AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS: Irdeto, the global leader in securing and delivering premium content and digital assets, today announced that long standing customer, Skylink has reached one million subscribers for its Direct to Home (DTH) satellite service in Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Skylink's content is protected by Irdeto's Conditional Access System (CAS), which has contributed to the company’s success by enabling the satellite TV provider to invest in premium content as well as offer national channels from both countries securely.
Czech Republic and Slovakia have an increasingly competitive satellite TV market with five providers between them. Skylink has been able to differentiate itself in the market by developing a compelling business model that allows subscribers to make a one off payment for the dish, box and smart card, in addition to pay monthly Premium and high definition (HD) services.
Skylink also offers high quality viewing including national channels from both countries as well as sport, film and entertainment channels. The content is protected by Irdeto’s CAS, which offers a state-of-the-art hardware platform, software technology and cryptography, for protection against content theft.
Skylink's success is also driven by its relationship with SES ASTRA, Europe’s leading provider of satellite services, as it uses ASTRA's prime satellite orbital position, which is located at 23.5 degrees East. This means that Skylink viewers experience a crystal-clear picture quality with minimal disruption to the service.
“Achieving one million subscribers is a major accomplishment in our competitive market," commented Jaromír Glisník, Managing Director at Skylink. “Irdeto has been instrumental to our success by enabling us to offer secure content, meaning our services are appealing to both content owners and consumers. To continue this level of growth we are now looking at adding even more compelling features to our service such as high-definition channels and more premium content into subscription packages. Irdeto will continue to protect our content and enable us to continuously improve our customers’ viewing experience.”
Graham Kill, CEO, Irdeto, said: “Skylink has developed compelling business models which have ensured the continued growth of its business. The company has also recognized the importance of content protection, which gives operators in all markets the ability to defend their content against a growing number of threats, protecting their revenue and giving customers access to the latest television shows, films and sporting events.”
Martin Kubacki, Managing Director of ASTRA Central Eastern Europe concluded; “The success of Skylink shows that SES ASTRA has succeeded in establishing 23.5 degrees East as a prime orbital position for the Czech Republic and Slovakia. We are very proud to have contributed to Skylink’s success and will remain committed to further promote 23.5 degrees East as well as the digitalization process in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and other Central Eastern European countries.”
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
OmniVision releases world’s smallest 1080p HD camera solution
SANTA CLARA, USA: OmniVision Technologies Inc., a leading developer of advanced digital imaging solutions, today introduced the OV2720, the world’s first 1/6-inch, native 1080p/30 high-definition (HD) CMOS image sensor designed for notebook, netbook, webcam and video conferencing applications.
Based on OmniVision’s 1.4 micron OmniBSITM backside illumination technology, the new 1080p sensor delivers video conference quality HD video recording in a small enough form factor to meet the module size and height requirements of today’s thin notebook designs. The OV2720 is currently sampling with multiple tier-one customers and is slated to go into mass production in June 2010.
“Increased broadband capability, inexpensive high-quality image sensors and the increasing availability of high-quality external and embedded PC web cameras will drive both consumer and business video conferencing,” said Brian O'Rourke, principal analyst at In-Stat.
“In 2010, we expect over 70 percent of mobile PCs to ship with embedded cameras, and the availability of sensors such as OmniVision's OV2720 will make high definition video conferencing more popular in the notebook and netbook PC segments.”
“Consumer demand for HD video has never been greater. Display formats are moving to a 16 by 9 aspect ratio, TV broadcast is embracing HD, and social media platforms such as YouTube and Facebook are supporting HD,” said Nick Nam, product marketing manager at OmniVision.
“With the OV2720, OmniVision continues to lead the industry in bringing to market innovative, high performance HD solutions, addressing the growing demand for the HD video-enabled devices of the YouTube generation. With the broadest portfolio of HD video products in the industry, we enable our customers to find the right solution for their price, performance and size requirements.”
The OV2720 is the first 1/6-inch sensor to offer native 1080p HD resolution. Native HD enables full field of view video with optimized image quality, sensitivity, color reproduction and clarity because no scaling or cropping is required to achieve HD resolution. The 1.4-micron OmniBSI pixel achieves best-in-class low light sensitivity of 680-mV/lux-sec, while enabling extremely thin modules with a z-height of 3.5 mm.
