13 janvier 2006

C'est confirmé, les ventes d'électronique grand public devraient atteindre des sommets en 2006

               

Prediction; Consumer Electronics Shipments Will Increase Eight Percent In 2006

The numbers say it all - the consumer electronics industry is hot
Gary Shapiro, CEA's president and CEO

               

Factory sales of consumer electronics will reach a new high of $135.4 billion in 2006, according to the Consumer Electronics Association's annual industry forecast released as the industry prepares to convene in Las Vegas for the 2006 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nev.

"The numbers say it all - the consumer electronics industry is hot," said Gary Shapiro, CEA's president and CEO. "Sales exceeded our expectations in 2005, totaling $125.9 billion and we're forecasting 8 percent growth in 2006. Consumer electronics sales are consistently growing, breaking records every year, because our industry is constantly changing to provide products that consumers love and can't live without. I cannot wait to see the thousands of new products unveiled this week at the International CES that will continue to grow this amazing industry."

The 2006 projections, 2005 year-end figures and more are included in CEA's bi-annual U.S. Consumer Electronics Sales and Forecasts report, which is released every year at the International CES and updated mid-year. According to the report, 2005 year-end totals exceeded CEA's initial projection of $122 billion, increasing by 11 percent over 2004. CEA attributes much of the growth in 2005 to next-generation product lines and innovations to wireless devices, flat panel displays, MP3 devices and gaming consoles and software.

CEA projects that sales of digital television (DTV) will continue to drive industry sales to new heights in 2006, forecasting total sales to surpass $23 billion and 18 million units. DTV sales in 2005 grew 60 percent to $17 billion. This growth is attributable to the growing popularity and competitive price declines of flat panel displays such as LCD and plasma. Combined, these displays accounted for 40 percent of all DTV sales. Analog and digital LCD TVs combined for $3 billion and four million units. Plasma TVs sold nearly two million units for a total of $4 billion in dollar sales. High-definition television (HDTV) continues to claim 85 percent of the total DTV market.

Launches of next-generation gaming consoles will continue throughout early 2006, pushing the gaming market to $14 billion. The gaming category experienced healthy growth in 2005 with total shipment revenues of $12 billion as the first releases of next-generation gaming consoles and compatible software titles hit dealer shelves.

CEA also forecasts a continued strong market for MP3 players as devices with video playback capability grab the attention of consumers.

"We are projecting an increase in sales of MP3 players to $4.5 billion in 2006, with 30 percent of all MP3 players sold having video playback capability," said CEA Director of Industry Analysis Sean Wargo. "MP3 technology helped boost the audio and accessories markets in 2005. With the introduction of video playback capability, MP3 player sales surged 200 percent in 2005 to $3 billion. Trends in 2006 should be no different."

source: www.rtoonline.com

28 décembre 2005

Un cabinet marketing et un constructeur chinois à l'assaut du marché de l'écran plat aux USA. 1ere étape, le salon de Las Vegas

TGC AND HISENSE ELECTRONICS EXPANSION IN USA FOR 2006 WITH MANY NEW TV MODELS

For Immediate Release

Trans Global Consulting and Marketing Group, continues advancing Hisense Electronics to be one of North America’s premier flat panel TV and display electronics brands!

Las Vegas, NV , FL January 5th, 2006: Trans Global Consulting and Marketing Group, Incorporated (TGC) is pleased to announce, continued major expansion of one of the top brands it represents, into the North American consumer electronics marketplace. TGC’s primary focus to date has been to assist with the launch and continued marketing and product development of the Hisense Electronics’ (one of China’s Top Five Consumer Electronics Manufacturers) flat panel TV line in the US, with much success!

Examples of Hisense’s vast product line and technical prowess will be on display at CES (Consumer Electronics Show) 2006, Las Vegas Convention Center, South Hall booth 25718. Display will include a full gamut of integrated flat panel TVs, including: LCD Televisions with screen sizes: 15”, 17”W, 20”, 20”W, 26”W, 32”W, 37”W, 42”W. Additionally, 42”W HD, 50”W and 63”W HD plasma TVs with integrated analog and ATSC tuners and large screen rear projection DLP HDTVs will be shown. Other core technologies that Hisense manufactures and markets worldwide are on exhibit including CRT TVs, Mobile Phones and Microchips.

New TV Models being introduced include the “04” series, comprised of TL-1504 15.1” HD-ready (4:3) TV, TL-2004 20” HD-ready Widescreen TV, TL-2604 26” HD ready widescreen TV, TL-3204HD 32” HDTV, TL-3704HD 37” (1080P) HDTV. Prices to be announced, and guaranteed to be very competitive against other Asian suppliers. Models of existing line will also be shown, including the “03” series and “00” series, with sizes ranging from 15”-50” as well. Other new models will be announced during the show.

