Tech Bitch

Last year, global TV shipments rose 4% to almost 200 million units, worth over £50bn, and growth will accelerate to reach 280 million units, worth £80bn, by 2012, according to a new consumer electronics industry report from Understanding & Solutions.

The global TV boom is being powered by our desire for flat panel TVs, which are rapidly replacing CRT sets, plus growth in emerging markets, which are also trending away from CRT to flat panels. Emerging markets accounted for over 50% of global TV shipments in 2007 and will rise to more than 65% by 2012.

LCD is rapidly growing to become the dominant display technology for television, and accounted for 40% of shipments in 2007 and 64% of market value. By 2012, LCD will account for over 80% of the market.

Strategic supply of LCD panels has become a critical competitive issue, with huge concentrations of volume under the control of major producers, including manufacturing joint ventures between TV brand leaders Samsung-Sony and LG-Philips.

Following significant price decline in 2006, the rising cost of raw materials and strong demand for LCD in TVs and laptop computers meant prices were relatively stable in 2007. TV manufacturers are also having to add cost with new features like digital tuners and high definition connectivity (HDMI), while at the same time introducing fire retardant and recyclable materials.

Bigger is better for most, too. The flat panel trend is fuelling consumer appetite for larger TV screens worldwide, not just for the living room but in bedrooms, playrooms and other locations around the home. For example, shipments of TVs with screens larger than 37 inches in Europe have risen from just 4% of total in 2004 to 23% in 2007, and are set to rise to over 40% by 2012, according to the report.

Average prices have been moving up as consumers opt for larger screens. Average selling prices in the UK rose 5% in 2007, for example. The larger screen trend is in turn driving rollout of High Definition TV and will also boost demand for a new generation of Blu-ray high definition video.

Over the next four years, TV market growth will be strengthened by major sporting events, with purchase spikes occurring around the Olympics, the Football World Cup and the UEFA championships. These events are likely to offset near-term economic uncertainties. Flat panel TV is a must for the modern home, and global sports events normally trigger high acquisition rates, especially as all of these upcoming events will be broadcast in High Definition. Time to get the chequebook out …

CCTV cameras needn’t be dull. Thanks to Dallmeier, the UK has got its first range of DesignCams: CCTV cameras that look can be fitted in a wide variety of uniquely patterned housings.There was a time when fridges were always white and TVs always black, but that is no longer the case. So why should a CCTV camera always be grey? Dallmeier’s innovative step is in response to architects seeking an aesthetic security solution.

It seems designers are now wanting security cameras to integrate smoothly into their overall design concept. If you have invested large sums of money on an architecturally stunning building, it is natural that you want every element of the construction to mould perfectly together. Security cameras should complement their environment, not stand out like an afterthought.

Fifty designs are currently offered by Dallmeier, although a customer may request the customisation of their camera housing to a specific design. So whether you need to complement the stuccoed ceiling of a heritage site or match the burl wood interior of a casino, Dallmeier should have a solution to suit.

Shoppers voted Pioneer KURO their favourite brand of television in 2007, according to independent review Web site Reevoo, which painstakingly edited analysed over 15,000 customer reviews of televisions bought last year.

In a TV market worth £6bn a year in the UK alone, Pioneer’s products were rated more highly than much larger rivals including Panasonic, Sony, Samsung and LG.

Pioneer said it’s delighted that the KURO has been chosen as the favourite television brand of 2007 by Reevoo users. The company said it makes great efforts to make the best televisions on the market, albeit if they cost the price of a small house.

Pioneer’s popular PDP4270XD has received dozens of positive comments, but the most interesting was a negative on the new 42-incher: “The TV didn’t include the fit bird from the brochure”.

At the other end of the list were budget manufacturers Polaroid, UMC and Swisstec. The 15-inch Swisstec S15 6NG, which retails for around £150, is consistently described as having ‘tinny’ sound and problems with sound and vision not synchronising, although many reviewers are pleased with what it offers for the price.