Moreover, the OV2720 can use binning to further increase its low-light performance to double that of similar-sized VGA sensors. The OV2720’s outstanding low-light performance and slim form factor combine to make it an ideal choice for tier-one notebook manufacturers.
The OV2720 CMOS image sensor supports multiple platform architectures and controllers with both parallel and MIPI interfaces. It allows system designers to leverage the same opto-electrical design across various products and multiple market segments to reduce product development time. Exposure control, white balance and defective pixel canceling are programmable through the serial camera control bus interface.
In addition, the OV2720 uses proprietary sensor technology to improve image quality. By reducing or eliminating common lighting or electrical sources of image contamination, such as fixed pattern noise and smearing, the sensor can generate a clean, fully stable color image.
Based on OmniVision’s 1.4 micron OmniBSITM backside illumination technology, the new 1080p sensor delivers video conference quality HD video recording in a small enough form factor to meet the module size and height requirements of today’s thin notebook designs. The OV2720 is currently sampling with multiple tier-one customers and is slated to go into mass production in June 2010.
“Increased broadband capability, inexpensive high-quality image sensors and the increasing availability of high-quality external and embedded PC web cameras will drive both consumer and business video conferencing,” said Brian O'Rourke, principal analyst at In-Stat.
“In 2010, we expect over 70 percent of mobile PCs to ship with embedded cameras, and the availability of sensors such as OmniVision's OV2720 will make high definition video conferencing more popular in the notebook and netbook PC segments.”
“Consumer demand for HD video has never been greater. Display formats are moving to a 16 by 9 aspect ratio, TV broadcast is embracing HD, and social media platforms such as YouTube and Facebook are supporting HD,” said Nick Nam, product marketing manager at OmniVision.
“With the OV2720, OmniVision continues to lead the industry in bringing to market innovative, high performance HD solutions, addressing the growing demand for the HD video-enabled devices of the YouTube generation. With the broadest portfolio of HD video products in the industry, we enable our customers to find the right solution for their price, performance and size requirements.”
The OV2720 is the first 1/6-inch sensor to offer native 1080p HD resolution. Native HD enables full field of view video with optimized image quality, sensitivity, color reproduction and clarity because no scaling or cropping is required to achieve HD resolution. The 1.4-micron OmniBSI pixel achieves best-in-class low light sensitivity of 680-mV/lux-sec, while enabling extremely thin modules with a z-height of 3.5 mm.
Moreover, the OV2720 can use binning to further increase its low-light performance to double that of similar-sized VGA sensors. The OV2720’s outstanding low-light performance and slim form factor combine to make it an ideal choice for tier-one notebook manufacturers.
The OV2720 CMOS image sensor supports multiple platform architectures and controllers with both parallel and MIPI interfaces. It allows system designers to leverage the same opto-electrical design across various products and multiple market segments to reduce product development time. Exposure control, white balance and defective pixel canceling are programmable through the serial camera control bus interface.
In addition, the OV2720 uses proprietary sensor technology to improve image quality. By reducing or eliminating common lighting or electrical sources of image contamination, such as fixed pattern noise and smearing, the sensor can generate a clean, fully stable color image.
Spectrum Control awarded $13.1 million contract for complex microwave assembly
FAIRVIEW, USA: Spectrum Control Inc. announced that its Spectrum Microwave Business Unit has just received a $13.1 million follow-on, multi-year production contract for a complex microwave assembly used in RCIED (Radio Controlled Improvised Electronic Devices) Jammer Systems.
The initial release, valued at $4.5 million, of this multi-year contract will maintain contiguous full-rate production through February 2011. The products will be manufactured in Spectrum Microwave's Delmar, DE; Philadelphia and State College, PA operations.
Dick Southworth, Spectrum Control's president and CEO, commented, "This follow-on award continues to reinforce our customer's confidence in our high rate production capability for complex RF and Microwave products and the commitment of our Company and employee's to all RCIED Jammer programs."
The initial release, valued at $4.5 million, of this multi-year contract will maintain contiguous full-rate production through February 2011. The products will be manufactured in Spectrum Microwave's Delmar, DE; Philadelphia and State College, PA operations.
