Digital Lifescapes

Even the most reluctant CEOs have discovered that supporting their remote workers was less disruptive than they anticipated. Moreover, productivity often increased as jubilant workers were freed from the noise and other distractions at their employer's poorly designed open-plan offices. Short audio or video conference meet-ups have replaced the typical 1-hour long mind-numbing in-person meetings that were common at many enterprises prior to the pandemic. Legacy business leaders that were not previously Agile converts have now embraced these online collaboration tools. It's amazing. Conferencing Solutions Market Development Global end-user investment on cloud-based web conferencing solutions will grow 24.3 percent in 2020, according to the latest worldwide market study by Gartner. Global workplace restrictions spurred by the coronavirus pandemic will expand the cloud conferencing user base throughout 2020, but growth may actually taper off in 2021 as the lasting effects...

Reports of the doubling in audio and video related mobile network traffic within 2015 highlights the fact that the demand for multimedia entertainment on smartphones and media tablets continues to grow. Meanwhile, revelations of Internet spying by governments, and content vendors worried about the quality of the consumer experience, are driving the mobile communications industry toward end-to-end encryption of more data traffic. According to the latest worldwide market study by ABI Research, apps enabled with content encryption eliminated nearly 60 percent of the traditional video and audio optimization market in 2015. Streaming Media Market Development Moving forward, telecom operators and vendors need to make significant operational moves to protect network performance and create a competitive advantage with streaming media entertainment. "With encryption here to stay, network operators need new tools to manage mobile broadband traffic," said Joe Hoffman, vice pre...

Wireless connectivity technology continues to evolve to accommodate the communication needs of a variety of new digital devices. As an example, annual shipments of 802.15.4 enabled devices are forecast to grow more than five times from 2012 to 2018 -- with a CAGR of over 30 percent. ZigBee continues to be the primary driver toward standardization and interoperability and will see further strong growth across many markets, accounting for almost 80 percent of total 802.15.4-enabled device shipments in 2018. "It’s been quite a turbulent time for ZigBee over the last couple of years," said Peter Cooney, practice director at ABI Research . Markets that seemed to be sure-fire bets for rapid growth -- such as smart meters -- have not delivered what was expected, while smart home markets continue to flourish. There are a number of markets that the ZigBee Alliance and its members have targeted, and many standards have been developed to address them. To date, most of the focu...

As the worldwide media player market matures, with shipment growth of only 5 percent in 2009, competitors are scrambling to add features such as touchscreens and Wi-Fi connectivity to re-ignite demand, according to the latest In-Stat market study. Just a few years ago, the Personal Media Player (PMP or MP3) player market was among the strongest growth segments in the portable consumer electronic (CE) industry. Today, the market is stalled due to weak consumer demand, a poor economic environment, a stalled replacement market, and competition from the iPhone and other audio/video-capable smartphones. "Among the lone bright spots in the PMP market is Wi-Fi enabled PMPs," says Stephanie Ethier, In-Stat analyst. "Unit shipments of Wi-Fi-enabled PMPs will grow more than four-fold by 2013 from the 14 million units shipped in 2008." In-Stat's market study found the following: - Total worldwide shipments of PMP players will reach 225 million in 2009, with Asia Pacific re...

The growth rate of the once rapidly expanding Personal Media Player (PMP) or MP3 player market will slow considerably over the next five years, accord to a market study by In-Stat. Now In-Stat estimates that the growth rate has dipped below 10 percent at the end of 2008 for the first time since the market's inception. "Market maturity, a weak economy, and competition from other multimedia handheld devices -- primarily mobile phones -- are contributing to the slowdown in the global PMP/MP3 player market," says Stephanie Ethier, In-Stat analyst. While consumers are starting to demand features, such as Wi-Fi on their devices, such enhanced functionality will not be enough to re-energize the historical shipment growth. In-Stat's market study found the following: - Worldwide PMP/MP3 player shipments will grow to 245 million units in 2012. - By 2012, 21 percent of global PMP/MP3 player shipments will be Wi-Fi-enabled. - Market revenue for PMP/MP3 players peaked in 2008 at $...

Creating a video composition with a music soundtrack has its challenges. Using commercially published music is often the most troublesome approach, due to copyright limitations and licensing requirements. Besides, there are several alternatives for videographers that produce content -- even those on a small budget. Some non-linear video editing software packages include a few sample music tracks -- often referred to as license-free or royalty-free music. There are a variety of online sources that sell stock music , which is also royalty-free. And, there are a few sources that offer songs with creative commons music licenses that you can use at no cost, providing you give attribution to the creator. However, all those options require that the music still must be customized to fit your specific needs, and trimmed to the exact durations of each segment within your video. Instead, there's fully automated soundtrack creation software that enables customizing the score by actual...

