-to-TV set top box (STB) will deliver over-the-top services to these TV sets -- by integrating Internet access capability into cable, satellite, telcoTV (IPTV), and digital terrestrial STBs. Work is underway to create hybrid services that bring apps and widgets to TV programming, along with advanced advertising, according to the latest market study by In-Stat . The market value of Hybrid STBs will reach $1.3 billion worldwide by 2014. "TV programs have come to the Internet. Now, the Internet is coming back to TV, and savvy software engineers and smart TV producers are finding ways to create new hybrid services that...

A growing set of consumer electronics (CE) devices -- ranging from web-enabled TVs, to Blu-ray players and over-the-top set-top boxes -- now support TV application widgets. Among these TV apps are those that enable users to view YouTube videos, access Netflix subscription services, or obtain weather forecasts directly on the TV using a broadband Internet connection. The rapid growth of web-enabled CE devices -- which In-Stat projects will to 83.4 million by 2014 -- is the foundation for a vibrant TV Widget Market. Most CE device manufacturers are introducing software developer platforms that support application widgets. However, In-Stat research indicates only a modest consumer interest in performing PC-centric applications on the TV. Consumers have higher interest in TV applications that enhance and/or augment the viewing experience, rather than simply provide information that is readily accessible via other screens. "Consumers want more than simply displaying additiona...

During the past thirty years, television channel tuners have moved beyond TV sets, and found their way into Cable TV set-top boxes and Cable Modems, PC-TV tuners, and Digital Terrestrial TV (DTT) set-top boxes. Many satellite and telco pay-TV set-top boxes also include broadcast TV tuners. Although traditional can-type TV tuners are still the mainstream approach being used for high-volume television sets, the next-generation of ultra-slim TVs will need compact Silicon Tuners to enable thinner circuit boards, according to the latest market study by In-Stat . Smaller-screen TVs that need to add digital reception capabilities will also benefit from smaller, less power-hungry Silicon Tuners. "During this decade, the global market for TV Tuners will make an epochal transition from traditional can-type TV Tuners to all solid state Silicon Tuners" says Gerry Kaufhold, In-Stat analyst. The silicon tuner contenders have already displaced the can tuners in most Satellite TV and...

The market for digital interface technologies continues to grow. According to the latest market study by In-Stat , USB is still the most common interface on both work and home personal computer (PC) platforms. Other common device interfaces include DisplayPort, DVI, HDMI, Bluetooth, eSATA, and 1394 (FireWire). USB Flash cards are still the most commonly connected peripherals. I'm now using a variety of USB storage devices for my multimedia file transportation needs -- I'll share more about my own application scenarios in an upcoming post. "Just because an interface is common, does not mean it is widely used," says Brian O’Rourke, In-Stat analyst. "For example, 1394 was the second most common interface, but is rarely used." HDMI is a less common home PC interface. However, among those few consumers with an HDMI port, a large percentage use it to connect their portable or desktop PC HDMI port to their digital television set HDMI input. HDMI connectivity is the...

According to the latest market study by The Diffusion Group (TDG), the global market for digital media adapters (DMAs) will be virtually nonexistent by 2014 -- a result of manufacturers shifting to embedded solutions and growing demand for video platforms that feature native Internet connectivity. The DMA device will be rendered obsolete, based on TDG's assessment, before it gains a solid footing. This and other themes are discussed in TDG's latest digital media analysis, Broadband-Enabled TV: Evolution of OTT Hardware Platforms. First introduced in the early part of the decade, the DMA has been a non-starter, "a solution in search of a problem," notes Colin Dixon, managing partner at TDG and author of the new report. "The optimism of early supporters was premised upon the belief that consumers were eager to network their PC and Internet media with their TV and home entertainment system, in which case a DMA would appear to be a reasonable solution. In reality, m...

The range of connected consumer electronics devices delivering over-the-top (OTT) video into the living room is growing. Device types include digital media adapters (DMAs), pay-TV set top boxes, Blu-ray player or recorders, HDTVs and media-center PCs. However, networked video game consoles are currently the most utilized devices for bringing web video to the TV -- and will remain so through 2013. By 2013, over 10.7 million consoles will be used as Web-to-TV mediation devices in the U.S., according the the latest In-Stat market study. While still at the early adoption stages, the impact of bringing web video to the TV will bring both opportunity and threats to a range of companies in the traditional electronics and TV markets. By 2013, the revenue from Web-to-TV streaming services will grow to $2.9 billion. "Currently Web video is largely additive to traditional TV revenue streams," says Keith Nissen, In-Stat analyst. "However, ultimately web video to the TV will force a ...

Demand for PC-TV tuners has fallen off from the 2008 levels due to the worldwide economic recession, according to the latest study by In-Stat. Perhaps broadcast signal reception quality is also still an issue -- that was my prior personal experience with analog tuners. The market also faces fundamental challenges, including slow consumer demand, increased competition from online television and other programming sources, and lower prices due to a shift from hybrid analog/digital tuners to digital-only tuners. One hopeful development is that Microsoft's Windows 7 and the new version of Media Center will apparently include better connectivity solutions for PC-TV Tuners. "Opportunities for growth will be for hybrid analog/digital tuner manufacturers to increase share by lowering prices, or for new entrants to leapfrog the analog and hybrid segments by aggressively targeting the emerging digital-only segments, albeit with lower margins," says Gerry Kaufhold, In-Stat analyst. I...