SUNNYVALE, USA: HDMI Licensing LLC, the agent responsible for licensing the High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) specification, has announced, on behalf of the HDMI Founders, the release of HDMI Specification Version 1.4a featuring key enhancements for 3D applications including the addition of mandatory 3D formats for broadcast content as well as the addition of the 3D format referred to as Top-and-Bottom.
The complete HDMI Specification Version 1.4a, along with the 1.4a version of the Compliance Test Specification (CTS), is available to Adopters on the HDMI Adopter Extranet.
An extraction of the 3D portion of Specification Version 1.4a is available for public download on the HDMI Web site at http://www.hdmi.org. The purpose of the extraction document is to provide public access to the 3D portion of the HDMI Specification for those companies and organizations that are not HDMI Adopters but require access to this portion of the Specification.
“We published these latest enhancements to support the market need for broadcast 3D content,” said Steve Venuti, president of HDMI Licensing, LLC. “When we launched 1.4 in June of 2009, we deferred the selection of mandatory 3D format(s) for broadcast content until the market direction was more clearly defined. The market has spoken and the HDMI Consortium has listened and responded to accommodate those market needs.”
The latest HDMI Specification adds key enhancements to support the market requirements for bringing broadcast 3D content into the home:
1. The addition of Top-and-Bottom to the Specification.
2. The addition of two mandatory formats for broadcast content:
Side-by-Side Horizontal
Top-and-Bottom
With the addition of these two mandatory formats, the HDMI Specification Version 1.4a provides a level of interoperability for devices designed to deliver 3D content over the HDMI connection. The mandatory 3D formats are:
3D Mandatory Formats
For movie content:
Frame Packing
1080p @ 23.98/24Hz
For game content:
Frame Packing
720p @ 50 or 59.94/60Hz
For broadcast content:
Side-by-Side Horizontal
1080i @ 50 or 59.94/60Hz
Top-and-Bottom
720p @ 50 or 59.94/60Hz
1080p @ 23.97/24Hz
Implementing the mandatory formats of the HDMI Specification facilitates interoperability among devices, allowing devices to speak a common 3D language when transmitting and receiving 3D content. The mandatory requirements for devices implementing 3D formats are:
Displays – must support all mandatory formats.
Sources – must support at least one mandatory format.
Repeaters - must be able to pass through all mandatory formats.
HDMI Adopters will have 90 days from the publication of the Specification Version 1.4a to build and sell products that are compliant with 1.4a as well as pass the CTS Version 1.4a. This also applies to legacy set-top boxes that may have upgraded to use Specification Version 1.4 signaling.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Newport Digital develops first LED digital signage solution with Wifi, 3G and WiMax
NEWPORT BEACH, USA: Newport Digital Technologies Inc. has developed and launched its first leading-edge LED digital signage solution that offers wireless high definition video and audio streaming that is compatible with 3G networks such as AT&T and Wi-Fi and WiMax networks.
The LED digital signage solution will provide modular and customizable sizes for displays ranging from 50 inches to stadium-size applications. In addition, the solution will also encompass a digital content and delivery management system, allowing the end user to remotely manage the digital content for a signage display with a laptop and Web browser application.
“This wireless LED digital signage solution is another significant achievement of NDT’s to bring leading-edge technology through its collaboration with its technology incubator partners, the Institute for Information Industry (III) and the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI),” said NDT CEO Michael Lutton.
“This product line reflects the company’s ability to continue to bring leading-edge technology to market in a cost-effective manner and is now available to our AT&T and other channel partners. We anticipate this unique wireless signage solution to generate significant revenue for NDT in calendar years 2010 and 2011."
“The 3G, Wi-Fi and WiMax features will enable this signage solution to have video and audio streaming connectivity anywhere there is 3G, Wi-Fi or WiMax network,” commented Richard Tanimoto, NDT Senior Managing Director. “The customizable display sizes will offer a myriad of solutions that include retail, public, commercial buildings, sporting event venues, where digital content is important and meaningful for business and government applications.”
The LED digital signage solution will provide modular and customizable sizes for displays ranging from 50 inches to stadium-size applications. In addition, the solution will also encompass a digital content and delivery management system, allowing the end user to remotely manage the digital content for a signage display with a laptop and Web browser application.
“This wireless LED digital signage solution is another significant achievement of NDT’s to bring leading-edge technology through its collaboration with its technology incubator partners, the Institute for Information Industry (III) and the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI),” said NDT CEO Michael Lutton.
“This product line reflects the company’s ability to continue to bring leading-edge technology to market in a cost-effective manner and is now available to our AT&T and other channel partners. We anticipate this unique wireless signage solution to generate significant revenue for NDT in calendar years 2010 and 2011."
