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Tag: television

  • HDTV Has Become Simply TV


    HDTV penetration in US households is climbing so steadily that it’s apparently no longer deemed necessary to mention the high-def part.

    According to Paul Gagnon, director of North America TV Market Research for DisplaySearch, “HDTV has simply become TV, with nearly every consumer either owning or understanding the benefits of HDTV and desiring to become an owner”.

    He went on to say: “As HDTVs becomes mainstream, the TV supply continues to benefit and prosper. The outlook for growth is still very positive, but it is critical that the industry continues to focus on refinement.”

    Speaking after DisplaySearch’s recent HDTV Conference, Gagnon noted that the transition to HDTV was well underway and many households were now watching their favorite programs in HD.

    Content and distribution were expanding the selection of HD programming, further encouraging the adoption of HDTVs.

    However, before anyone gets complacent, Gagnon pointed out that there was still a substantial number of homes without HDTVs – or other rooms in the homes of HDTV owners that could be upgraded – leaving a substantial market opportunity.

    HD downloads were among other topics covered at the two-day conference.

    Delegates were told the dreams of the industry about HD via broadband for connected TVs would remain dreams, until the infrastructure is improved.

    It was pointed out, though, that there were increasing demands from consumers for new connected applications and these were evolving rapidly.

    The overall adoption of digital downloads is also growing but remains fairly low in comparison to other methods of consuming video, the conference heard.

    The number of devices that can play back digital downloads is increasing, with game consoles, standalone set-tops, and BD players now part of the mix.

    However, DisplaySearch’s Paul Erickson said that a primary limitation to HD downloads was broadband – both penetration and speed.

    He said it would be some time before digital downloads catch on as mainstream consumers shift their disc-based consumption behavior gradually.

  • OLED is coming – but at a price


    As a next-generation display technology, the first OLED (organic light emitting diode) screens were never going to come cheap.

    For the introduction of the first OLED to the European market, Sony is said to be putting a €3,500 (US$5,000) price tag on its XEL-1 when it becomes available before Christmas.

    The astronomical cost, reported by OLED-Display.net, dwarfs the US$1850 paid in Japan and even makes the US$2,100 price stateside seem reasonable.

    When the XEL-1 launched in Japan it was unveiled as a kind of prototype for what could be. Sony was said to be making a loss on each set.

    While the XEL-1 has received a positive reception from consumers in Japan, expansion into other markets is sure to be slower at such elevated prices.

    Competition from Sony’s rival Samsung

    OLED TVs, which could potentially replace LCD and plasma TVs, are predicted to sell close to 3 million units in 2012.

    Samsung, which released the world’s largest OLED television at the IFA trade show in Berlin, has committed itself to
    commercial production of mid to large screens by 2010.

    “Samsung will begin commercial production of mid- and large-sized OLED televisions around 2010,” according to a statement from Samsung.

    At IFA, Samsung displayed two OLED screens – a 14.1-inch model and a 31-inch model.

    Sony had the XEL-1 and a 27-inch prototype, which was introduced at the CES in Las Vegas earlier this year.

  • 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?

  • 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.

  • Sales of Full HD TVs rising in UK

    Price cuts for LCD TVs ensure drop in value of UK consumer electronics market – but continued growth of full HD TVs help bolster figures

    Demand for Full HD TVs is helping to offset the declining market value for UK consumer electronics products, according to a report from market research specialists GfK.

    The total market for electrical goods fell in value for the first time for years in May, with A/V turnover down 7 per cent compared to the same period last year.

    The study by GfK shows that with “vision” products contributing most of the market value, a key factor in the downturn was the performance of the LCD market.

    For the first time ever in the UK, this declined in May – dropping 4 per cent despite a 12 per cent increase in LCD unit sales over that period.

    Central to the decrease was a fall in the 32” segment and, coupled with an overall average price fall of 20 per cent, a sizeable decline in value was registered.

    However growth remains strong in the 37", 40" and 42" LCD sectors which now represent one fifth of LCD units (Q/E May 08).

    “There are signs that the overall price erosion for these larger screen sizes are slowing too: 40-42" average prices fell by 31 per cent in the latest year ending, 27 per cent in the year to date, but a less pronounced 21 per cent in the latest month,” says the report.

