MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA: Broadcasters’ rate production of 3D content and channels as their lowest technology investment priority, and the lack of programming for consumers who have bought a 3D TV is set to continue, according to Ovum.
In a new report analysing the state of the 3D market, the independent technology analyst unveils findings from its Media and Broadcast Technology Investment Strategies survey, which reveal a clear lack of enthusiasm for 3D in the broadcast industry.
When asked to rate their strategic priorities for 2011, senior IT and business executives rated “production of 3D content and/or launch of 3D channels” as the lowest priority for strategic investment. Fifty-three percent of respondents globally said 3D content production was “not an important business consideration”. However, production of 3D content was rated as a slightly higher priority by executives in Asia-Pacific companies.
Tim Renowden, Ovum analyst and author of the report, commented: “In Asia-Pacific, various methods of implementing 3D are used. For instance, several broadcasters and pay TV operators, such as Fox Sports and the Seven Network in Australia have presented 3D programming on an ad hoc basis; in Japan, NTT Plala's IPTV service, Hikari TV, includes a 3D on-demand pay-per-view portal. However, the high cost of 3D production has limited content availability and delayed some channel launches. Given the lack of enthusiasm for investing in 3D content production and delivery expressed by broadcasters, this situation is unlikely to change rapidly.
“This ambivalence towards investment in 3D content production and creation of 3D channels, leaves a big hole in the availability of 3D content, and tells us that the lack of 3D programming we have seen during 2010 is unlikely to improve in 2011.
According to the report, the high cost of investment in infrastructure and personnel is a major factor in the reluctance of broadcasters to invest in 3D production.
Renowden added: “The lack of broadcast content means console gaming is likely to provide an important driver of 3D adoption, with Sony promoting the technology on its PlayStation 3. Gaming has the advantage that incremental costs of 3D production are much lower than for filmed entertainment.”
Thursday, May 19, 2011
iPad-style media tablets to outship PC tablets by factor of 10 from 2010 to 2015
EL SEGUNDO, USA: Shipments of traditional PC-type tablet PCs will be dwarfed by the newer media-type tablets like the iPad from Apple Inc., with the media category outshipping the PC variety by a factor of 10 during the period from 2010 to 2015, new IHS iSuppli research indicates.
From 2010 to 2015, a total of 888.7 million media tablets will be shipped, compared to just 88.8 million PC tablets. A total of 45.2 million PC tablets will be shipped in 2015, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 81.5 percent from 2.3 million units in 2010. In contrast, media tablets will reach 262.1 million units by 2015, rising at a 72.1 percent CAGR from 17.4 million units in 2010.
Media tablets, built on ARM microprocessors and utilizing mobile operating systems, have already surged past the 25 million sales mark—easily surpassing the last decade’s worth of fully configured PC tablet sales.
“While there’s clearly a need for tablet PCs with full PC functionality, the media-type tablet pioneered by the Apple Inc. with the iPad will reign supreme during for at least the next five years,” said Rhoda Alexander, director of monitor research at IHS. “Because the tablet form factor will favor media consumption—rather than content creation—media tablets will massively outsell their PC-type tablet alternatives.”
The attached figure presents the IHS iSuppli shipment forecast for PC tablets and media tablets for the period of 2009 through 2015.
Take two tablets
While the media and PC tablets are both considered tablet devices, the categories differ greatly in terms of construction and usage.
Media tablets—such as the iPad, Xoom from Motorola Inc. and Galaxy Tab from Samsung Electronics Co.—typically are slate-style, utilize a mobile operating system and ARM-based or mobile CPU, and employ a touch screen as the primary interface. PC tablets, in contrast, can use slate or convertible/hybrid form factors based on Atom or x86 architecture, and incorporate a full PC operating system such as Windows 7, Linux, or Mac OS.
Media tablet usage is largely concentrated on Web browsing, social networking, email and consumption of a range of media content such as video, music, e-books/magazines and games. The applications are touch friendly, evolving from a smart phone environment, with touch as the primary interface.
In contrast, PC-based tablets have incorporated touch but made poor use of it in the past, burdened by legacy applications heavy with pull-down menus and a dizzying array of choices.