“The 3G, Wi-Fi and WiMax features will enable this signage solution to have video and audio streaming connectivity anywhere there is 3G, Wi-Fi or WiMax network,” commented Richard Tanimoto, NDT Senior Managing Director. “The customizable display sizes will offer a myriad of solutions that include retail, public, commercial buildings, sporting event venues, where digital content is important and meaningful for business and government applications.”
Sony threatens Clarion for best-in-class car entertainment
BOSTON, USA: A recent analysis of automotive entertainment by Strategy Analytics found that Sony’s brand power and its recently announced partnership with Ford will challenge the current entertainment leader, Clarion, in providing consumers with the best-in-class experience in automotive entertainment. Details may be found in “Benchmarking the Premium In-Vehicle Experience,” from the Strategy Analytics Automotive Consumer Insights Service.
Strategy Analytics also found that Bose could dominate in automotive communication due to their strong brand and compelling experiences, if they were to develop a Bluetooth headset. Not surprisingly, Tom Tom and Garmin ranked highest for delivering a premium navigation experience. These findings are based on quantitative surveys with automotive consumers and user experience research.
“These findings show that Sony, with their tremendous brand perception in automotive entertainment, extensive presence with both OEMs and in the aftermarket and their new partnership with Ford, will provide a real threat for Clarion, which currently provides compelling experiences and innovative products, but lags in consumer brand perception,” commented Chris Schreiner, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics.
Kevin Nolan, Vice President of the Strategy Analytics User Experience Practice, added, “In automotive communications, the falling brand perception of Motorola and Nokia is opening the door for Jabra, Plantronics and other non-OEM vendors.”
Strategy Analytics also found that Bose could dominate in automotive communication due to their strong brand and compelling experiences, if they were to develop a Bluetooth headset. Not surprisingly, Tom Tom and Garmin ranked highest for delivering a premium navigation experience. These findings are based on quantitative surveys with automotive consumers and user experience research.
“These findings show that Sony, with their tremendous brand perception in automotive entertainment, extensive presence with both OEMs and in the aftermarket and their new partnership with Ford, will provide a real threat for Clarion, which currently provides compelling experiences and innovative products, but lags in consumer brand perception,” commented Chris Schreiner, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics.
Kevin Nolan, Vice President of the Strategy Analytics User Experience Practice, added, “In automotive communications, the falling brand perception of Motorola and Nokia is opening the door for Jabra, Plantronics and other non-OEM vendors.”
Motorola tops ABI Research's passive UHF handheld RFID reader vendor matrix ranking
NEW YORK, USA: Motorola Inc. has been ranked at the top of the latest Vendor Matrix released by ABI Research.
Convergence Systems Ltd (CSL) and Psion Teklogix Inc. claimed the second and third spots in the company’s new worldwide evaluation of passive UHF RFID handheld reader vendors.
The Vendor Matrix is an analytical tool developed by ABI Research to provide a clear understanding of vendors’ positions in specific markets. Vendors are assessed on the important parameters of “innovation” and “implementation” across several criteria unique to each vendor matrix. Although taken into consideration under certain criteria, product performance benchmarking is not a focus of this Vendor Matrix.
”Mobile computing, bar code scanning, and RFID are highly complementary technologies and major strengths for Motorola, helping drive handheld product innovation within the organization,” states Michael Liard, RFID Practice Director.
“The company’s global reach, partner/customer support capabilities, installed base, and an approach to RFID that cuts across many industries while addressing the needs of verticals all helped bolster the overall implementation score relative to the competition.”
Convergence Systems Ltd (CSL) and Psion Teklogix Inc. claimed the second and third spots in the company’s new worldwide evaluation of passive UHF RFID handheld reader vendors.
The Vendor Matrix is an analytical tool developed by ABI Research to provide a clear understanding of vendors’ positions in specific markets. Vendors are assessed on the important parameters of “innovation” and “implementation” across several criteria unique to each vendor matrix. Although taken into consideration under certain criteria, product performance benchmarking is not a focus of this Vendor Matrix.
”Mobile computing, bar code scanning, and RFID are highly complementary technologies and major strengths for Motorola, helping drive handheld product innovation within the organization,” states Michael Liard, RFID Practice Director.
“The company’s global reach, partner/customer support capabilities, installed base, and an approach to RFID that cuts across many industries while addressing the needs of verticals all helped bolster the overall implementation score relative to the competition.”
USMART chooses Mirics FlexiTV to bring live World Cup Soccer action to portable PCs
CeBIT 2010, SUNNYVALE, USA: Mirics announces that Hong Kong-based USmart Electronic Products Ltd (USmart) has partnered with Mirics to develop multi-standard broadcast TV platforms targeting notebook computers.