Core technology focus in new models include: state of the art technologies such as Faroudja DCDi TM processing, 3:2 pull down, ATSC and HD Cable-ready tuners, high-end fit and finish, all at super competitive price points. This puts Hisense head and shoulders above most competing brands’ products in terms of quality and value.


More details about Hisense and TGC below.

About Trans Global Consulting: Trans Global Consulting and Marketing Group, Inc. (TGC) was founded on the principles of providing the latest in technology and a wide product assortment to a global marketplace while providing the utmost in customer service. Amongst our staff are some of the most experienced in the flat panel display industry, including the creators of the Luce, Helios, Epoq brands, sold in the high-end and CEDIA market. This is combined with proven expertise in the areas of product development, sales and marketing, distribution channel development, advertising, promotion, and logistics.
Our clients include some of the most exciting and fast-paced growth companies in the world from a broad array of industries; from Internet E-tailers to established leaders in the brick and mortar mass consumer retail marketplace. Other channels include: Governments, educational institutions, hotels, airports, shopping malls and more.

TGC revolutionizes the purchase and sales process by providing an all-in-one solution enabling businesses to optimize their transactions on demand, such as private label and OEM purchases without large start-up costs.
Key factors of our organization are: our people, our process, and our partners. These all combine to deliver targeted value to our clients across a global network of:
- Assigned Account Representatives for sales and purchasing in all global    markets
- Experienced Project Managers
- Service Level Agreements
- B2B, B2C, and Auction and eCommerce Portals
TGC's primary points of differentiation are its superior trading relationships the world over and over 20 years sales and marketing experience representing suppliers and purchasers in domestic and overseas markets.
TGC's corporate offices are located in Boca Raton, FL the gateway to N., Central, and S. America. Additional offices are located in Seoul, Korea, and soon in Qingdao, China, Budapest, Hungary and Warsaw, Poland.

About Hisense: Hisense specializes in consumer electronics, household appliances and information technology. The company’s main products are televisions, air conditioners, refrigerators, computers, CDMA mobile phones, and software and network devices.
Hisense ranks among China’s Top Five electronic manufacturers, and is currently the largest producer of flat panel TVs in the domestic Chinese market. Hisense plays a leading role in the global electronics industry relying chiefly on an efficient technology innovation system. Each year, Hisense undertakes more than 10 state-level research projects. It has also been chosen as an industrialization base for China’s 'State 863 Plan'. Hisense exports its products to over 50 countries and regions. In addition, it has established subsidiaries in the USA, Japan, Brazil, Indonesia and Hong Kong, with a production base in South Africa, and a trading office in Italy.
Hisense’s 12,000 staff members will continue working hard to bring technologically advanced products to the world market in its drive to turn Hisense into a leading global supplier of equipment and high-end solutions for the electronic era.

Hisense flat panel TV models are currently sold at retailers such as Tiger Direct, Shop at Home TV network, PC Connection, Best Buy, Kohls, and Conns.


Hisense and TGC have formed a strategic alliance to assist Hisense with product design and technology and sales channel development of Hisense branded and OEM / ODM goods into the North American marketplace. Niche models are already in production for mass brick and mortar and E-retailers, distributors, commercial displays and CEDIA ( custom and home theater installer) market segments.

Source: www.hometoys.com

23 décembre 2005

L'electronique grand public aux Etats Unis et dans le monde - Etat des lieux et perspectives (format PDF)

World_Consumer_Electronics_Market.pdf

Source: www.rncos.com

26 novembre 2005

Blu Ray vs HD DVD: ce qu'il faut savoir sur cette bataille annoncée.

The Showdown: Blu-Ray vs. HD-DVD

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By Michael Grebb

Alan Parsons wishes it wasn't so. But like it or not, the senior vice president of Pioneer's industrial solutions business group has become a wary foot soldier in the battle over the future of the DVD format. As music blares from a band playing at a nearby exhibit at the 2005 International CES, Parsons sits at a small table in a meeting room contemplating how the next couple of years might play out. He remains relatively reserved, trying not to let his passion for the next-generation Blu-Ray Disc format devolve into vitriol against rival format HD-DVD. "I don't like the rock throwing," he insists. "I just want to excite consumers."