Still meeting a need
Yet for all the frustrations inherent in a fully configured PC tablet—the slow boot-up time, the tendency to crash or freeze and the awkwardness of the touch integration—they still meet a need that the media tablets do not. They are designed for work, allowing users to quickly accomplish data input, analysis and creation-oriented tasks that are still less than realistic to perform on a media tablet.
While improved productivity applications, incorporation of additional functionality and expanded access to the cloud will all work to expand the functionality of media tablets, it is not clear that they will be able to cross the line from consumption to creation devices for many in the corporate environment.
The emergence of a hybrid class of products combining aspects of the media and PC tablets holds promise for providing a bridge between the universes, allowing data-intensive workers access to the full functionality they have grown to rely on in a fully configured PC system, while still providing access to the speed and ease of use of a mobile system.
The system functions as a media tablet in a mobile environment but converts to a full operating system when linked to a docking station. The docking-station approach also allows for the easy incorporation of peripherals, including a full-sized keyboard, mouse and additional displays.
Will it blend?
The blended approach offers an opportunity for PC vendors to continue to distinguish their products from the growing competition in the mobile arena and will eventually work to slow the growth in the pure media tablet category. As appealing as the media tablets are, many users still need a more robust system. However, wider adoption of the hybrid PC tablets is likely to take several years, as there are still some issues to be addressed.
The first issue is faster start-up: The instant-on allure of media tablets is significant. While fully configured PC tablets are unlikely to match the start-up speed of a media tablet in the short term, substantial effort is being invested in narrowing the current significant time gap between the two devices.
The next issue is Microsoft Corp.’s Windows 8 operating system. Improved touch performance and a further evolution of graphics-based menus will help to make the systems more suited to a touch interface, both in the mobile and docked mode. The timing and performance of this release will be critical; IHS expects it won’t be until mid- to late 2012 introduction and an 18-month to two-year lag before there is significant business adoption.
Finally, there is a need for improved mobile operating systems. With Apple still owning the media tablet space, competitors are still struggling to match Apple’s OS capabilities. As Android and the others improve, the performance gap between the operating systems will narrow.
The nature of the computer market is change, with competitors leapfrogging over each other in the ongoing race to market share. At present, media tablets have the momentum, but the PC tablet is not finished yet.
Source: IHS iSuppli, USA.
From 2010 to 2015, a total of 888.7 million media tablets will be shipped, compared to just 88.8 million PC tablets. A total of 45.2 million PC tablets will be shipped in 2015, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 81.5 percent from 2.3 million units in 2010. In contrast, media tablets will reach 262.1 million units by 2015, rising at a 72.1 percent CAGR from 17.4 million units in 2010.
Media tablets, built on ARM microprocessors and utilizing mobile operating systems, have already surged past the 25 million sales mark—easily surpassing the last decade’s worth of fully configured PC tablet sales.
“While there’s clearly a need for tablet PCs with full PC functionality, the media-type tablet pioneered by the Apple Inc. with the iPad will reign supreme during for at least the next five years,” said Rhoda Alexander, director of monitor research at IHS. “Because the tablet form factor will favor media consumption—rather than content creation—media tablets will massively outsell their PC-type tablet alternatives.”
The attached figure presents the IHS iSuppli shipment forecast for PC tablets and media tablets for the period of 2009 through 2015.
Take two tablets
While the media and PC tablets are both considered tablet devices, the categories differ greatly in terms of construction and usage.
Media tablets—such as the iPad, Xoom from Motorola Inc. and Galaxy Tab from Samsung Electronics Co.—typically are slate-style, utilize a mobile operating system and ARM-based or mobile CPU, and employ a touch screen as the primary interface. PC tablets, in contrast, can use slate or convertible/hybrid form factors based on Atom or x86 architecture, and incorporate a full PC operating system such as Windows 7, Linux, or Mac OS.
Media tablet usage is largely concentrated on Web browsing, social networking, email and consumption of a range of media content such as video, music, e-books/magazines and games. The applications are touch friendly, evolving from a smart phone environment, with touch as the primary interface.
