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  • DisplayPort offers serious challenge to HDMI dominance

    Risk of consumer confusion unlikely to halt advance of DisplayPort


    hdtv.biz-news.com     asked Randy Lawson, senior analyst with iSuppli Corporation, about his new report Hogging the Spotlight: HDMI Growth Continues in Spite of DisplayPort.


    High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) has become the dominant interface technology for connecting HD devices, featuring in more than 70 per cent of digital televisions sold worldwide in 2007.

    It is consolidating its domination of DVD players and digital set-top-boxes and is the interface of choice for Blu-ray players, flat-panel HD televisions, video-game consoles and even PCs.

    Randy Lawson, senior analyst, Digital TV Semiconductor and Display Drivers, at iSuppli, has looked at whether HDMI’s commanding position can be maintained and what, if any, challenges it faces.

    He suggests that the main contender as an alternative technology – DisplayPort – offers a credible challenge to HDMI .
    Yet he concludes that while HDMI will lose some market share to its competitor, particularly in desktop and mobile PC platforms, it will continue to dominate in the near term.

    The iSuppli report suggests that both DisplayPort and HDMI will see healthy unit growth in the PC equipment space as more consumers jump on board the convergence bandwagon at home.

    It forecasts global shipments of DisplayPort-enabled equipment will grow to 263.3 million units by 2012, up from zero in 2007.
    Meanwhile, HDMI-enabled equipment will grow to 772.8 million units in 2012, rising at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 32 per cent from 193 million units in 2007.

    Lawson said there was a very real threat of consumer confusion caused by PC manufacturers choosing to incorporate DisplayPort into their products – and he questioned whether the industry really needed another new interface at this point.

    “However, there are, in my opinion, some strong arguments in favour of DisplayPort gaining share in the PC space over the next few years,” he said.

    HDMI to be overtaken by DisplayPort in the desktop and mobile PC market

    While HDMI has been adopted by desktop and mobile PC platforms and presently surpasses DisplayPort in this market, Lawson expects DisplayPort to take over the lead in this market after 2010, as PC OEMs move away from VGA interfaces and adopt HD solutions.

    Lawson said that the DisplayPort interface standard will be the successor to the VGA interface on PC monitors as well as desktop and notebook PCs.

    “Some interface will need to displace VGA’s dominant role and both Intel and AMD have up to three DisplayPort interfaces integrated into upcoming chipsets that would allow for two external DisplayPort ports and one internal/embedded interface,” he said.

    Lawson said that two of the largest PC OEM’s are fully backing DisplayPort – Dell and HP.
    “So they fully intend to expand DisplayPort’s presence in the space and I expect others will follow in time,” he said.

    “Some technical features of DisplayPort, such as scalability of the interface, embedded clock signal, fewer wires compared to HDMI at high bandwidth, packetised data carrying scheme, and high bandwidth auxillary channel, also offer functionality that is more important to PC/notebook applications.


    “DisplayPort adoption will additionally be hampered by costs of initial, first generation silicon, and I think DisplayPort will be very challenged by HDMI in the consumer/multi-function monitor product segment.

    “But in the PC/notebook segment, the scalability of the interface – where higher resolutions are generally always coming out, unlike CE where 1080p is an upper limit for the foreseeable future – the chip integration and the VGA-replacement need, and the backing of Intel, Dell, HP and AMD all argue in favour of a positive outlook for the technology in my opinon.

    “Slow uptake yes, but long term success in the IT segment I believe.”

    He said that DisplayPort’s potential largest market opportunity could be in embedded video/display interfaces, such as LCD panels inside TV’s and notebook PC’s, where legacy designs use older, bulkier, parallel LVDS-type interfaces.”

    He said this is a potentially huge opportunity for the technology, as iSuppli predicts more than 600 million mobile PCs and 550 million LCD-TVs will be shipped during the period of 2008 to 2011.

    Lawson’s arguments for HDMI’s continued growth and success include:

    – HDMI momentum developed over the past 2 to 3 years is staggering. The HDMI.org standard association now lists over 800 licensees, adding over 100 in the past 18 months alone.

    – HDMI has broadened in scope, now being found in portable CE products such as HD-capable camcorders, on video game consoles, and standalone DVR boxes (like a TiVo box). Sony even now has a Digital Photo Frame that has HDMI on it.

    – HDMI’s license fees not being a concern to component manufacturers

    He concluded: “So, within the high definition, consumer electronic product space, I don’t foresee any other standard really challenging HDMI in the near term.”