USmart has developed solutions using FlexiTV, the world’s first commercial software-based global TV receiver. These new product developments will be timed to target fans following the 2010 FIFA World Cup on TV in Europe, Asia and South America, regions widely served by the DVB-T and ISDB-T digital TV standards.
Ben Wong, CEO, USmart, commented: “USmart has a long and successful history of developing OEM and ODM solutions for the PC and digital peripherals market. We chose Mirics’ FlexiTV as the perfect complement to our existing products, so that USmart can offer consumers and customers a great live TV experience on-the-go, perfect for enjoying the 2010 World Cup soccer championship.”
“Mirics is extremely pleased to announce these latest commercial partnerships for its FlexiTV platform with leading Hong Kong company USmart,” said Simon Atkinson, CEO, Mirics.
“The combination of lowest bill of materials for a global broadcast solution, and the inherent flexibility of software-based TV make FlexiTV the most compelling live TV offering on the market. In addition to developing innovative products, Mirics closely assists its customers with an extensive global support team, including locally in Asia, to ensure successful business partnerships.”
USmart has developed solutions using FlexiTV, the world’s first commercial software-based global TV receiver. These new product developments will be timed to target fans following the 2010 FIFA World Cup on TV in Europe, Asia and South America, regions widely served by the DVB-T and ISDB-T digital TV standards.
Ben Wong, CEO, USmart, commented: “USmart has a long and successful history of developing OEM and ODM solutions for the PC and digital peripherals market. We chose Mirics’ FlexiTV as the perfect complement to our existing products, so that USmart can offer consumers and customers a great live TV experience on-the-go, perfect for enjoying the 2010 World Cup soccer championship.”
“Mirics is extremely pleased to announce these latest commercial partnerships for its FlexiTV platform with leading Hong Kong company USmart,” said Simon Atkinson, CEO, Mirics.
“The combination of lowest bill of materials for a global broadcast solution, and the inherent flexibility of software-based TV make FlexiTV the most compelling live TV offering on the market. In addition to developing innovative products, Mirics closely assists its customers with an extensive global support team, including locally in Asia, to ensure successful business partnerships.”
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
LCD panel makers cutting costs to improve profitability
EL SEGUNDO, USA: Despite the prodigious growth of the global large-sized LCD market in recent years, panel suppliers are struggling to maintain profitability, forcing them to cut materials and component costs, according to iSuppli Corp.
From the fourth quarter of 2008 through the second quarter of 2009, suppliers took losses on the most popular varieties of large-sized LCD panels used in TVs, notebook PCs and monitors. Losses were particularly acute during the dismal first quarter of 2009, when suppliers took an average loss of 31 percent on 32-inch High-Definition (HD) television panels, a 29 percent shortfall on 15.4-inch notebook panels and a 28 percent loss on 19-inch monitor panels.
The figure presents iSuppli’s quarterly estimate of profitability for popular varieties of large-sized LCD panels.
Source: iSuppli, USA
“Suppliers of large-sized LCD panels are facing profitability challenges due to the cyclical and volatile nature of the consumer markets they are serving,” said Sweta Dash, senior director of LCD research for iSuppli.
“As applications have shifted from a corporate to a consumer focus, conditions in the large-sized LCD market increasingly are dictated by seasonal factors, with slow demand in the first half of the year, followed by strong sales during the last six months of the year. Profitability also is oscillating roughly according to these seasonal trends, compelling panel suppliers to seek ways to reduce costs.”
One major focus of these efforts is material and component costs in panels and in panel modules.
Material and component expenses are accounting for an increasing portion of total panel costs, especially for LED-backlit panels. Generally speaking, panel material and module components can account for 75 percent or more of total panel costs, depending on various factors.
Because of this, panel suppliers must concentrate on these areas to keep expenses under control. Unfortunately, many panel components, such as glass, color filters and LED chips, have been facing somewhat tight supply in recent quarters, limiting opportunities to reduce costs.
To counter such availability and pricing challenges, panel makers are bringing the production of some of these devices—most notably LED chips—in-house, because reductions in the backlight cost provide more opportunity to lower cost and improve profitability.
Generally speaking, LED-based panels generate higher profitability, prompting suppliers to introduce new models and to reduce LED backlight costs. However, during periods of oversupply, LCD panel suppliers also can lose money on sales of LED backlit panels.
LED supply tightness and fragmentation of the entire LED supply chain has also made it difficult for panel suppliers to control costs. In response, top panel suppliers are developing their own internal sources for LED supply that can allow them to slash costs, control supply and improve profitability.
In addition, suppliers also are developing new backlight designs to cut the number of LEDs that are used while keeping performance at the same or higher level—steps that can reduce costs as well as lower the thickness of the television modules.