In contrast, PC-based tablets have incorporated touch but made poor use of it in the past, burdened by legacy applications heavy with pull-down menus and a dizzying array of choices.
Still meeting a need
Yet for all the frustrations inherent in a fully configured PC tablet—the slow boot-up time, the tendency to crash or freeze and the awkwardness of the touch integration—they still meet a need that the media tablets do not. They are designed for work, allowing users to quickly accomplish data input, analysis and creation-oriented tasks that are still less than realistic to perform on a media tablet.
While improved productivity applications, incorporation of additional functionality and expanded access to the cloud will all work to expand the functionality of media tablets, it is not clear that they will be able to cross the line from consumption to creation devices for many in the corporate environment.
The emergence of a hybrid class of products combining aspects of the media and PC tablets holds promise for providing a bridge between the universes, allowing data-intensive workers access to the full functionality they have grown to rely on in a fully configured PC system, while still providing access to the speed and ease of use of a mobile system.
The system functions as a media tablet in a mobile environment but converts to a full operating system when linked to a docking station. The docking-station approach also allows for the easy incorporation of peripherals, including a full-sized keyboard, mouse and additional displays.
Will it blend?
The blended approach offers an opportunity for PC vendors to continue to distinguish their products from the growing competition in the mobile arena and will eventually work to slow the growth in the pure media tablet category. As appealing as the media tablets are, many users still need a more robust system. However, wider adoption of the hybrid PC tablets is likely to take several years, as there are still some issues to be addressed.
The first issue is faster start-up: The instant-on allure of media tablets is significant. While fully configured PC tablets are unlikely to match the start-up speed of a media tablet in the short term, substantial effort is being invested in narrowing the current significant time gap between the two devices.
The next issue is Microsoft Corp.’s Windows 8 operating system. Improved touch performance and a further evolution of graphics-based menus will help to make the systems more suited to a touch interface, both in the mobile and docked mode. The timing and performance of this release will be critical; IHS expects it won’t be until mid- to late 2012 introduction and an 18-month to two-year lag before there is significant business adoption.
Finally, there is a need for improved mobile operating systems. With Apple still owning the media tablet space, competitors are still struggling to match Apple’s OS capabilities. As Android and the others improve, the performance gap between the operating systems will narrow.
The nature of the computer market is change, with competitors leapfrogging over each other in the ongoing race to market share. At present, media tablets have the momentum, but the PC tablet is not finished yet.
Source: IHS iSuppli, USA.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
OmniVision launches 5-Megapixel OmniBSI-2 image sensor for slimmer tablets and smart phone
SANTA CLARA, USA: OmniVision Technologies Inc., a leading developer of advanced digital imaging solutions, introduced the OV5690, the first 5-megapixel image sensor to use OmniVision's proprietary OmniBSI-2 pixel architecture.
The new 1.4-micron backside illumination pixel allows for a full five megapixels in a 1/4-inch optical format, and combines best-in-class image quality with a 20 percent reduction in camera module height, making it an effective solution for slimmer mobile handsets, smart phones and tablet computers.
"With industry sources placing 5-megapixel CMOS image sensors at more than 15 percent of the overall sensor market today, we view 5-megapixel sensors as occupying as a sweet spot in the market," said Per Rosdahl, product marketing manager at OmniVision.
"Some industry analysts believe that market share may exceed 30 percent by 2014(1) driven by the demand for higher performance resolution and increasingly slim mobile handsets, smart phone and tablet designs. With the OV5690 CameraChip, OmniVision brings a highly competitive, no-compromise solution to market, combining best-in-class performance while enabling extremely thin building height."
Based on OmniVision's efficient second-generation OmniBSI-2 technology, the OV5690 delivers advanced features including 1080p high definition (HD) video recording at 30 frames per second, an integrated scaler, and 2 x 2 binning functionality with re-sampling filter. The scaler enables electronic image stabilization, while maintaining full field of view in 720p and 1080p HD video modes, and allows for HD video with digital video zoom functionality. The OV5690's post-binning re-sampling filter minimizes spatial artifacts and removes image artifacts around edges, producing clean, crisp color images for 720p/60 HD video in binning mode.
