Digital Lifescapes

Today, high-definition (HD) video capabilities are a standard option in many types of consumer electronics (CE) devices. Once considered a feature that was available only in the expensive high-end products, HD video technology is now truly pervasive -- rapidly spreading throughout the industry. As an example, last year there was a dramatic increase for High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) connections in portable consumer devices -- including consumer-oriented HD video camcorders and digital still cameras (DSC). In addition, within the personal computer segment, the HDMI interface applications in mobile PCs, graphics cards, and PC monitors continued to increase as consumers become more familiar with the benefits of the interface standard. HDMI supports, on a single cable, any uncompressed TV or PC video format, including standard, enhanced, high definition and 3D video signals; up to 8 channels of compressed or uncompressed digital audio; a Consumer Electronics Control (CEC...

The global digital still camera (DSC) market began to recover in 2010 after a significant downturn in 2009, primarily caused by worldwide economic conditions and the increased strength of the Japanese Yen. DSC unit sales are expected to rise faster between 2011 and 2012, and then continue a steady growth rate over the forecast period -- fueling worldwide revenue to approximately $43.5 billion by 2015, according to the latest market study by In-Stat . "The DSC market will continue to evolve over the next five years. Semiconductor vendors have a renewed opportunity to address these new demands by supplying solutions to DSC manufacturers looking to differentiate from the competition," says Stephanie Ethier, Senior Analyst at In-Stat. There's been new progress on the following features: sensitivity, image quality, and video functions. Compact DSC revenue will remain relatively flat over the forecast period. However, the technology will continue to improve due to the a...

USB connectivity has been extremely successful in the digital still camera and digital camcorder markets. Most people want to use it to transfer images to PCs, to store video recordings, or to print their pictures. As picture file sizes increase with digital camera image resolution, and as camcorders move from standard-definition (SD) to high-definition (HD), the desirability of SuperSpeed USB becomes even more apparent, according to the latest market study by In-Stat . As a result, adoption of SuperSpeed USB into digital cameras and camcorders will be much more rapid than other CE device segments -- with penetration levels reaching 50 and 60 percent respectively, by 2014. "SuperSpeed USB can move 25GB of data in 70 seconds, the same amount of data would take nearly 14 minutes using high-speed USB,” says Brian O’Rourke, Principal Analyst. This dramatic leap in download times makes the adoption of SuperSpeed USB into digital camcorders and cameras a natural migration. In-st...

Although slow progress best describes the scenario for wireless HD chip vendors in 2010, the five-year outlook is for a triple-digit growth rate of wireless HD video-enabled products through 2014, according to the latest market study by In-Stat . The number of shipments is projected to rise from the current levels of less than 1 million to nearly 13 million by 2014. "The long term projection is for significant growth in wireless HD video-enabled product shipments. However, these technologies are likely several years away from hitting the sweet spot of the consumer electronics (CE) and PC markets," says Brian O’Rourke, Principal Analyst for In-Stat. There are still significant price and performance issues that need to be overcome before device manufacturers fully adopt these technologies. In-Stat's market study insights include: - Alternative video transmission technologies, WHDI, WirelessHD, and WiGig Alliance, are vying for a dominant position. Among the differ...

The ongoing shift to high-definition (HD) video content, from standard-definition (SD), has gained new momentum as the price of low-end HD camcorders continues to decline. The market development from HD video resolution professional-grade to advanced prosumer and then to mainstream consumer devices has been swift. There are several HD Video formats , which are used for video capture and for online video streaming applications. One thing that all HD formats seem to have in common, they create significantly larger file sizes than the prior SD formats. As you capture more video in HD or acquire stock video for your multimedia projects, you'll quickly discover the need for more hard drive capacity. As an example, it takes about 13GB of memory to store one hour of standard definition (DV) video and 40GB to store an hour of high definition (HD) video. File sizes can vary depending on the video codec and bit rate options. Also, whether you store and edit in native (uncompressed) forma...

The potential to eliminate slower interface connections -- to save space and allow smaller consumer electronics device designs -- is driving integration of SuperSpeed USB (3.0) into netbooks and other mobile PCs, according to the latest market study by In-Stat . Today, 97 percent of the mobile PC market uses high-speed USB (2.0), however by 2014 In-Stat expects the market to transition completely to SuperSpeed USB. "In the past, new interface technologies were adopted more quickly in desktops," says Brian O'Rourke, In-Stat analyst. However, the landscape is shifting. Mobile PCs are omitting optical and large hard disk drives, which increases the need for faster interfaces to connect to external storage solutions. This makes SuperSpeed USB a higher priority in mobile PCs. I believe that the accelerated adoption of HD video formats, that produce significantly larger files than SD formats, will create new momentum to quickly utilize faster device connectivity standar...