That may be true, but Parsons still finds it hard to resist getting in a few digs on the HD-DVD rival, which at about 15 gigabytes per layer has roughly 40 percent less storage capacity than the Blu-Ray format. "They might end up with something ho-hum," he says. "They're saying that [their capacity] is good, but people used to think that five gigs was good enough." Parsons shrugs his shoulders a bit, wearing a look of calm but certain exasperation. "Why would we limit ourselves to a lower capacity?" he asks.

To be sure, Parsons is among several CE manufacturers backing the Blu-Ray format, which they claim is superior to HD-DVD. But the HD-DVD format has its own backers, who while fewer in numbers, are equally adamant that their format will win out because of its lower transition and manufacturing costs—as well as other technical benefits and its expected quicker time to market. Indeed, either format is a vast improvement over the current DVD design, which maxes out at about 4.7 gigabytes. Even at standard-definition quality, that's barely enough space for a two-hour movie and a few hours of special features. And with that much space, forget about high-definition TV.

VHS vs. Beta all over Again?

Both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD discs enable HDTV reproduction because of their massive storage capacities. Using dual-layer techniques, HD-DVD can store as much as 30 gigabytes of data while a Blu-Ray disc can pack in a whopping 50 gigabytes. In the lab, techies already are working on several-layered discs that could allow more than 100 gigabytes of storage on one disc. That's enough for several HDTV movies, special features and compelling interactive content. Or a content provider could put more than 100 hours of standard-definition quality programming on one DVD. All 180 episodes of Seinfeld on one disc, anyone?
 
The benefits for backward compatibility are clear: new players will be able to handle both old and new DVD formats in the same machine (outfitted with both red- and blue-laser diodes)—a major consumer benefit that manufacturers hope will drive unit sales.
 
Blu-Ray and HD-DVD both use blue lasers, which operate at lower wavelengths (405 nanometers) than current red lasers (650 nanometers). That microscopic difference goes a long way. Longer wavelengths suffer more diffraction, which limits their ability to focus tightly on a surface. But a blue laser's shorter wavelength allows it to read and write data over a much tighter surface area, which in turn allows storage of far more data on a disc that's roughly the same diameter of current DVDs. The benefits for backward compatibility are clear: New players will be able to handle both old and new DVD formats in the same machine (outfitted with both red- and blue-laser diodes)—a major consumer benefit that manufacturers hope will drive unit sales.

But while consumers won't have to worry about obsolescence when it comes to their old DVD collections, the format war brewing between new Blu-Ray and HD-DVD discs does present an age-old problem that evokes the VHS vs. Beta fiasco of the 1980s. The HD-DVD format—like the VHS format that won out over Beta—could become far more widely available to consumers sooner and at a lower price (at least initially) than Blu-Ray discs. That's because the HD-DVD format utilizes manufacturing techniques very similar to those used for the current generation of DVDs. Translation: Third-party duplication houses won't have to retool their factories significantly to make HD-DVDs a reality. That means that HD-DVD discs likely will be the first to market by at least several months, probably by the end of 2005.

On the other hand, Blu-Ray discs require an entirely new manufacturing process with transition costs borne largely by duplicators (unless Blu-Ray backers devise a subsidy system. That, along with other issues, is expected to delay the introduction of Blu-Ray discs until sometime in 2006, which could hand a major advantage to the HD-DVD format. (add hard return here) "In this kind of battle, the guy who is out there first and cheaper is going to be the winner," says Fariborz Ghadar, director for the Center for Global Business Studies at Penn State University. "The more expensive and later one is going to be the loser." (The Blu-Ray camp contends that it will bring manufacturing costs nearly in line with HD-DVD during the next year. Parsons says that HD-DVD's cost advantage will amount to only "pennies" per disc over the Blu-Ray format). (add hard return here as well) "Unlike Blu-Ray discs, HD-DVD discs can be manufactured with similar equipment in the same plants that make current DVDs," said Jodi Sally, vice president of marketing for Toshiba America Consumer Products digital audio video products.

Duking It Out

Still, the nature of the next-generation rollout itself may force consumers to take sides early. Because of the vastly different physical attributes of Blu-Ray and HD-DVD discs, it's cost-prohibitive for manufacturers to produce next-generation players that can handle both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD formats in one machine. "You would need two pickup heads, and it would be very expensive," explains Stephen Balogh, business development manager at Intel's corporate technology group. So manufacturers have lined up on opposite sides of the fence, ready to produce players that only work with one or the other format. That could spell consumer confusion as buyers fear picking the wrong one and ending up with an obsolete player and content library.