The sensor features a standard 2-lane (1 Gbps/lane) MIPI/LVDS interface, and fits into the industry standard 8.5 x 8.5 mm module size with a z-height below 5 mm, or approximately 20 percent lower than existing industry-leading 1/3.2-inch 5-megapixel image sensors.
The OV5690 is currently being sampled by key customers and mass production is expected to begin in the second half of 2011.
The new 1.4-micron backside illumination pixel allows for a full five megapixels in a 1/4-inch optical format, and combines best-in-class image quality with a 20 percent reduction in camera module height, making it an effective solution for slimmer mobile handsets, smart phones and tablet computers.
"With industry sources placing 5-megapixel CMOS image sensors at more than 15 percent of the overall sensor market today, we view 5-megapixel sensors as occupying as a sweet spot in the market," said Per Rosdahl, product marketing manager at OmniVision.
"Some industry analysts believe that market share may exceed 30 percent by 2014(1) driven by the demand for higher performance resolution and increasingly slim mobile handsets, smart phone and tablet designs. With the OV5690 CameraChip, OmniVision brings a highly competitive, no-compromise solution to market, combining best-in-class performance while enabling extremely thin building height."
Based on OmniVision's efficient second-generation OmniBSI-2 technology, the OV5690 delivers advanced features including 1080p high definition (HD) video recording at 30 frames per second, an integrated scaler, and 2 x 2 binning functionality with re-sampling filter. The scaler enables electronic image stabilization, while maintaining full field of view in 720p and 1080p HD video modes, and allows for HD video with digital video zoom functionality. The OV5690's post-binning re-sampling filter minimizes spatial artifacts and removes image artifacts around edges, producing clean, crisp color images for 720p/60 HD video in binning mode.
The sensor features a standard 2-lane (1 Gbps/lane) MIPI/LVDS interface, and fits into the industry standard 8.5 x 8.5 mm module size with a z-height below 5 mm, or approximately 20 percent lower than existing industry-leading 1/3.2-inch 5-megapixel image sensors.
The OV5690 is currently being sampled by key customers and mass production is expected to begin in the second half of 2011.
Symantec unveils global security operations center in India
CHENNAI, INDIA: Symantec Corp. announced the opening of its new global Security Operations Center (SOC) in Chennai, India. Shoring up Symantec’s SOC network, the center in Chennai – along with SOCs in the UK, USA and Australia – will be part of the first line of defense against online threats for customers across the world. Symantec’s SOCs offer real-time, comprehensive protection from known and emerging threats, enabling business and governments to minimize risk and strengthen their security posture.
Experts at the Chennai SOC will provide real-time threat monitoring, analysis and remediation guidance to customers to help them minimize the impact of security incidents on their business operations and reduce their overall IT risk. Symantec’s SOCs analyze more than 10 billion logs worldwide each day to provide enterprise-wide protection and help customers bolster defenses and respond to new threats as they emerge. The GCIA (GIAC Certified Intrusion Analysts) certified analysts evaluate on average 15,000 potential events and validate 700 daily security incidents and have the capability to escalate 200 severe events per day, each within a record ten minutes.
“Businesses today are operating in times of advanced persistent threats and targeted attacks. They require powerful technology, accurate threat intelligence, proven processes, and experienced professionals to combat complex and sophisticated threats,” said Ajay Goel, MD, India & SAARC, Symantec. “The SOC in Chennai boosts Symantec’s Managed Security Service (MSS) offerings and helps our customers achieve compliance and reduce overall security risk.”
Increasing security incidents and risks requires correlated intelligence for better prevention. Symantec’s Global Intelligence Network (GIN) provides SOCs with information required to identify new attacks and techniques. The GIN monitors attack activity worldwide with 240,000 sensors in more than 200 countries, tracking more than 32,000 vulnerabilities in products from 11,000 vendors involving 72,000 technologies. The GIN also identifies spam and phishing with 2.5 million decoy accounts and gathers malcode intelligence from 130 million clients, servers and gateways. These reports eventually become the basis for creating rules and definitions for viruses and spam.