Netbook PCs, pocket video camcorders, digital SLR cameras, smartphones, mobile Internet devices and handheld games consoles are fueling growth in the European portable electronics market, according to the latest study by Futuresource Consulting . The market grew 18 percent in 2008 to reach 155 million units and is forecast to grow a further 7 percent in 2009 to reach close to 170 million units. The market is growing by an expanding number of users, including younger and older consumers, more females, and less affluent households. Meanwhile, consumers are also replacing their devices more quickly. As an example, average camera replacement has reduced from 6-8 years to 3-5 years, while personal AV replacement has fallen from 5-7 years to 2-4years. Another important driver of portable electronics is gifting -- albeit in some European markets more than others -- where it can represent up to 60 percent or 70 percent of annual sales in product categories in certain countries. Personal electr...

Continued uptake of digital cameras in mobile phones, notebook PCs and other CE devices is driving growth in the area-array image sensor market, according to the latest market study by In-Stat. Worldwide unit shipments of image sensors in camera phones continue to rise, mostly as a result of the continuing penetration of dual-camera phones in Asian markets. These phones utilize both a traditional point-and-shoot camera, as well as a second, inward-facing camera for two-way video communication. As in most aspects of advanced mobile phone applications, the Asia-Pacific market continues to lead the way for others to follow. A promising new image sensor application is also taking hold. "Currently a small segment of the market, embedded PC cameras will surpass digital still cameras to become the second-largest application for image sensors by 2011," says Brian O'Rourke, In-Stat analyst. "A few years ago, only Apple incorporated cameras into desktop and laptop computers --...

The professional video camcorder market experienced a groundswell of activity in EMEA last year, with incremental growth outstripping the previous year's performance by nearly three to one, according to the latest market study by Futuresource Consulting. "In 2008 we saw the development of a pure non-tape pro camcorder segment at the lower end of the market -- a significant milestone for the industry and a core driver for last year's phenomenal growth," says Adam Cox, Senior Market Analyst, Futuresource Consulting. The huge success of the low-cost Sony HVR-HD1000E -- as well as several other entry-level products -- contributed to pro camcorder sector growth in 2008. With new products from Panasonic and JVC due for release in the first half of 2009, further market activity is ensured. "As the price of broadcast quality hardware continues to decrease, professional video production has become available to a wider audience," says Cox. "In particular, the pr...

Last year, India's Consumer Electronics (CE) market grew by more than 30 percent to reach $3.8 billion and will continue to increase. According to a market study by Futuresource Consulting, the market value is on track to quadruple in the space of five years, to reach nearly $16 billion by 2012. "This rapid growth is being driven by the country's rising levels of disposable income," says Kanti Thota, Research Analyst at Futuresource. "Its economy is riding a phenomenal growth curve, and with current penetration rates low for most CE products the market opportunities are huge." As an example, the TV market which represents more than 80 percent of the total CE market value in India is witnessing the strongest growth, with shipments up 22 percent last year and forecast to more than double by 2012 -- reaching 34 million units. CRT accounted for 97 percent of CTVs shipped in 2007, and India's price sensitivity can be a barrier to growth for flat screen and fl...

With significant growth in the Chinese market, the forecasts for User-Generated Video (UGV) use and revenue have shifted upward since last year, according to the latest market study by In-Stat. And with expectations of higher quality content -- like HD video -- and increasing file size maximums, the demands on bandwidth will likely continue to grow at a faster rate than the number of videos served, the high-tech market research firm says. "User-generated video (UGV) and the video sharing sites that exemplify this form of content have spread across the globe," says Michael Inouye, In-Stat analyst. "China is a prime example of UGV's global reach and appeal, capturing a significant portion of the world market, making it second only to the U.S. In general, viewing of online video has increased in the U.S. in the past year, although participation is still stratified by age." I believe that the growing use of handheld high-quality video camcorders, easy-to-use video e...

How people connect their computer to digital media recording and playing devices is evolving. The proliferation of digital interfaces on PCs in the past 10 years has led to specialization, as well as an increasing number of choices for consumers, according to the latest market study by In-Stat. USB has become a universal interface in the PC market, and 1394 or FireWire, DVI, and Bluetooth are all available in a large number of notebook and desktop PCs on the market today, the high-tech market research firm says. In order to gauge the popularity of these various interfaces, In-Stat conducted a survey of 2,200 technology early adopters about the interfaces they have on both their work and home PCs, and to what they connect with these interfaces. "Not surprisingly, USB is the most popular interface, and is connected to the greatest number of devices in both work and home environments," says Brian O'Rourke, In-Stat analyst. "1394 (FireWire) proved to be the next most pop...

European sales of high definition TV (HDTV) and video devices will surge by 158 percent this year, reaching 28.1 million units, according to the latest research from the Strategy Analytics. By 2012, 70 percent of European homes will own at least one HD-capable TV, up from 8 percent in 2006. Most HDTV buyers will also purchase a high definition set-top box, disc player, games console or digital media player. "Europe's high definition TV transition is well under way," says David Mercer, Principal Analyst at Strategy Analytics. "European consumers are beginning to buy HD-capable devices in huge quantities and there is a terrific opportunity for content providers and distributors to meet the growing desire for HD programming." This report compares adoption forecast models across a number of emerging high definition device segments, and concludes that by 2012, 44 percent of European homes will own HDTV receivers, in the form of set-top boxes and integrated digital TV...