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Tag: hardware-and-technology

  • PC disc drives to boost Blu-ray growth


    Blu-ray Disc drives installed on PCs are expected to help “convert” more consumers to the format, with growth forecast at 117 per cent annually through 2013.

    According to the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA), a report from IMS Research shows that non-broadcast HD video households are expected to increase 90 per cent annually through 2013, reaching 38 million homes worldwide.

    Although the research study shows that satellite continues to lead in households converting from analog to digital, OEM-installed Blu-ray Disc drives on PCs are expected to play an important role in increasing user numbers for the format.

    Victor Matsuda, Chairman of the BDA Global Promotions Committee said: “Blu-ray drives within PCs is a key strategic market which we foresee growing strongly in the short, medium and long term.”

    IMS Research suggests that the increasing prevalent of Blu-ray discs in PCs over the next five years will help generate revenue of US$46 billion for Blu-ray.

    Over the next 12 months, the market will see Blu-ray PC offerings from Dell, HP, FujitsuSiemens, Packard Bell, Acer and Sony.

    As a result, Blu-ray Disc sales are expected to benefit as well as sales in the HDTV display market.
    The IMS report joins a study from Futuresource Consulting, which forecasta that Blu-ray discs will outsell standard DVDs by 2012.

  • Microsoft claims first with native Blu-ray support


    Microsoft has announced that it is the first operating system developer to more completely incorporate Blu-ray support into its platform, with the addition of the Windows Feature Pack for Storage.

    This will allow Windows XP, Vista, Server 2003 and Server 2008 users to burn Blu-ray discs directly from the OS without the need for usually expensive third party applications.

    The software giant says the upgraded storage patch will add the ability to “lock down removable storage with a certificate or password to prevent the theft of secure material”.

    It also says it will add new forms of Smart Card support for government workers and others that depend on the standard to access networks and data.

    The pack has been in non-disclosure laced beta testing for quite some time, but can now be seen on the Microsoft Connect website.

    When released, it will upgrade Windows XP and Vista, as well as Server 2003 and 2008.
    No release date has been announced for the Feature Pack.

  • T-Mobile to launch first Android smartphone

    Google’s Android operating system to be offered on HTC phone

    T-Mobile is to be the first carrier to offer a mobile phone powered by Google’s Android software.

    The phone will be made by HTC, one of the largest makers of mobile phones in the world, and is expected to go on sale in the United States before Christmas, according to reports.

    Google is making the Android operating system software available free to an alliance of companies, including mobile phone carriers and manufacturers who have agreed to provide devices which, like personal computers, allow users to decide which applications run on them.

    Google thinks that many consumers will want to personalise their mobile phones with unique applications and services.

    The mobile Web is seen as vital to the long-term growth of Google’s digital advertising business.

    Flagged as a worthy rival to Apple’s 3G iPhone, the HTC smartphone will have a touch screen.
    But the screen can slide out to expose a full five-row keyboard.

    While other carriers and manufacturers have plans to offer phones based on Google’s software, the T-Mobile-HTC phone is expected to be the only Android phone available in the US this year.

    Some makers of mobile software programs have complained that creating applications for Android has been difficult.
    They claim Google has continued to make changes to the operating system and at times has been too busy to provide support to developers.

  • Funai announce LCD TVs with built in Blu-ray

    Japanese firm to follow Sony’s lead and combine Blu-ray player with LCD TV

    Funai is to launch an LCD TV with an integrated Blu-ray player in a move that is certain to widen the appeal of the format with consumers.

    From next summer the company is to combine the two products into one unit.

    Sony recently said that it plans to put Blu-ray into a variety of CE products.

    Around a fifth of Funai’s current US TV sales are based on TV/DVD combos, so it is an area in which the company has a good track record.

    The Japanese firm is the parent company for discount brands such as Symphonic, Emerson and Sylvania.

    In the US their products can be found in a range of electronic retailers. Wal-Mart currently has their Sylvania Blu-ray player for US$299.

    Funai has released no details as yet, but a 42-inch LCD/Blu-ray combo is expected to cost between US$1,100 and US$1,300.
    Is this combination going to turn more consumers onto Blu-ray? Your views please.

  • Details emerge on Sony's first WHDI device

    Information is beginning to emerge about Sony’s first device harnessing the new standard for wireless high-definition video connectivity – WHDI.

    According to Sony Insider, the DMX-WL1T will allow uncompressed 1080p HD video and audio signal to be transmitted to any Dmex compatible Sony Bravia HDTV.