I would like to congratulate Symantec on its Security Operations Centre in Chennai, India,” said Gulshan Rai, director general, Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT In). “India’s private and public sectors are witnessing increasing dependency on IT which is fuelled by various Government driven IT enabled initiatives. This rapid adoption of IT for personal and business purposes requires a secure computing environment. Infrastructure such as Symantec’s SOC is an important step towards building a robust cyber security eco system.”
In addition to being a global asset, the SOC in Chennai is seen to be of immense value to businesses in India. While the Symantec Internet Security Threat Report (ISTR) XVI revealed dramatic increases in global Internet threats in 2010, it also reported an alarming increase in threat activity in India. Particularly of concern has been the high prevalence of Stuxnet infections in India, calling attention to the fact that businesses here are very vulnerable to targeted and complex attacks.
The key to protecting information and infrastructure against such stealthy threats lies in threat intelligence networks, consisting of both people and technology. Engineers and security analysts at Symantec’s India Innovation Centers play a pivotal role in the research and development of Symantec’s security technologies.
“Having a global Security Operations Center in India speaks volumes of the confidence Symantec has in the engineering talent of this country. To date we have more than 3,000 employees across our Innovation Centers in Pune, Chennai and Banaglore and we look forward to continuing to expand our operations further,” said Shantanu Ghosh, vice president, India Product Operations, Symantec. “The Chennai SOC expands Symantec’s footprint in the country and, together with the Security Response Lab in Pune, it will ensure Symantec continues to offer customers the most comprehensive and up-to-the-minute threat intelligence possible.”
Experts at the Chennai SOC will provide real-time threat monitoring, analysis and remediation guidance to customers to help them minimize the impact of security incidents on their business operations and reduce their overall IT risk. Symantec’s SOCs analyze more than 10 billion logs worldwide each day to provide enterprise-wide protection and help customers bolster defenses and respond to new threats as they emerge. The GCIA (GIAC Certified Intrusion Analysts) certified analysts evaluate on average 15,000 potential events and validate 700 daily security incidents and have the capability to escalate 200 severe events per day, each within a record ten minutes.
“Businesses today are operating in times of advanced persistent threats and targeted attacks. They require powerful technology, accurate threat intelligence, proven processes, and experienced professionals to combat complex and sophisticated threats,” said Ajay Goel, MD, India & SAARC, Symantec. “The SOC in Chennai boosts Symantec’s Managed Security Service (MSS) offerings and helps our customers achieve compliance and reduce overall security risk.”
Increasing security incidents and risks requires correlated intelligence for better prevention. Symantec’s Global Intelligence Network (GIN) provides SOCs with information required to identify new attacks and techniques. The GIN monitors attack activity worldwide with 240,000 sensors in more than 200 countries, tracking more than 32,000 vulnerabilities in products from 11,000 vendors involving 72,000 technologies. The GIN also identifies spam and phishing with 2.5 million decoy accounts and gathers malcode intelligence from 130 million clients, servers and gateways. These reports eventually become the basis for creating rules and definitions for viruses and spam.
I would like to congratulate Symantec on its Security Operations Centre in Chennai, India,” said Gulshan Rai, director general, Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT In). “India’s private and public sectors are witnessing increasing dependency on IT which is fuelled by various Government driven IT enabled initiatives. This rapid adoption of IT for personal and business purposes requires a secure computing environment. Infrastructure such as Symantec’s SOC is an important step towards building a robust cyber security eco system.”
In addition to being a global asset, the SOC in Chennai is seen to be of immense value to businesses in India. While the Symantec Internet Security Threat Report (ISTR) XVI revealed dramatic increases in global Internet threats in 2010, it also reported an alarming increase in threat activity in India. Particularly of concern has been the high prevalence of Stuxnet infections in India, calling attention to the fact that businesses here are very vulnerable to targeted and complex attacks.
The key to protecting information and infrastructure against such stealthy threats lies in threat intelligence networks, consisting of both people and technology. Engineers and security analysts at Symantec’s India Innovation Centers play a pivotal role in the research and development of Symantec’s security technologies.