At the same time, television brands and television contract manufacturers also are striving to bring down the costs of LED-based panels by buying only the cell without the backlight and developing their own backlight. Branded television manufacturers, for instance, are engaging in partnerships with contract manufacturers or even panel suppliers to develop their own backlight and module assembly facilities.
For their part, some panel suppliers are focusing on selling cells, while others are developing more complete in-house solutions. Although this has created some tightness in the market because module production lags behind cell production, it also is making the supply chain more flexible and capable of reacting faster to changes in the market.
Overall, fixed or capital costs account for only 15 percent to 25 percent of the total panel cost, depending on the panel size, application market and fab depreciation rates.
In 2010, the Top-3 notebook display suppliers—Samsung, LG Displays and AUO—will attain a cost advantage over their competitors because their fabs serving this market will be fully depreciated, with the cost to construct the facilities and obtain equipment fully recouped.
This will make it difficult for other notebook panel suppliers, such as CMO and some Chinese firms, to compete in the market. In the same way, LG Display’s 7.5-generation and Samsung LCD’s seventh-generation fabs, which are mostly producing TV panels, will be fully depreciated this year, allowing both suppliers able to lower pricing, expand market share and attain strong profitability.
Source: iSuppli, USA
From the fourth quarter of 2008 through the second quarter of 2009, suppliers took losses on the most popular varieties of large-sized LCD panels used in TVs, notebook PCs and monitors. Losses were particularly acute during the dismal first quarter of 2009, when suppliers took an average loss of 31 percent on 32-inch High-Definition (HD) television panels, a 29 percent shortfall on 15.4-inch notebook panels and a 28 percent loss on 19-inch monitor panels.
The figure presents iSuppli’s quarterly estimate of profitability for popular varieties of large-sized LCD panels.
Source: iSuppli, USA“Suppliers of large-sized LCD panels are facing profitability challenges due to the cyclical and volatile nature of the consumer markets they are serving,” said Sweta Dash, senior director of LCD research for iSuppli.
“As applications have shifted from a corporate to a consumer focus, conditions in the large-sized LCD market increasingly are dictated by seasonal factors, with slow demand in the first half of the year, followed by strong sales during the last six months of the year. Profitability also is oscillating roughly according to these seasonal trends, compelling panel suppliers to seek ways to reduce costs.”
One major focus of these efforts is material and component costs in panels and in panel modules.
Material and component expenses are accounting for an increasing portion of total panel costs, especially for LED-backlit panels. Generally speaking, panel material and module components can account for 75 percent or more of total panel costs, depending on various factors.
Because of this, panel suppliers must concentrate on these areas to keep expenses under control. Unfortunately, many panel components, such as glass, color filters and LED chips, have been facing somewhat tight supply in recent quarters, limiting opportunities to reduce costs.
To counter such availability and pricing challenges, panel makers are bringing the production of some of these devices—most notably LED chips—in-house, because reductions in the backlight cost provide more opportunity to lower cost and improve profitability.
Generally speaking, LED-based panels generate higher profitability, prompting suppliers to introduce new models and to reduce LED backlight costs. However, during periods of oversupply, LCD panel suppliers also can lose money on sales of LED backlit panels.
LED supply tightness and fragmentation of the entire LED supply chain has also made it difficult for panel suppliers to control costs. In response, top panel suppliers are developing their own internal sources for LED supply that can allow them to slash costs, control supply and improve profitability.
In addition, suppliers also are developing new backlight designs to cut the number of LEDs that are used while keeping performance at the same or higher level—steps that can reduce costs as well as lower the thickness of the television modules.
At the same time, television brands and television contract manufacturers also are striving to bring down the costs of LED-based panels by buying only the cell without the backlight and developing their own backlight. Branded television manufacturers, for instance, are engaging in partnerships with contract manufacturers or even panel suppliers to develop their own backlight and module assembly facilities.
For their part, some panel suppliers are focusing on selling cells, while others are developing more complete in-house solutions. Although this has created some tightness in the market because module production lags behind cell production, it also is making the supply chain more flexible and capable of reacting faster to changes in the market.
Overall, fixed or capital costs account for only 15 percent to 25 percent of the total panel cost, depending on the panel size, application market and fab depreciation rates.
In 2010, the Top-3 notebook display suppliers—Samsung, LG Displays and AUO—will attain a cost advantage over their competitors because their fabs serving this market will be fully depreciated, with the cost to construct the facilities and obtain equipment fully recouped.
This will make it difficult for other notebook panel suppliers, such as CMO and some Chinese firms, to compete in the market. In the same way, LG Display’s 7.5-generation and Samsung LCD’s seventh-generation fabs, which are mostly producing TV panels, will be fully depreciated this year, allowing both suppliers able to lower pricing, expand market share and attain strong profitability.
Source: iSuppli, USA
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