    WHDI is claimed to be capable of data rates up to 3GB per second, transmitted on a 40mhz channel in the 5Ghz unlicensed band.

    The range for the DMX-WL1T is said to be 5 feet, a distance Sony Insider points out is significantly less than Sony’s claims of the distance WHDI technology is capable of communicating.

    However, as the technology has a range of 100 feet, this is expected to rise as more details emerge.

    The interface will have four HDMI inputs, one component input, one digital audio input and a stereo audio input. A receiver base station and transmitter will also be included on the DMX. Other components may be controlled using three IR blaster ports.

    The DMX has an anticipated release in September or October. More information is expected to be made available at IFA 2008 in Berlin. No price has not been given for the interface.

  • Tethering to get cheaper with Sprint

    Tethering may still be an unofficial no-no on the iPhone but US telecom company Sprint seem determined to encourage it on their own handsets.

    Sprint are understood to be considering dropping the price of Phone As Modem (PAM) add-ons on new plans to US$15, down from the previous US$40 per month paid by current plan holders.

    Tethering enables customers to use their cellphones as wireless modems “tethered” to their laptops.

    Earlier this month, Nullriver’s Netshare application that turns an iPhone into a portable WiFi hotspot was pulled from Apple’s App Store shortly after being made available.

    Tethering is one of the most requested apps for the iPhone and is only available for jailbroken iPhone handsets – and in a more complicated form.

    Sprint’s price drop appears to be part of an effort to lure customers over from older plans.

    It will only take effect on current offerings – Sprint’s Simply Everything, Sprint Everything, and Everything Plus plans.

    While Sprint’s plans of today typically cost more the discounted PAM can make up for the difference.

  • iPhone's growing corporate appeal threatens Blackberry

    Questions remain about battery life, security and email options but it would seem Apple’s 3G iPhone is attracting increasing interest from the business world.

    HSBC is considering equipping its employees with some 200,000 iPhones, according to HSBC’s Australia and New Zealand chief information officer Brenton Hush.
    Research in Motion’s BlackBerry is currently the firm’s standard issue handset.

    In the US, the handset commands 46 per cent of the US smartphone, according to a recent report by Synergy Research Group.

    Hush told ZDNet.com.au that the world’s largest banking group was reviewing iPhones from an HSBC Group perspective.

    If such reports are accurate, then RIM’s BlackBerry could see its dominant position as the enterprise smartphone leader weakened.

    A report by IT researchers Gartner further weakens the perception that the iPhone is completely unsuited to the demands of the corporate world.

    While it stresses there’s still room for improvement on everything from application support to security to calendar access, the study says Apple’s latest handset is now viewed as a legitimate enterprise mobile device.

    Ken Dulaney, an analyst at Gartner, said: “It’s acceptable for enterprise use if the security it provides is the same as other handsets in play.

    The iPhone features a complex password system for Microsoft Exchange users and a “wipe” feature that clears the phone’s contents when a password is violated. Neither security aspect was provided on the initial firmware, according to Gartner.

    Apple’s second handset, which debuted in July, also supports a small set of enterprise applications such as voice mail, personal information manager, Web browsing and e-mail.

    Still, some big enterprise-level functionality gaps remain when compared with BlackBerry, including shorter battery life, the ability to edit mail attachments and issues over calendar functionality.

    Gartner also said the iPhone’s bandwidth is lacking when it comes to using e-mail over a network, and there is still no cut and paste functionality.

    However, with Best Buy now poised to start selling the iPhone in the US there is no doubt that Apple’s priority remains the consumer market.

    The agreement is expected to help make already strong estimates for Apple’s device sales seem all too modest.

    It will also help ensure that Apple’s market value remains greater than Google, which it has just surpassed.
    The current market capitalisation of Apple is US$159.37 billion, just a little higher than Google’s market cap of US$157.56 billion.

  • Dedicated video processing for HD in new Apple range?

    Apple may be about to upgrade the Mac’s graphic chipset in a move that would enhance its already high status for creating and editing home movies, according to reports.

    Gizmodo is suggesting that Apple’s new range of computers will have a dedicated chip specifically for decoding and encoding video, which should significantly reduce the time it takes to process HD content.

    The site compares the technology to the Quad Core HD Processor, which uses H.264 and MPEG2 encoders alongside the device’s CPU.

    It says mobile phones like the Nokia XpressMusic range also use a dedicated chip for processing audio, therefore increasing the battery life and allowing for far better quality playback.

    If true, the upgraded range could be released as soon as next month.

  • 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.