Dick Southworth, Spectrum Control's president and CEO, commented, "This follow-on award continues to reinforce our customer's confidence in our high rate production capability for complex RF and Microwave products and the commitment of our Company and employee's to all RCIED Jammer programs."
Third generation Aptina A-Pix technology enhances mobile imaging solutions
SAN JOSE, USA: Aptina, the leading innovator of CMOS imaging technology today announced two product additions to its industry leading portfolio that leverage the company’s recent breakthrough in 1.4-micron pixel technology.
The 3-megapixel MT9T113 and 5-megapixel MT9P017 image sensor solutions announced today both highlight Aptina’s third generation Aptina A-Pix technology developed to provide best-in-class performance.
The MT9T113 provides the mobile market with a cost-effective, system-on-chip (SoC) 3-megapixel solution with advanced functionality, while the MT9P017 sensor with its 5-megapixels and superior pixel performance extends Aptina’s range of advanced solutions targeting performance-oriented mobile manufacturers.
The company has also announced its enhanced Aptina A-Pix technology along with its small pixel strategy. (See release entitled Aptina Details Image Sensor Pixel Technology Strategy)
The MT9T113 is a cost-effective 3MP SOC imaging solution providing interface flexibility and SOC capabilities typically found in higher end imagers. Features include JPEG thumbnail support, parallel and MIPI interfaces for ISP connection flexibility, a die size that enables a 6.5 x 6.5 mm module size, and advanced functionality like Scalado SpeedTags for image management.
The integrated autofocus (AF) voice coil motor (VCM) driver makes this the world’s first 1/5” sensor with AF capability. Additionally, the SOC provides high definition (HD) video at 720p/30fps. The MT9T113 is one of the first products to integrate third generation Aptina A-Pix technology, and delivers excellent low-light sensitivity and vibrant colors as a result of improvements in quantum efficiency and reduced crosstalk within the 1.4-micron pixel.
The MT9P017 is a 5MP mobile image sensor providing high performance and sophisticated functionality. Its ¼” optical format and small die size are well suited for integration into 6.5 x 6.5 mm modules, and it supplies parallel and MIPI interfaces as well as innovative features such as adaptive noise reduction, integrated autofocus VCM driver, two dimensional (2D) dynamic defect correction, and resampled binning for smoother video.
To meet the demands of the increasingly video-centric mobile imaging market, the MT9P017 is capable of capturing HD video at 1080p/30fps or 720p/30fps. Third generation Aptina A-Pix technology was integrated into the 1.4-micron pixel to enhance performance and industry-leading image quality.
“Third generation Aptina A-Pix technology enhances and motivates new products like the MT9T113 and the MT9P017 with excellent image quality using proven technology,” says Farshid Sabet, Vice President and General Manager of Aptina's Mobile, PC Gaming Business Unit. “This technology ensures that our industry-leading portfolio of products provides our customers the reliable solutions and best-in-class performance that they expect from Aptina.”
The 3-megapixel MT9T113 and 5-megapixel MT9P017 image sensor solutions announced today both highlight Aptina’s third generation Aptina A-Pix technology developed to provide best-in-class performance.
The MT9T113 provides the mobile market with a cost-effective, system-on-chip (SoC) 3-megapixel solution with advanced functionality, while the MT9P017 sensor with its 5-megapixels and superior pixel performance extends Aptina’s range of advanced solutions targeting performance-oriented mobile manufacturers.
The company has also announced its enhanced Aptina A-Pix technology along with its small pixel strategy. (See release entitled Aptina Details Image Sensor Pixel Technology Strategy)
The MT9T113 is a cost-effective 3MP SOC imaging solution providing interface flexibility and SOC capabilities typically found in higher end imagers. Features include JPEG thumbnail support, parallel and MIPI interfaces for ISP connection flexibility, a die size that enables a 6.5 x 6.5 mm module size, and advanced functionality like Scalado SpeedTags for image management.