“Having a global Security Operations Center in India speaks volumes of the confidence Symantec has in the engineering talent of this country. To date we have more than 3,000 employees across our Innovation Centers in Pune, Chennai and Banaglore and we look forward to continuing to expand our operations further,” said Shantanu Ghosh, vice president, India Product Operations, Symantec. “The Chennai SOC expands Symantec’s footprint in the country and, together with the Security Response Lab in Pune, it will ensure Symantec continues to offer customers the most comprehensive and up-to-the-minute threat intelligence possible.”
National Instruments announces plans for NIWeek 2011
INDIA: National Instruments announced plans for NIWeek, the world’s leading graphical system design conference and exhibition that attracts more than 3,000 of the world’s most innovative engineers, educators and scientists.
NIWeek 2011, the company’s 17th annual technology conference, takes place from August 2-4 at the Austin Convention Center and inspires attendees to explore cutting-edge technologies such as the use of graphical system design to test, measure and fix inefficient products and processes. Attendees participate in technical sessions, interactive demonstrations and keynotes to gain advanced technical knowledge and network with peers and NI developers.
“Graphical system design has gone mainstream, adopted by engineers worldwide for far-reaching and impactful applications such as the world’s first real-time 3D OCT medical-imaging system and revolutionary airborne technology that uses renewable energy to power remote villages,” said Dr. James Truchard, NI CEO, president and cofounder. “NIWeek will explore the technology behind graphical system design, how it is used and how you can apply it to increase your productivity.”
NIWeek 2011 highlights include the following:
* More than 250 technical presentations by NI engineers and industry experts.
* Five technical summits focused on aerospace and defense, energy technology, RF and wireless, robotics and autonomous vehicles and vision.
* Four technical tracks concentrated on embedded monitoring and control, software development techniques, test and data acquisition and structural test and measurement.
* Daily keynotes with NI executives and industry leaders.
* Interactive demonstrations on the exhibit floor from more than 75 companies such as Alfamation, Averna, Cal-Bay Systems, Texas Instruments and Xilinx.
* Special events including NI Alliance Day, Academic Forum, Big Physics symposium, Build Your Own Embedded System workshop and The Future of System Design symposium.
Additionally, NIWeek attendees have several opportunities to interact with NI R&D to learn more about NI technology and provide product feedback. Attendees can take advantage of networking opportunities such as nightly events and daily lunchtime peer-to-peer roundtables with engineers working in similar industries or on similar technological applications.
NIWeek 2011, the company’s 17th annual technology conference, takes place from August 2-4 at the Austin Convention Center and inspires attendees to explore cutting-edge technologies such as the use of graphical system design to test, measure and fix inefficient products and processes. Attendees participate in technical sessions, interactive demonstrations and keynotes to gain advanced technical knowledge and network with peers and NI developers.
“Graphical system design has gone mainstream, adopted by engineers worldwide for far-reaching and impactful applications such as the world’s first real-time 3D OCT medical-imaging system and revolutionary airborne technology that uses renewable energy to power remote villages,” said Dr. James Truchard, NI CEO, president and cofounder. “NIWeek will explore the technology behind graphical system design, how it is used and how you can apply it to increase your productivity.”
NIWeek 2011 highlights include the following:
* More than 250 technical presentations by NI engineers and industry experts.
* Five technical summits focused on aerospace and defense, energy technology, RF and wireless, robotics and autonomous vehicles and vision.
* Four technical tracks concentrated on embedded monitoring and control, software development techniques, test and data acquisition and structural test and measurement.
* Daily keynotes with NI executives and industry leaders.
* Interactive demonstrations on the exhibit floor from more than 75 companies such as Alfamation, Averna, Cal-Bay Systems, Texas Instruments and Xilinx.
* Special events including NI Alliance Day, Academic Forum, Big Physics symposium, Build Your Own Embedded System workshop and The Future of System Design symposium.
Additionally, NIWeek attendees have several opportunities to interact with NI R&D to learn more about NI technology and provide product feedback. Attendees can take advantage of networking opportunities such as nightly events and daily lunchtime peer-to-peer roundtables with engineers working in similar industries or on similar technological applications.