  • DivX certifies chip for HDTVs and STBs

    Broadcom’s high definition chip brings HD DivX certified video into the living room

    DivX has announced the high-definition DivX certification of Broadcom Corporation’s BCM7405 system-on-a-chip (SoC) solution.

    The BCM7405 provides advanced internet provider (IP) functionality and improved video and audio performance for satellite, cable and IP set-top boxes (STBs).

    It can support the playback of DivX 1080p content, and other key integrated features for digital television content such as recording, playback, time-shifting and trick modes.

    The HD certification is the latest addition to Broadcom’s stable of SoCs. These include the BCM7452 and BCM7403, which have already achieved standard-definition (SD) DivX Certification.

    Aidan O’Rourke, senior director of marketing, IPTV set-top box products for Broadcom, said DivX was a key player in high-quality digital content distribution and consumption.

    “We are pleased to continue collaborating with them to support our shared customers’ goals of supporting the widest selection of video and audio content formats,” he said.

    DivX technology significantly reduces the file sizes of digital video, and its certification enables consumers to play DivX video content on a range of entertainment devices such as digital video recorders, portable media players, digital televisions, Blu-ray DVD players, and mobile phones.

    This improved compression makes it easier to move and share high-quality content between devices, improving the entertainment experience for consumers.

    Kevin Hell, DivX’s chief executive officer, said Broadcom’s new DivX certified chip illustrated the digital media company’s commitment to ensuring a high-quality video experience across any device.

    “Working with Broadcom has afforded us the opportunity to meet the rising demand for our high-definition solution in the emerging product categories of digital televisions and set-top boxes,” he said.

  • Race towards OLED TVs quickens

    Sony set the pace with the launch of its AM-OLED TV last year, now momentum appears to be growing among TV manufacturers in the race towards mass producing larger OLED screens.

    According to recent reports in Japanese newspapers, Matsushita Electric Industrial (Panasonic) has set internal directives to start offering OLED TVs by 2011.

    The company intends to use its R&D center in Kyoto as a base for a manufacturing plant solely for OLED panels.
    By next spring, the first prototype OLED TVs with a screen size of around 20 inches are expected to be produced there.
    Mass production of OLED TVs with a screen size of 40 inches and more is scheduled for 2011 in a factory in near Kobe in central Japan.

    Panasonic has said 200 engineers will be assigned exclusively for the development of the next-generation displays.
    While not denying the reports, the electronics firm did say: “Panasonic is continuing R&D on OLED panels with an eye toward the future development of the Himeji plant. At this time, there is nothing decided about how this R&D will develop into a specific business operation.”

    Meanwhile, activity in the OLED field seems to be having an effect on AU Optronics.
    The Taiwanese display panel manufacturer is reportedly considering re-opening its OLED product line.

    LJ Chen, president and COO of AUO indicated that the company has been monitoring the development of OLED technologies and, as they improve, is interested in re-opening its production line although a possible time-line is still unclear.

    HB Chen, vice-Chairman and CEO added that although AUO will not re-open the production line in 2008, the company will showcase its OLED developments in Yokohama, Japan in October this year

    But how realistic are the industry’s hopes for mainstream production of OLED TVs?

    Vinita Jakhanwal, principal analyst for mobile displays at iSuppli Corp, said the key factors determining the success of OLED in the market will be the display industry’s capability to address key issues like manufacturing costs, material lifetime and efficiency.

    “Furthermore, given that OLEDs are LCD replacements, the technology at least initially will be subjected to the price pressures placed on it by competing LCD panel products,” he said.

    LCD TV makers are introducing thinner models to compete with the flatter-than-flat OLEDs and other OLED products are making their way to market.

    These include an OLED-based DVD Global Positioning System (GPS) device for car navigation.

    Among the other initiatives is the collaborative push to promote the technology by some big name electronics firms and the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).

    Ten companies including Sony, Sharp, Toshiba and Matsushita (Panasonic) are collaborating on the five-year effort, which will likely cost ¥3.5 billion (US$32.8 million).

    The project is aimed at “developing a core technology to mass-produce 40-inch or larger OLED displays in the late 2010s”.

    The positive response to Sony’s launch of an AM-OLED TV late last year has built momentum in the industry.

    While small, the display quality of the AM-OLED TV is superior to anything anyone had seen to date—and extremely flat.