The integrated autofocus (AF) voice coil motor (VCM) driver makes this the world’s first 1/5” sensor with AF capability. Additionally, the SOC provides high definition (HD) video at 720p/30fps. The MT9T113 is one of the first products to integrate third generation Aptina A-Pix technology, and delivers excellent low-light sensitivity and vibrant colors as a result of improvements in quantum efficiency and reduced crosstalk within the 1.4-micron pixel.
The MT9P017 is a 5MP mobile image sensor providing high performance and sophisticated functionality. Its ¼” optical format and small die size are well suited for integration into 6.5 x 6.5 mm modules, and it supplies parallel and MIPI interfaces as well as innovative features such as adaptive noise reduction, integrated autofocus VCM driver, two dimensional (2D) dynamic defect correction, and resampled binning for smoother video.
To meet the demands of the increasingly video-centric mobile imaging market, the MT9P017 is capable of capturing HD video at 1080p/30fps or 720p/30fps. Third generation Aptina A-Pix technology was integrated into the 1.4-micron pixel to enhance performance and industry-leading image quality.
“Third generation Aptina A-Pix technology enhances and motivates new products like the MT9T113 and the MT9P017 with excellent image quality using proven technology,” says Farshid Sabet, Vice President and General Manager of Aptina's Mobile, PC Gaming Business Unit. “This technology ensures that our industry-leading portfolio of products provides our customers the reliable solutions and best-in-class performance that they expect from Aptina.”
DELL delivers Studio XPS 7100 desktop
INDIA: Dell has unveiled Studio XPS 7100 desktop designed for busy multi-taskers who demand their technology keeps pace with their up- tempo lives. Featuring AMD’s VISION Technology, Dell Studio XPS 7100 desktop deliver a seamless intersection of social networking, entertainment and multimedia creation.
“The Studio XPS 7100 desktop with AMD Vision technology are feature-packed, yet budget-friendly. They’re perfect for listening to music, streaming video and gaming, while connecting with friends and family via social networking sites and blogs,” said Sriram Gopalaswamy, Marketing Manager, Consumer, Dell India. It delivers a seamless experience for multitasking entertainment activities and multimedia creation, he said.
The Dell Studio XPS 7100 is one of the first desktops available to support the powerful AMD Phenom II X6 six-core processor with AMD Turbo Core technology, as well as available quad-core Athlon II processors, for incredibly fast HD media creation, advanced multimedia capabilities, multi-tasking and gaming.
With six-core processor power available at Rs. 49,900/-, the Studio XPS 7100 offers exceptional multitasking performance and features a cutting edge, tilt-back design in premium Carbide Silver color.
“The Studio XPS 7100 desktop with AMD Vision technology are feature-packed, yet budget-friendly. They’re perfect for listening to music, streaming video and gaming, while connecting with friends and family via social networking sites and blogs,” said Sriram Gopalaswamy, Marketing Manager, Consumer, Dell India. It delivers a seamless experience for multitasking entertainment activities and multimedia creation, he said.
The Dell Studio XPS 7100 is one of the first desktops available to support the powerful AMD Phenom II X6 six-core processor with AMD Turbo Core technology, as well as available quad-core Athlon II processors, for incredibly fast HD media creation, advanced multimedia capabilities, multi-tasking and gaming.
With six-core processor power available at Rs. 49,900/-, the Studio XPS 7100 offers exceptional multitasking performance and features a cutting edge, tilt-back design in premium Carbide Silver color.
Printed electronics set to disrupt electronics industry
NEVADA CITY, USA: The market for printed electronics is just beginning to emerge. As in the semiconductor market that preceded it, specific applications are legitimizing its acceptance and driving its demand. In some cases, the market applications are near term and dynamic, while others are more long range and evolving.
The most ubiquitous and immediate applications concern RFID and OLED displays, which are manufactured using OTFT (organic thin film transistor) technology. These technologies are penetrating a wide number of customer applications, and as costs decline and performance improves, will justify customer switching and, in many cases, implementation of entirely new design solutions.
It can safely be said that the printed electronics industry is disruptive in the sense that it is creating new and original markets not seen since the advent of MP3 players, PDAs, or handheld video games. Moreover, it replaces many established products and may provide better functionality and performance at a lower cost.