Each side wants to convince consumers that they should avoid the other side's format. HD-DVD backers are planning a "you want it, and we're here now" marketing strategy, whereas the Blu-Ray camp largely plans to adopt a "we won't be first, but we'll be better" campaign designed to warn consumers away from HD-DVD.

So what's the breakdown of forces on each side? On the Blu-Ray side is a large group of CE manufacturers, including Dell, Hewlett Packard, Hitachi, LG Electronics, Mitsubishi Electric, Panasonic (Matsushita Electric), Pioneer, Royal Philips Electronics, Samsung Electronics, Sharp, Sony, TDK and Thomson. Some content providers also are onboard. In addition to obvious backing from Sony-affiliated movie studios Sony Pictures Entertainment and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the Walt Disney Company and its home-video division Buena Vista Entertainment offered its non-exclusive endorsement of Blu-Ray in December. In addition, video gaming powerhouse Electronic Arts, along with Vivendi Universal Games, both came out for Blu-Ray at the 2005 International CES in January.

Most gaming companies have yet to pick sides, although Blu-Ray's larger storage capacity may win some of them over. "If you show Blu-Ray to a game manufacturer and say you can have an extra 20 gigabytes of storage, it's a drop-dead deal," says Blu-Ray backer Richard Doherty, managing director for Blu-Ray and professional AV at Panasonic Hollywood Labs. Of course, most PC-based games haven't even moved up to the current generation of DVDs from CDs, so it's unclear whether most gaming companies will utilize high-definition DVD formats for some time.

The main backer of the HD-DVD format is Toshiba, which by itself has more market dominance than several CE backers on the Blu-Ray side combined, along with smaller players NEC and Sanyo. Toshiba plans to launch its first HD-DVD players in late 2005. In December, even Thomson—which is actually a Blu-Ray disc backer—announced that it also would sell HD-DVD players by late 2005. And an impressive list of entertainment content companies has thrown their weight behind HD-DVD, including Paramount, Universal Studios and Warner Bros. (along with Time Warner-owned New Line Cinema). All of these studios have already announced a significant amount of titles on HD-DVD to be available at the time HD-DVD players are introduced.

Toshiba is dedicated to the HD-DVD format and executives staunchly believe they will win the marketing battle for consumers even before Blu-Ray gets its format off the ground in 2006. "The key part of this is going to be driven by content," says Maciek Brzeski, vice president of marketing in Toshiba's storage device division.

He says consumers won't care whether the disc has 30 gigabytes or 50 gigabytes of capacity—only that the content they want is ready and available at a good price. Brzeski questions the Blu-Ray camp's ability to jazz consumers about a format that he says offers little more than a few extra gigabytes of storage. "They're going to be marketing technology, and we're going to be marketing products," he says. "It's hard to sell technology to consumers."

"Our rich heritage in the development of DVD technology means that we are well equipped for the market transition from DVD to HD-DVD," added Sally, who also serves as Vice-President for the Digital Entertainment Group. "With proven backwards compatibility and real software titles available at launch, we are certain that we can deliver the very best solution in HD-DVD technology for both consumers as well as the content providers."

In December, Toshiba and other HD-DVD backers formed the HD-DVD Promotion Group to promote the format, and to ensure early product launches and subsequent market penetration.

Other pros and cons seem to bleed together as both formats offer similar features. For example, while HD-DVD touts the ability to create discs with red-laser standard DVD format on one side and blue-laser HD-DVD standard on the other, a Blu-Ray Disc Association spokeswoman points out that JVC announced in December a disc that allows both standard DVD and Blu-Ray content on a single side of the disc. The Blu-Ray camp has argued that single-sided discs are more consumer friendly.

The Pricing Strategy

In the vital area of picture quality, both formats also have a difficult time differentiating between one another. "Either format can produce a very good image," says Richard Dean, director of technical business development at THX Inc. "To me, it boils down to the price of the equipment and the availability of content."

Dean, who has helped master the DVD releases of the Star Wars trilogy and other blockbuster movies, says that consumers won't notice any real quality difference between the formats. But he says HD-DVD may end up with an advantage if it can under price Blu-Ray discs and players. "I think that's going to play a very large role." As for Blu-Ray's greater storage capacity, "more space is always an advantage," Dean says, "but the question is how much more space is really needed." Notes Parsons: "If you start doing HD bonus features, it will suck up capacity very quickly."

Intel executives, who first got involved in the working groups for next-generation DVD formats to help avoid a format war, already are bracing for an era of consumer confusion as a Blu-Ray-vs.-HD-DVD scenario takes shape. "We didn't want two formats coming out," says Balogh. "Now we have an even standoff, so neither side wants to compromise whatsoever." Making matters worse, he says, the entertainment studios also are split between Blu-Ray and HD-DVD, although more big studios have backed HD-DVD at this point.