Shipments boom for touch screens in professional and signage markets
EL SEGUNDO, USA: Shipments of touch screen displays for the signage and professional market are set to surge by more than a factor of seven over the next three years to reach nearly 3 million units in 2013, as users in the public space, hospitality, health care, government, corporate retail, transportation and education segments gain interest in the technology, new IHS iSuppli research indicates.
Global shipments of touch screen displays for signage and professional applications are expected to reach 2.97 million units in 2013, up from 404,999 in 2010, as presented in the attached figure. The market will expand at a CAGR of 96.3 percent between the years of 2009 and 2013.
“Touch screen displays in the professional and signage segments are large displays that are used in various non-consumer, out-of-home applications, ranging from interactive whiteboards in classrooms to point-of-sale terminals in retail outlets, to information kiosks in tourist attractions,” said Sanju Khatri, director of signage and public information displays at IHS.
“Although the market for very large touch screens in the signage and professional display market holds great promise, it remains a nascent, undeveloped sector. The market presently suffers from the chicken-or-egg syndrome: Both suppliers and potential users believe these displays are going to become much more common during the next few years—but both camps are waiting for the other side to make the first move.”
In general, IHS is seeing increased interest from suppliers but not a great deal of commitment from the industry. However, as the market becomes better established in the next few years, competition will ratchet up, driving down prices and increasing the proliferation of such displays.
The largest growth areas for this segment will be in public spaces, hospitality and health care, which will account for 41.8 percent of overall touch screen signage unit shipments by 2013. Within this segment, touch-equipped displays are used to help guests and visitors navigate facilities, as well as provide a more effective method of distributing information such as meeting schedules, locations, local attractions, and events and maps to facilities. These displays also are used for real-time weather, airport information and to showcase services or amenities of the locations.
The second largest growth area will be in the government and corporate sectors, which will represent 31.2 percent of the total units shipped in 2013. These displays can provide a new way to facilitate meetings by providing a higher level of interactivity to those participating. Touch-enabled signage can also be used to more personally deliver company information and provide access to its employees.
The retail segment will be the third largest area for growth with 20.7 percent of overall signage unit shipments.
“The main goal of retail stores adopting digital signage is to capture end-user attention and provide relevant and targeted information, which in turn results in higher sales, increased brand perception and greater customer satisfaction,” said Dragana Boras, researcher for digital signage and public displays at IHS. “Touch screens bring a whole new level of personalization to the shopping experience by providing feedback to the retail store operator on what information is most relevant and what content customers find most compelling.
Two additional segments, transportation and education, will account for the remainder of the market in digital signage.”
Competitive technologies
While there are more than a dozen commercialized and emerging touch screen technologies, not all of them are applicable to, or designed for, the signage and professional market—defined as non-consumer displays 32-inches and larger. The most applicable touch technologies for signage include optical imaging, resistive, projected capacitive, bending wave, infrared (IR) and surface acoustic wave (SAW).
Under the skin
One example of large touch screen signage and professional displays making its way into everyday life will come during this week’s 2011 Society for Information Displays (SID) conference. UMA Information Technologies GmbH is unveiling its Skin multitouch environment with person tracking and semantic content streams.
UMA’s technology is targeted at both corporate use—having already been installed in a Siemens facility in Vienna, Austria—and retail signage where customers can utilize the multitouch screen interface to receive personalized content on interactive walls. Vendors can use the technology to run ads, offer alternate payment models, connect to iPads or other wireless devices and give their customers a more interactive shopping experience.
UMA’s technology is based on optical imaging technology that uses cameras to detect touch, gestures, or other body movement to determine the touch point. A typical implementation of optical touch involves placing two optical sensors at two corners of the screen, and a uniform field of infrared light is distributed across the screen by illuminated or reflected borders on the opposing three sides. When touching the screen, an object blocks the light seen by the cameras. A controller then analyzes the resulting imaging information and calculates the touch
location via triangulation
In a briefing, UMA CEO, Christian Doegl, confirmed that 3-D cameras are used to detect people coming to the screens, preloading content via software before a person even arrives. Then, using radio frequency identification (RFID), the Skin wall can personalize the experience based on the interests of the customer or retailer.