In some cases, as with RFID, printed electronics will drive new demand and consumption by providing more comprehensive accountability, data accuracy, and logistical knowledge than exist today—a kind of new super bar-code technology solution. In other situations, such as with new emissive and nonemissive displays powered by organic logic, memory, and sensor input, printed electronics will provide a more original solution than exists with legacy technology.
As each individual market begins to mature, it will evolve into much more predictable and measurable segments with regard to behavior and rate of growth. Embryonic markets are initially difficult to size or accurately forecast because of the absence of end user and supplier information. Consequently, ETP expects that future reports will restate some of the market sizes, shares, and pricing as better information is obtained.
Far and away the biggest opportunity for printed electronics is in the radio frequency identification (RFID) market, which grew by more than 50 percent in revenues from 2005 to 2006. The number of field trials within industries such as financial services, airlines, hospitals, and postal/government increased substantially in 2006 and is projected to expand by as much as 50 percent in 2007.
Printed electronics is helping drive manufacturing costs down. OTFT technology is being applied to produce low-cost RFID tags consisting of as many as 4,000 transistors, although the majority of tags continue to be manufactured using traditional silicon technology.
The market for OTFT displays is expected to experience dynamic growth similar to that of RFID because of the inherent advantages that printed electronics offers in display technology. OTFT will face very little competition when it comes to manufacturing flexible display devices. OTFT technology will also emerge as a significant replacement to TFT-LCD technology in certain price-sensitive applications.
By the end of the ten-year forecast period, printed organic display electronics is expected to dominate the OLED display technology field in terms of cost and performance.
The market for smart or intelligent labels and packaging is one of the largest potential markets for printed electronics in the industry, if the remarkable potential can only be realized. The total available market size vastly exceeds any other potential market, including OLEDs, RFID, semiconductors, and photovoltaics, except that the penetration is expected to be significantly less, given the cost obstacles to be overcome.
As a result, the percent of penetration of the total available market will remain relatively low, although the total printed electronics market for smart labels and intelligent packaging is expected to be the second largest printed electronics market in 2016 given the scale of the overall packaging market.
One of the pivotal elements to the success of the printed electronics industry will be advances in low-cost logic, memory, and related optoelectronic sensing devices utilizing OTFT circuitry. If the silicon semiconductor industry is a valid analogy, then innovation should proceed rapidly, possibly exceeding ETP’s estimates, which are based only on contemporary information.
It is of interest that AMD purportedly controls about 80 percent of the patents for printable, thin film electronics, and the Japanese have moved into overdrive in registering new patents relevant to printed transistors in the last year.
Over the next 10 years, demand for photovoltaic (PV) technology will grow rapidly as the cost for conventional energy increases and becomes less affordable to end users. Moreover, as the cost for PV modules drops, largely due to innovations from printed electronics, consumption of new kinds of PV modules, batteries, rechargeable batteries, solar cells, fuel cells, supercapacitors, and related power generating devices will take off.
More importantly, the efficiency of solar conversion devices (which in 2006 had reached approximately 20 percent) will increase and likely double or more, making printed PV an extremely attractive power source solution. Printed electronics will mainly serve to lower the production costs of PV devices, thus driving significant growth and stimulating demand for cost-sensitive applications such as residential power generation, recreation, security, and transportation.
The market for OTFT/printed electronics is realistically expected to explode over the next ten years. Though hardly measurable at the time of the writing of this report, the emerging market is expected to rise to almost $45 billion by 2016. The markets in order of size in 2016 will be RFID, followed by smart labels and intelligent packaging, IC logic/memory and sensors, OLED technology, and finally PV market applications (mostly battery power storage).
The printed electronics market has an extraordinary upside when compared with traditional market growth opportunities. For the first few years, overall penetration will only be in the single digits, and market evolution will hardly be noticed. This will change quickly as the market potential becomes apparent. Though the printed electronics industry hardly seems viable today, it could well become one of the most exciting and astonishing markets to unfold in the last 40 years.
The most ubiquitous and immediate applications concern RFID and OLED displays, which are manufactured using OTFT (organic thin film transistor) technology. These technologies are penetrating a wide number of customer applications, and as costs decline and performance improves, will justify customer switching and, in many cases, implementation of entirely new design solutions.