    It goes on to point out that one of the factors contributing to this is the continued emergence of Full HD sets, which in May saw a significant increase in share of the overall LCD market, increasing from 10 per cent to 14 per cent of sales from April to May.

    The report adds: “Plasma sales remain strong at 50" with Full HD also continuing to penetrate the market. A fifth of Plasma sets sold in May were Full HD.”

    The second most important section of the vision market is the DVD market.

    Although total DVD value has fallen on a year on year basis, the GFK report say it is “encouraging” that there are still two key growth sectors.

    One is the standalone player, which it notes is boosted by High Definition.
    “And with the High Definition format war now resolved we should expect to see increased activity within this area,” says the report.

    “The other growth sector is DVD Recorder with Hard Disc Drive (HDD) and the HDD sector is now worth more than the no HDD sector (51 per cent of total Recorder value in May).

    Although camcorders are a much less high profile market, GfK says High Definition models also offer a source of value to the market.

    The report concludes that despite the downward trend seen for vision products as a whole in May there remains plenty of opportunity with High Definition/Full HD and the new service of Freesat.

  • Sales advice steers consumers towards LCD HDTVs

    Survey shows retail electronics salespersons are recommending LCD HDTVs over plasma TVs at a rate of more than three to one

    A lack of knowledge among US retail salespersons regarding recent improvements in plasma technology is blamed for the high proportion of recommendations given for LCD sets.

    More than three times out of four, sales staff steer customers to a liquid-crystal display set rather than a plasma screen, according to a study by JD Power and Associates.

    Based on the results of a mystery-shopper survey it carried out, analysts suggest that shop assistants don’t really know much about the differences between LCD and plasma.

    Yet the report says that doesn’t stop them exhibiting a strong preference for LCD – a bias it suggests due to a lack of knowledge regarding recent improvements in plasma technology.

    It cites examples such as more than one-third (38%) of salespersons telling their customers that LCD sets last longer.
    Or the 37 per cent of salespersons who warned their customers that images may be permanently burned onto the screens of plasma TVs.

    Larry Wu, senior director of the technology practice at JD Power, said the longevity of plasma displays was now on par with LCDs.
    He added: “Although burn-in was once a problem with the first plasmas to hit the market, this has not been a serious issue for several years.”

    Salespeople often mentioned a plasma drawback that’s still relevant: their glossy front surface can create distracting reflections of lights and windows in the room.

    However, even with their preference for LCDs, the salespeople rarely mentioned those TVs’ advantages.
    Fewer than a quarter told customers that LCD sets are lighter and consume less power than plasma.

    The report was based on the experiences of more than 2,000 mystery shoppers during the last six months. It focused on sets 40 inches or larger, where plasmas are contenders.

    The recommendation rate for plasmas increased over the period, from 17 per cent in the first quarter to 23 per cent in the second quarter.

    “At most retail stores, large-screen television shoppers face an array of flat panel sets that all look essentially the same to the untrained eye, which is why recommendations from salespersons carry so much importance,” said Wu.

  • New head to take BBC HD mainstream

    The UK’s BBC has named a new controller of its HD channel briefed with attracting more viewers and increasing content

    Danielle Nagler has been named as the new head of BBC HD replacing Seetha Kumar who is moving to a new senior role within the corporation.

    Kumar, who has led the channel since its trial stages, will move to another, as yet to be announced, “senior role” in the corporation.

    A BBC statement said Nagler’s priorities are to “focus on growing the channel by driving consumer take-up, working with in-house and independent producers to increase HD programming, and leading preparations for BBC HD’s launch on Freeview”.

    Speaking after her appointment was announced, Nagler said it was a “critical time” for the channel and the technology – and for people making programmes.
    She said it was up to the BBC to help both audiences and the wider industry make the transition to HD.

    “At the moment there are 10m HD-ready sets in the UK but only a minority are actually used for HD viewing.
    “It’s clear there’s lots of work to do to open up the enormous viewing potential HD can offer for audiences.
    “BBC HD tries to offer viewers the best of the BBC’s HD programmes, so I’ve got the fantastic job of cherry-picking from all the BBC channels to create the best possible showcase for HD content.”