The 2009 International CES opened with the world's largest debut of consumer technology products, and keynote addresses from industry leaders. The world's largest tradeshow for consumer technology, runs through Sunday, January 11 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Sony's president and CEO, Sir Howard Stringer, kicked off his opening keynote address at the 2009 International CES by unveiling the "CES Seven" -- key imperatives for creating the critical user experience. These included the concepts that products should interact seamlessly across industries, be service-based, multi-functional, support open technologies, advance the new shared experience, create new value chains and be green. Stringer said that Sony intends to create the total Sony experience so that by 2011, 90 percent of Sony's product categories will connect wirelessly to the Internet and to each other. To help illustrate Sony's cross-platform entertainment strategy, offering content and services at home ...

The keynote address from Microsoft's Steve Ballmer, his first at this event, no doubt set the mood on the eve of the 2009 International CES. Produced by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), it's still the world's largest tradeshow for consumer technology. "The pre-CES events created an incredible buzz throughout Las Vegas and around the globe as the world waits in anticipation for the innovative products that will launch this week from the International CES," said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CEA. With 2,700 exhibitors, including 300 new technology companies, spanning 1.7 million net square feet of exhibit space, the products introduced at this year's CES are likely to further change the shape of the CE industry. During a market research presentation on Tuesday afternoon, CEA released the Global CE Sales and Forecast. According to new data from CEA and the Gfk Group, CEA projected worldwide revenue for consumer electronics will grow more than four p...

Given the recent news about the economy, one could not be blamed for approaching this holiday season with a very short shopping list. But a recent survey of 1600 households conducted by ABI Research has shown that not all consumers intend to cut back on spending, and some are even thinking of spending more than last year. "ABI Research is anticipating that that all consumer electronics manufacturers and retailers are right to expect difficult times ahead," says research director Michael Wolf. "But we also believe that there are certain segments that will fare better than others, including digital TVs and video game software." While 47 percent of respondents plan to decrease spending during the 2008 end-of-year holidays, a surprising 40 percent expect to spend about the same as usual, and 13 percent -- mostly younger consumers -- actually foresee a spending increase. Wolf continues, "One surprising result was that 18 percent indicated that they were planning on ...

According to an ABI Research market study, shipments of four classes of wireless audio and video connectivity products for the home -- which barely amount to 150 million this year -- are expected to increase to nearly 700 million worldwide by the end of 2013. The technologies in question are Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, UWB (ultra-wideband) and 60 GHz -- the likely standard-bearer for in-home wireless distribution of uncompressed high-definition video. ABI Research has long maintained that as the wireless home electronics market grows, these technologies will coexist and become closely integrated according to their strengths and specialties. "Wireless video and audio connectivity within the home is still an early-adopter's market," notes senior analyst Douglas McEuen. As prevalent as wireless connectivity is in the home, it's still a small proportion compared to the potential overall market, and even smaller when it's a question of in-home media networks. However as these sy...

Households in the U.S. are increasingly looking to the remote control as their link to easing the complexity of control and search among the growing number of disparate consumer electronic systems in their homes, according to a new market study. A new report from Parks Associates confirms and expands upon the trends identified in the 2006 first edition. These include the increasing desire and willingness of U.S. households to replace current remote controls with one that is more capable and can enhance their experiences with new entertainment systems. "The market size in revenues for aftermarket remotes promises a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of about 10 percent between now and 2013," said Tricia Parks, CEO, Parks Associates. "That rate increases to 14 percent for mid-level remotes, which cost between $30 and $250." The report provides purchase process details for aftermarket remotes, brand shares among U.S. Internet households, unit numbers and revenues for...

Your local Auto Dealership radio adverts could be making their way to your mobile phone, mixed with a little music. A report from the National Association of Broadcasters outlines this result, from an anticipated increase in the penetration of FM radio receivers in American cell phones. Their market study concludes that cell phone service providers, radio broadcasters, and handset manufacturers all stand to benefit from the expansion of FM-capable cell phones, a platform that could reach 257 million American subscribers. "Radio is a service that already reaches 235 million American listeners every week,"said NAB President and CEO David K. Rehr. "With 257 million cell phones currently in service, we're confident that implementation of a new FM-radio feature would result in rapid penetration, benefiting not only the radio business and American consumers, but the cell phone, electronics manufacturing, and music industries as well." The report, commissioned by the N...

Consumers are moving beyond basic PC-to-PC digital home networks as they look to connect new devices to their network -- to access and share the growing array of digital content from the Internet, as well as from their own digital media devices. While just a few years ago most consumer networks had only PCs on them, the growth in non-PC devices on the network has been significant. In a survey of online households in the United States, ABI Research has found that over 26 percent had a game console connected to their home network, 10 percent had a network storage device, and another 8 percent had some form of set-top box connected to their home network. "The growth in non-PC devices on the home network continues as consumers look to access digital entertainment and community services being deployed over the Internet," says research director Mike Wolf. "The growth in streaming music services such as Rhapsody, the positioning of popular video services such as YouTube for non...