"The studios will be the kingmakers here," he says. Ultimately, consumers may struggle to figure out what kind of players and media to purchase during the next couple of years. "The most important benefit to the consumer is that the HD-DVD players that we'll be introducing to the market this year will be fully backward compatible with the current DVDs that are already in consumers' homes. With the Blu-Ray formats' backward compatibility isn't so simple," adds Sally.

Still, many are wary. "It would be best if we went to market without two formats," says Panasonic's Doherty. "We're very disappointed that we're in a format war." As the battle heats up in 2005 and well into 2006, consumers will decide which format will succeed.

www.businesswire.com

25 novembre 2005

Etude de marché complète sur le Marché de l'electronique grand public aux Etats Unis.

Ce document très complet est à télécharger ici. Il est relativement volumineux (5 Mo) mais le jeu en vaut la chandelle!
http://www.consulfrance-sanfrancisco.org/article.php3?id_article=516

19 novembre 2005

Le HD DVD, c'est quoi? HD DVD what is it?

Le standard mis au point par Toshiba et par Nec avec le soutien du géant microsoft est expliqué dans le document ci dessous.

hd_dvd___d_finition.pdf

15 novembre 2005

La technologie Blu Ray disc - Définition

Blu-ray Disc

Blu-ray, also known as Blu-ray Disc (BD) is the name of a next-generation optical disc format jointly developed by the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA), a group of the world's leading consumer electronics, personal computer and media manufacturers (including Apple, Dell, Hitachi, HP, JVC, LG, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Pioneer, Philips, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, TDK and Thomson). The format was developed to enable recording, rewriting and playback of high-definition video (HD), as well as storing large amounts of data. A single-layer Blu-ray Disc can hold 25GB, which can be used to record over 2 hours of HDTV or more than 13 hours of standard-definition TV. There are also dual-layer versions of the discs that can hold 50GB. While current optical disc technologies such as DVD, DVD±R, DVD±RW, and DVD-RAM use a red laser to read and write data, the new format uses a blue-violet laser instead, hence the name Blu-ray. Despite the different type of lasers used, Blu-ray products can easily be made backwards compatible through the use of a BD/DVD/CD compatible optical pickup and allow playback of CDs and DVDs. The benefit of using a blue-violet laser (405nm) is that it has a shorter wavelength than a red laser (650nm), which makes it possible to focus the laser spot with even greater precision. This allows data to be packed more tightly and stored in less space, so it's possible to fit more data on the disc even though it's the same size as a CD/DVD. This together with the change of numerical aperture to 0.85 is what enables Blu-ray Discs to hold 25GB/50GB. With the rapid growth of HDTV, the consumer demand for recording HD programming is quickly rising. Blu-ray was designed with this application in mind and supports direct recording of the MPEG-2 TS (Transport Stream) used by digital broadcasts, which makes it highly compatible with global standards for digital TV. This means that HDTV broadcasts can be recorded directly to the disc without any quality loss or extra processing. To handle the increased amount of data required for HD, Blu-ray employs a 36Mbps data transfer rate, which is more than enough to record and playback HDTV while maintaining the original picture quality. In addition, by fully utilizing an optical disc's random accessing features, it's possible to playback video on a disc while simultaneously recording HD video. Blu-ray is expected to replace VCRs and DVD recorders with the transition to HDTV over the coming years. The format is also likely to become a standard for PC data storage and HD movies in the future.

Un secteur en pleine croissance

Le marché de l’électronique grand public est en pleine croissance aux Etats-Unis : + 12,5 % en 2004 (Chiffres CEA). Des dernières technologies d’écrans plats, aux lecteurs MP3, en passant par les ordinateurs aux performances exceptionnelles pour monter des vidéos, stocker des photos et jouer aux jeux vidéo de dernière génération, les produits de l’électronique grand public sont devenus omniprésents dans la vie de tous les jours.

Devant le dynamisme du secteur, tous les grands constructeurs informatiques proposent désormais des solutions innovantes, faciles d’utilisation et de moins en moins chères pour espérer bénéficier de la dynamique de ce secteur florissant. Après la tenue du Consumer Electronics Show (CES) à Las Vegas au début du mois de janvier, ce dossier présente un état de l’art du secteur de l’électronique grand public aux Etats Unis, d’un point de vue économique et stratégique, mais aussi en présentant les technologies mises en jeu derrière les appareils du quotidien.

Source: http://www.consulfrance-sanfrancisco.org