    Sony is now expanding on its OLED portfolio with a 3.5-inch, 0.2mm-thick panel that will be used in high-end mobile devices.
    The company has also released in Japan the 11 inch Sony XEL-1, which is expected to reach European markets in 2009.

    We are always interested in hearing your views – when and who will be first to market with a 40 inch OLED TV?

  • Garmin delays smartphone launch

    The GPS maker Garmin has delayed plans to launch its Nuvifone smartphone in the fourth quarter of 2008 until the first half of 2009.
    Obstacles in dealing with the various individual needs of each cell phone carrier were cited as the reason for the delay.

    Shortly before announcing its decision on the Nuvifon, Garmin posted weak second-quarter results and slashed its outlook for 2008.
    The company has been hurt by slower growth in the personal navigation device (PND) market.
    It results and the delayed launch of its smartphone sent its shares down more than 22 per cent.
    The biggest US maker of navigation devices said the PND market, which it dominates with Dutch rival TomTom, has not been growing as fast as expected.
    It said consumers were being more cost-conscious.

    The outlook cut follows a difficult year for Garmin, as macroeconomic difficulties, competition and several new entrants have affected its prices and margins.
    The stock has lost 70 per cent of its value since last October.
    Garmin has not yet disclosed pricing and carrier details for the Nuvifone, which will compete against Research In Motion’s BlackBerry Pearl 8110, Nokia’s N95 and N82 multimedia phones and Apple’s iPhone.

  • Carolyn Fairbairn appointed Freesat chairman


    ITV director of group development and strategy Carolyn Fairbairn will succeed Tim Davie as chairman of the UK’s free-to-air digital satellite television service Freesat in September.

    Davie, currently the BBC’s director of marketing, communications and audiences, will relinquish the Freesat chair – which alternates between the BBC and ITV annually – when he becomes the corporation’s new director of audio and music.

    Freesat was developed by the BBC and ITV plc. The service began broadcasting on 6 May 2008 and offers a satellite alternative to the Freeview service on digital terrestrial television.

    The service expects to have 200 channels available by the end of 2008 – including subscription-free high definition channels from the BBC and ITV- and 230 by early 2009, with around 30 channels added each month.

    Emma Scott, Freesat managing director, said: “Carolyn is a highly regarded industry figure and I’m certain that the strong strategic skills and expertise she continues to demonstrate at ITV will be of huge benefit to Freesat.

    “I’m delighted that she has agreed to become Chairman of Freesat. I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank Tim for the great support and wise counsel he has provided during Freesat’s development and launch.”

    Before joining ITV in 2007, Fairbairn worked at the BBC where she developed the corporation’s plans for Freeview as its director of strategy and distribution.

    Fairbairn said: “Freesat plays a crucial role in ensuring that UK viewers have access to free-to-air digital and high definition television.

    “After a successful launch earlier this year, the service has already proved itself to be popular with consumers and I’m delighted to be taking on the chairmanship.”

  • iPhone breathes life into mobile gaming market

    Touchscreen handset could have a potentially revolutionary impact on mobile gaming, according to a report by Screen Digest.
    In particular, Apple’s iPhone 3G is expected to drive the growth of the North American market raising it to the leading global market by revenue next year.

    The media analyst’s study says that the world’s top four games publishers are taking an ever bigger share of the market for mobile games.
    EA Mobile, Gameloft, Glu and THQ Wireless have seen their global market shares increase from 11 per cent to 22 per cent in 2007 and the figure is rising, particularly in Western Europe.

    From the perspective of both games developers and mobile users, touchscreen phoness have the potential to be the number one device for mobile gaming.
    The Screen Digest report says this is supported by recently released retail sales figures that show 10 million applications were downloaded from the Apple online store in the three days after the iPhone 3G went on sale on July 11.
    However, it cautions that the handset presents technical challenges for developers, limiting the sophistication of the games on offer which in turn restricts audience retention.

    Ronan de Renesse, senior mobile analyst, said:

    “Whilst the current demand for games that can be played on the iPhone is giving the mobile gaming industry a much needed boost, there are a number of issues that will need to be addressed by games developers"
    “They need to overcome technical challenges to deliver more enticing games to a wider audience of gamers – and they need to do this fast"
    “So whilst in the short term the iPhone is boosting sales of mobile games, the favour won’t be returned until the iPhone can support a major blockbuster title – or two.”

    Screen Digest anticipates that the mobile games market will generate an extra US€1bn in the next five years to reach a total value of US€2.6bn by 2012.