Source: IHS iSuppli, USA.
Global shipments of touch screen displays for signage and professional applications are expected to reach 2.97 million units in 2013, up from 404,999 in 2010, as presented in the attached figure. The market will expand at a CAGR of 96.3 percent between the years of 2009 and 2013.
“Touch screen displays in the professional and signage segments are large displays that are used in various non-consumer, out-of-home applications, ranging from interactive whiteboards in classrooms to point-of-sale terminals in retail outlets, to information kiosks in tourist attractions,” said Sanju Khatri, director of signage and public information displays at IHS.
“Although the market for very large touch screens in the signage and professional display market holds great promise, it remains a nascent, undeveloped sector. The market presently suffers from the chicken-or-egg syndrome: Both suppliers and potential users believe these displays are going to become much more common during the next few years—but both camps are waiting for the other side to make the first move.”
In general, IHS is seeing increased interest from suppliers but not a great deal of commitment from the industry. However, as the market becomes better established in the next few years, competition will ratchet up, driving down prices and increasing the proliferation of such displays.
The largest growth areas for this segment will be in public spaces, hospitality and health care, which will account for 41.8 percent of overall touch screen signage unit shipments by 2013. Within this segment, touch-equipped displays are used to help guests and visitors navigate facilities, as well as provide a more effective method of distributing information such as meeting schedules, locations, local attractions, and events and maps to facilities. These displays also are used for real-time weather, airport information and to showcase services or amenities of the locations.
The second largest growth area will be in the government and corporate sectors, which will represent 31.2 percent of the total units shipped in 2013. These displays can provide a new way to facilitate meetings by providing a higher level of interactivity to those participating. Touch-enabled signage can also be used to more personally deliver company information and provide access to its employees.
The retail segment will be the third largest area for growth with 20.7 percent of overall signage unit shipments.
“The main goal of retail stores adopting digital signage is to capture end-user attention and provide relevant and targeted information, which in turn results in higher sales, increased brand perception and greater customer satisfaction,” said Dragana Boras, researcher for digital signage and public displays at IHS. “Touch screens bring a whole new level of personalization to the shopping experience by providing feedback to the retail store operator on what information is most relevant and what content customers find most compelling.
Two additional segments, transportation and education, will account for the remainder of the market in digital signage.”
Competitive technologies
While there are more than a dozen commercialized and emerging touch screen technologies, not all of them are applicable to, or designed for, the signage and professional market—defined as non-consumer displays 32-inches and larger. The most applicable touch technologies for signage include optical imaging, resistive, projected capacitive, bending wave, infrared (IR) and surface acoustic wave (SAW).
Under the skin
One example of large touch screen signage and professional displays making its way into everyday life will come during this week’s 2011 Society for Information Displays (SID) conference. UMA Information Technologies GmbH is unveiling its Skin multitouch environment with person tracking and semantic content streams.
UMA’s technology is targeted at both corporate use—having already been installed in a Siemens facility in Vienna, Austria—and retail signage where customers can utilize the multitouch screen interface to receive personalized content on interactive walls. Vendors can use the technology to run ads, offer alternate payment models, connect to iPads or other wireless devices and give their customers a more interactive shopping experience.
UMA’s technology is based on optical imaging technology that uses cameras to detect touch, gestures, or other body movement to determine the touch point. A typical implementation of optical touch involves placing two optical sensors at two corners of the screen, and a uniform field of infrared light is distributed across the screen by illuminated or reflected borders on the opposing three sides. When touching the screen, an object blocks the light seen by the cameras. A controller then analyzes the resulting imaging information and calculates the touch
location via triangulation
In a briefing, UMA CEO, Christian Doegl, confirmed that 3-D cameras are used to detect people coming to the screens, preloading content via software before a person even arrives. Then, using radio frequency identification (RFID), the Skin wall can personalize the experience based on the interests of the customer or retailer.
Source: IHS iSuppli, USA.
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