It can safely be said that the printed electronics industry is disruptive in the sense that it is creating new and original markets not seen since the advent of MP3 players, PDAs, or handheld video games. Moreover, it replaces many established products and may provide better functionality and performance at a lower cost.
In some cases, as with RFID, printed electronics will drive new demand and consumption by providing more comprehensive accountability, data accuracy, and logistical knowledge than exist today—a kind of new super bar-code technology solution. In other situations, such as with new emissive and nonemissive displays powered by organic logic, memory, and sensor input, printed electronics will provide a more original solution than exists with legacy technology.
As each individual market begins to mature, it will evolve into much more predictable and measurable segments with regard to behavior and rate of growth. Embryonic markets are initially difficult to size or accurately forecast because of the absence of end user and supplier information. Consequently, ETP expects that future reports will restate some of the market sizes, shares, and pricing as better information is obtained.
Far and away the biggest opportunity for printed electronics is in the radio frequency identification (RFID) market, which grew by more than 50 percent in revenues from 2005 to 2006. The number of field trials within industries such as financial services, airlines, hospitals, and postal/government increased substantially in 2006 and is projected to expand by as much as 50 percent in 2007.
Printed electronics is helping drive manufacturing costs down. OTFT technology is being applied to produce low-cost RFID tags consisting of as many as 4,000 transistors, although the majority of tags continue to be manufactured using traditional silicon technology.
The market for OTFT displays is expected to experience dynamic growth similar to that of RFID because of the inherent advantages that printed electronics offers in display technology. OTFT will face very little competition when it comes to manufacturing flexible display devices. OTFT technology will also emerge as a significant replacement to TFT-LCD technology in certain price-sensitive applications.
By the end of the ten-year forecast period, printed organic display electronics is expected to dominate the OLED display technology field in terms of cost and performance.
The market for smart or intelligent labels and packaging is one of the largest potential markets for printed electronics in the industry, if the remarkable potential can only be realized. The total available market size vastly exceeds any other potential market, including OLEDs, RFID, semiconductors, and photovoltaics, except that the penetration is expected to be significantly less, given the cost obstacles to be overcome.
As a result, the percent of penetration of the total available market will remain relatively low, although the total printed electronics market for smart labels and intelligent packaging is expected to be the second largest printed electronics market in 2016 given the scale of the overall packaging market.
One of the pivotal elements to the success of the printed electronics industry will be advances in low-cost logic, memory, and related optoelectronic sensing devices utilizing OTFT circuitry. If the silicon semiconductor industry is a valid analogy, then innovation should proceed rapidly, possibly exceeding ETP’s estimates, which are based only on contemporary information.
It is of interest that AMD purportedly controls about 80 percent of the patents for printable, thin film electronics, and the Japanese have moved into overdrive in registering new patents relevant to printed transistors in the last year.
Over the next 10 years, demand for photovoltaic (PV) technology will grow rapidly as the cost for conventional energy increases and becomes less affordable to end users. Moreover, as the cost for PV modules drops, largely due to innovations from printed electronics, consumption of new kinds of PV modules, batteries, rechargeable batteries, solar cells, fuel cells, supercapacitors, and related power generating devices will take off.
More importantly, the efficiency of solar conversion devices (which in 2006 had reached approximately 20 percent) will increase and likely double or more, making printed PV an extremely attractive power source solution. Printed electronics will mainly serve to lower the production costs of PV devices, thus driving significant growth and stimulating demand for cost-sensitive applications such as residential power generation, recreation, security, and transportation.
The market for OTFT/printed electronics is realistically expected to explode over the next ten years. Though hardly measurable at the time of the writing of this report, the emerging market is expected to rise to almost $45 billion by 2016. The markets in order of size in 2016 will be RFID, followed by smart labels and intelligent packaging, IC logic/memory and sensors, OLED technology, and finally PV market applications (mostly battery power storage).
The printed electronics market has an extraordinary upside when compared with traditional market growth opportunities. For the first few years, overall penetration will only be in the single digits, and market evolution will hardly be noticed. This will change quickly as the market potential becomes apparent. Though the printed electronics industry hardly seems viable today, it could well become one of the most exciting and astonishing markets to unfold in the last 40 years.
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