    Historically, Asia has been the biggest market in terms of industry revenues with over 37 per cent market share in 2007, but Screen Digest predicts that from 2009 onwards, North America will become the largest market.

    North America has been experiencing continued growth, generating an average of US€125m every year for the past four years.
    The report forecasts this this revenue growth to continue and double the market value to just over US€1.1bn by 2012.

  • Sky now boasts 500,000 HD subscribers

    Satellite operator posts final results with revenue up and subscribers approaching 9 million

    Sky+ HD was taken by 33,000 new customers in the UK over the last three months, pushing the premium high-definition PVR to a total customer base of nearly 500,000.

    Nearly 9m people now subscribe to Sky after the company added more customers than expected over the last three months.
    Publishing results for its full financial year, Sky said it had 8.98m subscribers in total with net customer additions over the last three months coming in ahead of analyst expectations at 92,000.

    Revenue for the full year stood at £4.95m, up 9 per cent on the year before, receiving a boost from an 11 per cent uptick in retail subscription revenue to £3.77m.

    Its adjusted operating profit was £752m, down 2 per cent from the year before and attributed to continuing investment in its broadband operations.

    Jeremy Darroch, Sky CEO, said growth was still strong despite a more difficult consumer environment.
    “More customers are choosing Sky for a broader range of products and are staying with us for longer,” he said.

    The HD figure reflects take-up prior to Sky’s reduction in the Sky+ HD price from £249 to £150 effective from July 1.
    Sky noted that quarterly annualised churn has been brought down to 9.8 per cent, its lowest level since 2005.

    Average revenue per customer reached a new high of £427 on the back of continued strong take-up of its premium upsell products such as Sky+ and Sky+ HD.

    Revenue had also been improved with its push into bundle selling, with 11 per cent of its customer base now taking its “triple play” package of TV, broadband and fixed-line telephony.

  • Kodak offers HDTV answer to photos "lost" in the PC

    Kodak has long been known for producing imaging and photographic material.
    hdtv.biz-news.com asked Matthew Yarrow, Kodak country business manager for the UK and Ireland, to explain the rationale behind his company’s decision to move into new territory with the launch of a set-top box.


    The Kodak Theatre HD Player, due for release in September, is a Wi-Fi equipped TV set-top box that can stream music, videos, and photos from any computer that is connected to the same network to your HDTV. It offers 720p playback, HDMI and component output ports, and a USB port.

    With digital photos increasingly being stored on computers, the days of flicking through family photo albums are a thing of the past for many people.

    But that doesn’t mean the desire to look through holiday snaps with family and friends has been lost.
    Matthew Yarrow said that was a primary factor in Kodak’s move into the set-top box market.

    “Consumers describe to us, with strong emotion, that with all the advantages of digital photography, they’ve lost their pictures in their computers,” he said.

    “In film days, families would gather together on the couch to pass around albums and envelopes of prints. They would stay up late sharing memories, telling their stories, with laughter and tears. But with digital photography, sharing pictures has become ‘computer work’.

    “They want their pictures and memories back in their life. And what better way to gather together the family, and release the emotions of their pictures and stories than on the most beautiful screen in the house.”

    Kodak also believes HDTVs offer the potential for interactive “features” far beyond innovative technical aspects now being offered.

    “Our consumer, the proactive photo sharer, is not only ready for the HDTV to do more, they want it to be the hub of the family,” said Yarrow. “A sort of the campfire around which the family gathers to relive key moments and memories, to enjoy their favorite photos, videos, and slideshows.

    “To even be able to make the HDTV the gather round point for new pictures and to be able to share these images with family and friends right from the couch.”

    But Yarrow said people wanted more than just the ability to view pictures on the big screen: “They want to interact with their pictures too – send the favourites to family when the moment is special, create special slideshows, add their own music.
    The Kodak Theatre is designed with these primary needs in mind.”

    What consumers are demanding, according to Yarrow, are solutions that free their trapped images from PCs, memory cards and digital cameras.

    But the proliferation of HDTV technology has also created a demand for HD content beyond standard television programming.

    “Our consumer research shows that consumers want to relive the most cherished moments of their lives on their HDTV,” said Yarrow.

    “The Player meets consumer desires to do more with their pictures, music and videos and engage more easily and more interactively with their personal content, as well as content from family and friends from around the globe.”