Adoption of networking technologies will make installed home theaters and multi-room audio systems more affordable, opening up this market to more consumers at low-to-medium income levels, according to the latest study by Parks Associates. Total U.S. revenues for installed home theaters and multiroom audio systems will grow from $6 billion in 2007 to more than $11 billion by 2012, and analysts forecast the number of new installations to grow 67 percent over the same period, from 166,000 per year in 2007 to 277,000 by 2012. The high-end A/V market is in a major stage of transition. Digital media content is approaching the performance and quality of analog media, with the added flexibility only digital content offers. Reduced costs coupled with advancements in wireless and powerline networking technologies are also growing the retrofit portion of the market, at a time when mid-market construction is slowing down. Soon, according to the Parks' assessment, PC-based systems from compani...

With a record 1.85 million net square feet of exhibit space -- the largest in show history -- featuring more than 2,700 companies launching their latest innovations, the world's largest tradeshow for consumer technology wrapped up four full days of technological innovation. Major trends sweeping the show floor and defining the future of the consumer technology market included digital entertainment, HDTV, green technology and free trade. Produced by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), the 2008 International CES ran January 7-10, 2008, in Las Vegas, Nevada. "The 2008 International CES succeeded spectacularly, and will help fuel the growth of the consumer technology industry throughout 2008 and into the future," said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CEA. "This year's International CES was a show of firsts; the first leaders from the automotive and cable industries to deliver CES keynote addresses, the first time the president of a country has spoken at CES, ...

Music servers in use today are mostly general purpose consumer PCs, but there's an opportunity growing over time in the dedicated music server market. Dedicated music server hardware revenue is expected to grow to $3.2 billion worldwide by the end of 2012 according to ABI Research. "Many of the necessary forces are beginning to come together to enable the move of networked audio beyond the early adopter market, and networked audio servers will stand to benefit, says research director Michael Wolf. "Standards-based software and lower costs on mass storage, as well as dedicated off the shelf processors that enable networked media solutions are becoming a reality." The desire by consumers to connect and deliver music around the home has been dampened by the difficulty of setting up and connecting existing solutions as well as the high cost. Industry-wide efforts for networked entertainment in the form of DLNA and other advances will help this effort, as will more large ...

Video: 2008 International CES pre-show press conference.

Music delivered to mobile phones via service provider networks is on the rise, currently representing around 13 percent of global recorded music retail value. A new industry report from Understanding & Solutions forecasts an increase to almost 30 percent by 2011, amounting to $11 billion and helping to offset some of the decline in packaged music revenues. "Alongside online, mobile music is essential to the future of the music industry," says Understanding & Solutions Consultant, David Sidebottom. Japan, closely followed by the USA, has the most efficient mobile music landscape -- both countries have a concentrated mobile phone operator base and a large pool of potential subscribers, providing economies of scale for the music companies. In the fragmented European market, some operators have become less aggressive, as they can't make money directly from selling full track downloads, but this will pave the way for off-portal and third party service providers. Most n...

The legacy broadcast radio sector has seen better days, but there's hope on the horizon. The worldwide digital radio market is on a roll, with unit sales expected to increase more than three-fold from 2006 to 2011, according to the latest assessment from In-Stat. Recent developments include the availability of the new, enhanced Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB)+ standard in the UK, an increase in the number of DAB trials throughout Europe and Asia, and the introduction of mobile devices with integrated DAB support, the high-tech market research firm says. "From a regional standpoint, DAB technology is close to mass-market appeal in the UK, and is the pervasive digital radio technology throughout Europe," says Stephanie Ethier, In-Stat analyst. "Satellite radio remains the leading platform for digital radio in the U.S., despite notable progress in HD Radio awareness." In-Stat's market study found the following: - The global market for digital radio will grow f...

As in recent years, consumer electronics (CE) products will be popular holiday purchases in 2007, according to the latest market study by In-Stat. The company's latest survey yielded over 2,000 responses from North American consumers -- more than 80 percent of these respondents have plans to purchase a CE product this holiday season, the high-tech market research firm says. "In 2007, High Definition Televisions (HDTV) top consumers' holiday wish list, most likely due to plummeting price tags for these products. HDTVs will bump digital cameras down to the third spot," says Stephanie Ethier, In-Stat analyst. I believe that we will also witness a second-wave of new gaming console purchases during the holidays. We typically see these type of deferred CE product purchases from families with limited incomes. The research report entitled "2007 Holiday Spending on Consumer Electronics" covers the North American market for CE product categories. It contains extensive...