    Although far from the finished product, the BBC HD channel, the UK’s first free-to-air HD channel, continues to build both audience and approval ratings.
    It will also take a place on the digital terrestrial network from the autumn of 2009; DVB-T2 tests have already commenced by the BBC in Guildford.

    Nagler, who most recently worked as head of the director general’s office, joined the BBC in 1996 as a journalism trainee.

    She will report to Simon Nelson, controller of multiplatform and portfolio, who said: “HD is a central part of our broadcasting future with huge potential to grow on cable, satellite and in the future on Freeview.
    “I’m confident that in Danielle’s hands, the channel will make the transition to become a mainstream choice for our audiences.”

    Nagler will take up her position on July 21.

  • New chip will lead to cheaper Blu-ray players

    NEC promises chip will increase functionality of Blu-ray players while driving down prices

    NEC is banking on the world’s first chip that combines signal processors with memory that controls graphics, audio and other functions to double its sales of Blu-ray hardware in the next two years.

    The company expects the EMMA3PF chip to raise its revenue from Blu-ray products to US$378 million in the year ending March 2011.

    NEC plans to increase its share of Blu-ray products by offering deep price cuts, which other companies have started and are necessary for the market to grow.

    It hopes to challenge rivals such as Panasonic, Broadcom and Sigma and capture 40 per cent of the market by March 2009. Market share is predicted to rise to half in March 2011.

    Shigeo Niitsu, associate vice president of NEC Electronics, said they had “gained an edge” over competitors with the new chip.
    “We will do what it takes to keep pace with market price falls of 30 per cent to 40 per cent to keep our lead,” he said.
    The chips will start sample shipments in September – we would like to hear your views on whether they really will drive Blu-ray player prices down.

  • Survey shows viewers shifting towards web but preference is still for television screen


    Over a third of all US broadband users have watched at least one TV show on the Internet, according to a study conducted on behalf of the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing (CTAM).
    But the research found that while broadband users are increasingly turning to the web for their video content fix, 94 per cent still prefer to do their viewing on a television screen.
    For cable and satellite networks concerned about the growing threat of online TV shows and movies, the survey provided some comfort.
    Of those who watched online shows, 82 per cent did so because they had missed a specific programme on TV.
    Based on this, the report points out the “critical importance of strong marketing for the initial TV showing”.
    That said, technical limitations that make viewing web video onto TV difficult are not likely to remain so for long.
    The research comes as ByD:sign announce they are launching the first LCD HDTV with DivX Certification for the Japan market. (See Separate article hdtv.biz-news.com/news/2008/06/30/0017)
    With guaranteed DivX video playback, users will be able watch content from the PC on the television while maintaining superior video quality.
    Video On Demand also continues to have a growing presence, with availability in approximately 28 million US homes and over half (54%) of these households ordering On Demand movies or programs.

  • Matsushita plans to produce 37-inch OLED TVs within three years


    Japan’s Matsushita is aiming to mass-produce 37-inch OLED televisions within three years in a move that could ignite the OLED market.
    The Japanese trade daily, Sankei Shimbun, reports that the electronics giant – the parent of better-known sub-brand Panasonic – is putting the finishing touches on plans to mass-produce 37-inch OLED televisions within three years.
    If the plans bear out, it would make Matsushita the first manufacturer producing OLED televisions over 30 inches in size, and could enable Matsushita to challenge Samsung for the top spot in the flat-screen television market.
    According to the report, Matsushita is considering initial prices around Yen 150,000 (roughly US$ 1,400), although Matsushita would only confirm that the company is working on commercialising OLED televisions at some point in the future.
    Sony launched an 11-inch OLED television in late 2007, while Toshiba and Samsung are also developing OLED televisions – although so far Matsushita’s proposed 37-inch size would be the largest of the bunch.
    OLED panels are considerably slimmer than traditional LCDs and use less energy since they don’t require backlighting.
    Late last year, Toshiba and Matsushita ditched a joint effort to enter the OLED television market with a 30-inch unit, following difficulties getting the system from research to production. They had planned to offer the 30-inch set in 2009.