    Yarrow said the US$300 Theatre HD Player – a competitor of the likes of PlayStation 3 and AppleTV – was most likely to appeal to what he described as “active photo sharers and technology optimists”.
    He said this group would have some of the following characteristics –
    * Highest median picture saving of all segments, 266 per year
    * Primary person in the household for organising, printing, and sharing pictures
    * Wish to keep family and friends connected
    * Wish the sharing, organising and storing of pictures to be easy and pictures accessible
    * Enjoy having pictures displayed at home or work
    * Never get tired of looking at photographs
    * More likely than general population to visit online sites
    * 98 per cent email photos to others

  • HDTV to grow to 255m by 2013


    The number of households worldwide viewing HDTV is set to rise from 45 million today to 255 million in 2013, according to a study by IMS Research.

    It estimates that 45 million households worldwide received HDTV service via Direct to Home (DTH), cable, IPTV and Digital Terrestrial TV (DTT) at the end of 2007, with approximately the same number of HDTV sets shipping during the year.

    But the report forecasts that those watching HDTV worldwide will soar to 255 million TV households by the end of 2013, including video households viewing only pre-recorded non-broadcast programs.

    IMS also expects the Blu-ray Disc market to experience strong growth during the next five years, particularly as Blu-ray Disc drives in new PCs become more common, reaching a forecast US$46 billion in revenues in 2013.

    Shane Walker, research analyst and author of the study, said DTH continues to be the leading platform for HDTV service uptake due to its rapid transition from analog to digital households and increased HD content availability.

    He said HD DTH households are forecast to grow on average at 27.5 per cent annually, reaching 97 million households at the end of 2013.

    The most significant service uptake is expected prior to 2010, after which time the HDTV household growth rate is expected to fall below 30 per cent annually.

    “Approximately 62 per cent of the worldwide cable households are located in the Asia Pacific region,” he said.
    “Because of this, the slow conversion from analog to digital cable TV service in the Asia Pacific region is significantly skewing the worldwide forecast for HD cable households.”

    More details on the IMS Research study, The Worldwide Market for High-Definition TV Equipment & Services, are available at www.imsresearch.com

  • iPhone tethering app vanishes from App Store


    An application by Nullriver that turns an iPhone into a portable WiFi hotspot has disappeared from Apple’s App Store 20 minutes after being made available – only to re-appear hours later.

    Once operating the app is designed to give Wi-Fi-enabled devices internet access wherever a mobile signal is available.
    Until Nullriver’s Netshare’s brief appearance late on Thursday this feature was only available for jailbroken iPhone handsets – and in a more complicated form.

    It is one of the most requested apps for the iPhone since it allows the handset to be tethered to feed 3G or EDGE network data to your computer.

    However, Nullriver’s NetShare application, priced at US$9.99, appeared to have slipped unnoticed into the App Store without being picked up by Apple.

    Nullriver seemed as mystified as everyone else by events. A spokesperson, who emailed smartphone.biz-news.com, said: “We’re trying to get a hold of Apple right now. Until we hear from Apple, its hard to say what the real reason is, because, if it was AT&T, well, AT&T is not the iPhone service provider outside the US.”

    A statement on its website was headed: NetShare, where did it go?
    It continued: “We’re not quite sure why Apple took down the NetShare application yet, we’ve received no communication from Apple thus far.
    “NetShare did not violate any of the Developer or AppStore agreements. We’re hoping we’ll get some feedback from Apple today. Sorry to all the folks that couldn’t get it in time.
    “We’ll do our best to try to get the application back onto the AppStore if at all possible. At the very least, we hope Apple will allow it to be used in countries where the provider does permit tethering.”

    Later on Friday, the Netshare app made a reappearance for download by direct link only in the App Store.
    It wasn’t showing up in searches but was available if the link was known.

    Among the theories offered about the teporary vanishing act were suggestions of legal intervention from telecomms companies.
    Wireless carriers have almost always been opposed to tethering smartphones with unlimited data plans.

    Some even state in contracts that if you tether a phone, users may be responsible for additional fees associated with the data that used.

    It is possible, for an additional cost, to tether some phones, such as Blackberrys, but this hasn’t been an option with the iPhone.

    One poster, Vega_man Dan, raised the question of how the Apps Store qualifies applications before posting them.
    “This should never have been even accepted for consideration, let alone allowing it to go to sale,” he said.
    “I do wonder if Apple is actually testing or examining the apps before posting them to iTunes.”

    Until it was pulled, posters on various sites were reported that the application had worked.
    Engadget did get it to connect, after a few minutes tweaking.