The top five TV brands for 2007:

1. Pioneer
2. Panasonic
3. Sony
4. Samsung
5. LG

The bottom five TV brands for 2007:

1. Swisstec
2. UMC
3. Polaroid
4. Logik
5. Goodmans

Roll up, roll up, it’s not every day you get some for free from the Murdoch empire. Sky has announced that its high definition line-up is expanding, with three channels getting the HD treatment over the next couple of months.Sky Sports 3 HD, Sky Movies Premiere HD and FX HD will debut, making seventeen high definition channels available on the platform.

With Sky Sports 3 HD launching, Sky will be the first and only broadcaster to offer live, high definition coverage of European Tour golf, from 23rd March. The channel will also show World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) from 17th March. It will include a mix of coverage from Sky Sports 3 and Sky Sports Xtra.

FX HD brings a number of dramas to the UK, and will broadcast daily from 7pm to 2am, with at least 90% of the content originated in HD. Sky Movies Premiere HD’s upcoming films include Blood Diamond, Mr Bean’s Holiday, Flags Of Our Fathers, Fracture, Babel, and Ghost Rider. The channel will launch with a high definition premiere of Titanic.

Added to Sky’s existing HD line-up you can now vegetate to over 6500 hours of HD programming each month. Sky said it’s committed to investing in the HD programmes and channels that matter to its customers - so where’s the prOn, ey?

Technology can be both good and bad. I’ll let you make your own mind up on this … The BBC is to test screen the Rugby Six Nations match between Scotland and England live and in 3D HD to a select audience. The event is a joint venture between BBC Sport and the3Dfirm. Stupid eyewear is mandatory.

The project has kept a few people in work all year, so it better be good. The 8 March event is claimed to be the first and probably last ever live test screening of an international sport in 3D HD, although more accurately it is likely to be the first event to be satellite-delivered and screened in 3D (in February 2007, the National Basketball Association teamed up with Vince Pace’s 3D outfit, PACE, to offer the first-ever live sports event in 3D HD with footage delivered to the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas via fibre cabling).

Technical details for the Riverside event have not been finalised but it is understood that three 3D rigs comprising dual Sony HDC950s will capture the action. One will be positioned up high for wide shots with two at pitch level. The dual HD streams will be transmitted multiplexed to down link at Riverside Studios, demultiplexed and combined on reception before projection onto a large screen for an audience wearing stereoscopic glasses.

The 3D feed will be standalone and not cut into BBC Sport’s live host broadcast and will be supplied with surround sound. Audio commentary will probably be provided via a mix of Radio 5Live, TV commentary and clean sound feed (each will be trialled and the audience reaction gauged).

3D is apparently taking off as a big screen event for recorded material. I’m yet to witness this revolution …

Yeah, I had to read this twice before I believed it too … The UK is apparently at the forefront of the high definition (HD) revolution and is leading the way in Europe in next generation disc sales. Clipboard meisters DEG Europe claims the volume of next-generation DVDs being sold in Europe increased 85 fold between 2006 and 2007 and is expected to rise exponentially into 2008.

Although consumers are continuing to purchase standard definition DVDs (those bargain bins are great, aren’t they!), the growth curve is falling off with a marginal increase in volume sales of just 4.2%. In terms of who’s buying the most DVDs, uber-geek Brits are leading the HD revolution with 34% of total next generation DVD sales.

Yves Caillaud, senior vice president international, Warner Home Video, said: “In 2007, we saw over 2.5 million units of high definition DVDs sold within Europe. To put this in context, when compared to the transfer from VHS to DVD in 1998, only 1,480,000 DVDs were sold in the first year. This clearly demonstrates the rapid consumer adoption of HD technologies.”

Hardware sales of next generation DVD players also look sweet. According to GfK tracking, 11,100 units were sold in January 2007 which soared to 124,000 by December 2007, showing a sharp increase towards the end of the year. But standard definition (SD) players are not going away and are still the most popular choice in the market with over 33 million more units being sold in the UK compared to UK sales of next generation players. The fact that SD players are the cheapest they have ever been, averaging at just £37 a player, is a plus I guess.