MARKET & TECHNOLOGY
MARKET & TECHNOLOGY TRENDS A New Definition in High Definition 1080p Player at €179 Now Available in Europe New Medium Enterprises (NME) has released its latest commercial HD VMD (Versatile Multilayer Disc) Player and discs into the European market, debuting at IFA 2007. HD VMD brings Full HD 1080i/p, high quality players to consumers for an attractive RRP of €179, at soon to be announced stores. Based on a red laser system, HD VMD is positioning itself as “The New Definition in High Definition” by giving consumers what the manufacturers describe as “an affordable, Full HD player and DVD upscaler with superior image playback”. Combining high quality industrial optoelectronics and disc technologies, HD VMD brings together established DVD redlaser production infrastructure with novel break-through multilayer disc technology to deliver its Full HD picture. Consumers can expect more exciting developments to come, as HD VMD’s multilayer disc technology is industrially capable of storing over 30 GB on a single sided disc. NME launches on the worldwide market in October/November with a competitive player and content bundle box which will include 5 new HD VMD titles for Australia, France, Iceland, India, Poland and Scandinavia. HD VMD’s growing list of film content includes blockbuster films from Hollywood, Bollywood and International titles worldwide including ‘16 Blocks’, ‘Apocalypto’, ‘Passion of the Christ’, ‘Lord of War’, ‘Lucky Number Slevin’, plus the award winning children’s series, ‘Lazy Town’. “European consumers have waited for an HD solution at DVD pricing; and with HD VMD, we believe we have met this desire through a stellar quality, high-definition disc and player at a price point that almost anyone can afford,” says Mahesh Jayanarayan, CEO of NME, “With the launch into the European market this month and an accelerating rollout of HD VMD content and retail distribution partners, we plan to drive adoption of HD in the home.” HD VMD is currently being adopted by content providers and distributors in dozens of regions worldwide, including Australia, Brazil, Central Europe, China, France, Germany, Iceland, India, Japan, the Middle East Russia, Scandinavia and the United States. Technology features: • 1080p High Definition - HD VMD disc has a capacity to playback a full three hours of true 1080p High Definition material on a single side. • 2p process - NME’s patented 2p process succeeded in solving the technological problems which limited DVDs to two information layers (DVD9). The superior bit transfer rate and faultless encoding software of the HD VMD format provides unequalled smooth delivery for the ultimate in picture quality and sound. • Disc Capacity - Multilayering is now possible with HD VMD’s commercial solution with up to 20GB storage capacity for a single sided disc, HD VMD also has industrial capability for 25, 30 and 40GB using NME’s 2p process method. To find out more about HD VMD go to www.truehighdefinition.com China Hualu Group joins Blu-ray Disc Association China Hualu Group Co., Ltd., the only consumer electronics company belonging to Chinese stateowned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of State Council, has joined the Blu-ray Disc Association as a contributing member. CHLG is one of China’s leading manufacturers of audio and video devices and is one of the largest providers of audio and video content and services in China. “After careful and intensive evaluation of next generation DVD formats, China Hualu Group decided to join the Bluray Disc Association since this represents the best opportunity in the market for us,” said Chen Run Sheng, Chairman of CHLG. “Hualu Group is committed to actively help improve the Blu-ray Disc format and become involved in its promotional activities in the Chinese market.” “I am very pleased China Hualu Group joined Blu-ray Disc Association and hope Hualu group will propose Chinese technologies and standards to the Blu-ray Disc Association for further improvement of the Blu-ray Disc format and contribute to the development of optical disc related industries in China”, said Bai Weimin, Director, Department of Electronics & I.T. Products, Division of Broadcast & Television, Ministry of the Information Industry, China. “Blu-ray Disc Association welcomes CHLG to BDA,” said Sumitaka Matsumura, Chairman of China Task Force, Blu-ray Disc Association and Executive Officer, Pioneer Corporation. Hall 26c, Stand 115a “CHLG is one of the most influential companies in China. We are confident they will play an important role in promoting and expanding the Blu-ray Disc format to the world.” “The addition of a leading Chinese company like CHLG is one more indication of the strong and growing support for Blu-ray,” said Andy Parsons, chairman of BDA’s US Promotions Committee. “We look forward to CHLG’s active participation in bringing the benefits of Blu-ray to consumers in China.” Hall 6.2, Stand 104 8 IFA International • Monday, 3 rd September 2007
