ISSUE 26 | SUMMER 2013
COMMUNICATES Yo u r i n d u s t r y, y o u r v o i c e … n e w s f r o m t h e C u s t o m E l e c t r o n i c D e s i g n & I n s t a l l a t i o n A s s o c i a t i o n
A 4K FUTURE? The residential custom installation industry is readying itself for mass market 4K Ultra HD TV which is set to become a "significant technology segment", according to the latest research from market analysts, Futuresource Consulting. "Although 4K ultra-high definition video still has a two to three year incubation period ahead, it is making its presence known. Global 4K TV shipments will grow from just 62,000 units last year, to 780,000 in 2013 and 22 million units in 2017," Futuresource predicts. Researchers suggest that the arrival of native 4K content will increase consumer awareness and help boost sales "from 2015 onwards." Futuresource also anticipates that most global TV manufacturers will launch a range of 4K TVs by the end of this year.
"LCD TV panel manufacturers and premium TV brands have been looking for the next hot trigger to accelerate flat panel replacement. 3D in the home was an attempt to achieve this and it has yet to become the solid success that many had hoped for," says Futuresource's Head of Consumer Electronics, Simon Bryant. "4K represents a more natural progression for the industry,
but one that brings its own challenges, not least the intricacies of producing 4K panels at high yield rates and the complexities of delivering the bandwidth-hungry content." "Substantial compression improvements provided by the HEVC codec will smooth the way for broadcast,” adds Simon. “Although the real-time encoding required for live transmission is still embryonic, solutions are being trialled and evaluated." Vassilis Seferidis, Director, European Business Development at Samsung Electronics, supports the Futuresource view, believing that ultra-high definition TV is on track to become a mass-market proposition by 2017. Speaking at the recent Futuresource Entertainment Summit 2013 in London, Seferidis based his prediction on the take-up of high definition since its introduction. He noted that major operators had launched HD services when penetration of HD sets had
reached the order of five per cent.
“Our estimation is that ultra-high definition will become mainstream by the year 2017. The question is whether operators will wait for penetration to reach this five per cent level before introducing channels. There are good indications that will start earlier as well.” He noted that a number of operators such as Sky Deutschland were already experimenting with U-HD production, describing it as “the natural next step” for resolution. “Ultra-high definition is a market that’s going to happen, basically driven by consumer demand, but also by operators and manufacturers, who want to differentiate their products”. Be sure to check out the latest in 4K innovation at this year’s CEDIA Expo in Denver. Visit www.expo.cedia.net for more information on the event, 4K exhibitors and education sessions.
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try rch Report Market Resea Custom Installation Indus UK Residential 2011/12