Digital Display Technology - Consumer Electronics Association

And it looks as though a picture does indeed paint a thousandwords, as digital photography quickly is becomingpart of the greater communications lexicon.Acceleratedby a shrinking footprint, this new trend finds camera functionalitybeing plugged or embedded in a host of mobiledevices that would, for example, facilitate a user in snappingan image and sending it through his cellular phone onthe fly.In addition the relative lifetime ownership costs vary dramaticallybetween analog and digital cameras. Not having todevelop film saves consumers a great deal in time andmoney with a digital camera. Combine that with a fallingpricepoint and you have a cheaper device over its life.THE ONE THING CAMCORDER OWNERSWANT IN NEXT PURCHASELonger lasting battery 26%Easier transferring or copying 19%LCD view screen 12%Better picture quality 9%More advanced features 7%Improved sound quality 3%Improved focusing capabilities 3%More memory 2%Source: CEA Market Research, 2001.With its growing mass appeal and a windfall of complementaryusage products bombarding the market, the questionfor digital cameras and camcorders now is when, not if, theywill overcome their analog ancestors.STORAGE AND BATTERY LIFEShortcomings in storage capacity surfaced almost immediatelyafter consumers took the first digital cameras for atest run.Today, most cameras incorporate either heightenedinternal storage capacity or come with some sort of flashdigital storage product/card—many with 16-megabytecapacity—that can be inserted, and then popped, out ofthe camera.By most accounts, the storage capabilities that come packagedwith most cameras fall short of consumer expectation. Inshort, this means buyers should be prepared to chalk up additionalcash to purchase any number of the removable storagedevices, which range in price from about $30 up to $200.As is the case with most digital add-ons, there are differentoptions for different needs. Some storage devicesare proprietary to a particular manufacturer’s technology,or even to a specific camera line. Others can play inmore environments.While storage concerns largely have been allayed, if at anincremental cost to consumers, battery power remainsan albatross around the neck of the digital camera/camcorderindustry.When asked what they would most like to see improved intheir current device, the majority of digital camcorder ownerswould opt for longer battery life. LCD is a particulardrain on batteries, and the inadequacy of many batteriesto support a lengthy recording session is among the majorreasons owners leave their cameras in the case.And standard AA batteries—still the status quo for manycameras—are simply not up to the job to support robustdigital functionality.The dilemma has spawned severalresponses, with varying success.In a play for the mass market, Panasonic Battery recentlylaunched the PowerEdge, the first disposable batterySATISFACTION WITH ATTRIBUTES *OVERALLANALOGDIGITALCAMCORDERCAMCORDEROWNERSOWNERSOverall 60% 58% 79%Picture quality or resolution 72% 71% 89%Focusing capabilities 70% 70% 82%Sound quality 66% 64% 91%View Screen 62% 59% 88%Cost of tape or film 61% 59% 61%Size and weight 58% 52% 91%Ease of using advanced features 47% 46% 58%Battery life 36% 34% 74%Ease of transferring recordings to a PC 34% 30% 61%* Percentage shown indicates number of “somewhat” or “very” satisfied camcorder owners. Source: CEA Market Research, 2001.14 OCTOBER 2002 5 Technologies to Watch