MARKET & TECHNOLOGY TRENDS Emerging Markets to Drive Pay TV Set-top Box Growth The global transition from analog to digital pay television is driving overall healthy sales of digital set-top boxes, but that growth won’t be uniform across the world. Growth will vary widely by regional markets and by digital TV platforms, as well as the types of services and technologies offered, according to a new report from Digital Tech Consulting (DTC). DTC believes that emerging technologies, as well as the proliferation of digital pay TV services into more undeveloped countries, will be the main growth drivers of STB shipments over the next few years. These emerging technologies include HD Programming, Home Networking and Internet Protocol Technology. And with an estimated 14% increase in STB shipments for all pay TV delivery platforms in 2007 – DTH satellite, cable, IPTV – growth is being driven by a set of more immediate trends: • New digital pay TV networks continue to expand into all corners of the world, as analog systems gradually phase out. Several large analog pay TV markets, such as China and India, are only just beginning their transitions to digital technology and promise robust growth over the decade. • Heightened competition among platforms in more mature digital TV markets, such as the United States and Europe, is increasing the importance of new features and services such as HDTV and PVR. • The rise of bundled services is proving more attractive to consumers and spurring growth in subscribers and upgrades. But the pay TV STB market is not homogenous. Rather, DTC sees different STB growth and opportunities in different regions of the world. Indeed, while North America accounted for some 43% of units shipped in 2006, this market share is forecast to decrease to just 34% in 2012. Asia-Pacific, however, is expected to rise from 26% to 36% during the same time period, while EMEA holds steady with just under 30%. DTC’s regional outlook is as follows. North America North American digital pay TV is dominated by digital cable and direct-tohome (DTH) satellite, with ARPU among the highest in the world based on a large range of advanced services including HD, PVR, and on-demand content. In digital cable, MSOs pulled ahead of DTH satellite operators in terms of new subscribers on the strength of their advanced, bundled offerings. DTH satellite operators have responded by expanding HD programming. Europe/Middle East/Africa The EMEA pay TV market historically has been almost exclusively satellite, though there are some pockets, mostly in the UK, Germany and Scandinavia where there is some digital cable. But this landscape is gradually changing, and DTH satellite is facing new competition on multiple fronts. Europe has seen a wave of IPTV availability, with major carriers having launched pay TV in every major market. The promise of tripleplay (or quad-play) bundles, along with HD and on-demand services has done much to propel this wave. This same phenomenon has also given rise to resurgence in digital cable deployments. Asia-Pacific Asia-Pacific is the fastest growing market for digital pay TV and is forecasted to make up a majority of digital STB shipments by 2012. The majority of the Asia-Pacific STB market over the forecast period will consist of low cost, low margin units serving low ARPU systems. A large portion of these will come from deployments in China where the transition to digital pay TV is occurring primarily through cable, but also through several major IPTV networks. India will represent another large concentration, with digital pay services rolling out via DTH satellite, digital cable and IPTV. A handful of more mature DTH satellite deployments such as SkyLife in Korea, SkyPerfect TV in Japan or Foxtel in Australia support shipments of advanced STBs with features like HD and PVR. Similarly, IPTV and digital cable deployments in Korea, Japan and Australia sport the more advanced STBs to match the additional services. Latin America Latin America represents the smallest digital pay TV market, accounting for just 3% in 2006, as digital pay services remain out of reach for much of the population. DTH STBs make up the majority of shipments, but IPTV and cable are expected to make up a growing portion. www.dtcreports.com Worldwide Pay TV STB Shipm ents By Region 4 0 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 3 5 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 3 0 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 2 5 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 2 0 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 1 5 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 1 0 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 5,000,000 0 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 North America Europe/Middle Eas t/A frica A s ia / P a cific Latin America So u rc e : D ig ita l T e ch C o n s u ltin g IFA International • Monday, 3 rd September 2007 9
