Video & Multimedia Devices: The new face of consumer electronics 
 

An analysis of the changing face of consumer electronics (CE) covering product development, changes to industry structure, the emergence of new uses, etc. 
 Major factors driving changes in technology and uses
 
• Fast and continued growth in storage capacity: flash memories, hard disks and DVDs
• Growth of broadband
• Development of uses and services: television initially, linked to growth in multiequipment and new uses, as well as consumer spending arbitrage 
 An in-depth study of home networks and new equipment, especially video
 
• Take-off of home networks: which technologies will be used on which networks? What will be the pace of change and its impact? Are we headed for a revival in home automation?
• Lessons to be learnt from new devices: the media center as a piece of converging leisure equipment? Digital media adapters as PC/television set interfaces? Storage devices, advanced set-top boxes, new games consoles, multi-functional devices etc. 
 Industrial strategies, legal challenges and scenarios for a new consumer electronics industry
 
• The standards war
• Challenges and opportunities related to content protection: is it a barrier to growth?
• China and its impact: a new market, production sites, research centres etc.
• The extent of upheavals: future trends and the pace of change
• Strategies: how will industry players take advantage of upheavals?

Case studies

Apple • Dell • HP • Intel • Matsushita • Microsoft • Philips • Samsung • Sony • TCL • Thomson • TTE
 

Contents

1/ FACTORS DRIVING TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE

Advances in memories: flash memories and hard disks

Advances in flat displays: a major impact on consumer electronics
• Liquid crystal displays (LCDs – the size race)
• Plasma displays
• Other technologies: OLED and projection
• Flat displays for television: how fast will the market grow?

Advances related to electronic components 

2/ TRENDS IN USES

Household equipment
• A real tendency towards multi-equipment
• Accelerated renewal: “Out with the old, in with the new”

Uses of communication products and services
• Steadily increasing use and consumption of communication products and services
• TV continues to dominate electronic entertainment
• Personal computers: a leisure platform primarily for music and photos
• Internet: a key tool for communications and research
• Video games: still the domain of adolescents
• Towards the mobile device as a ‘leisure activity’?
• New consumer spending arbitrage as an indicator of change

New services and trends in demand
• Emergence of new technologies changes media consumption habits
• Old and new media: are hostilities breaking out?
• A revolution in progress… 

3/ HOME NETWORKS

Home networks and home automation

Home automation: security, heating etc.
• Overview
• Current research, especially into uses
• A consumer market that remains very small
• Legrand’s offering: the Omizzy pack
• Residential gateways: the revival of home automation?
• France Télécom’s initiative

Technologies: homePNA, homePlug, Wi-Fi, etc.
• Power Line Communications (PLC): advantages, towards quadruple play, HomePlug technology and performances, cost of an indoor PLC network, regulatory constraints, audiovisual capabilities (HomePlug AV), industry players, current indoor PLC market
• Wi-Fi and wireless solutions: WLANs, Wi-Fi and Wireless Fidelity, other IEEE802.11 standards, Wi-Fi and CE terminals

DLNA (ex Digital Home Working Group)

Zigbee, ultra low power wireless technology

IT standards for communication between equipment: OSGi, UPnP 44

HomePNA : the copper pair

Will home networks take-off?
• Networked PCs
• Multimedia networks: PC links (television sets and stereo systems: DMA and DMR), connections between consumer electronic equipment

Conclusions: future impact 

4/ NEW CONSUMER ELECTRONIC DEVICES

Media Center or the PC as a consumer device: Microsoft, iMon, Multavista, Samsung and Sony

“Digital Media Adapter” and “Digital Media Receiver”: the first projects and offerings

DVD players combined with storage

Advanced set-top boxes

Digital IP set-top boxes: MediaPlayer, TiVo Series2 DVR, Moxi and Freebox

Storage devices

2004, the year of the PMC (Portable Media Center)?

New, multi-functional video games terminals, home and hybrid consoles

Portable consoles with video functions 

5/ INDUSTRIAL OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES

The standards war

Copying digital content: risks and opportunities

Protection of television content
• Copying: a PC world phenomenon hits the audiovisual industry
• Broadcast flag, watermarking and fingerprinting
• From network to content protection
• Protection systems that cover private copying

What are the opportunities and challenges facing consumer electronics?
• Market impact
• New equipment and protection
• Industry structures 

6/ CONSUMER ELECTRONIC PRODUCERS’ STRATEGIES

Strategic analysis of consumer electonics based on current company positioning
Profile, key products and strategy of each player studied.
• Apple: success in online music retailing
• Dell: entry into consumer electronics with an all-powerful television
• Hewlett-Packard: a more modest approach to consumer electronics
• Intel: a well-established business in leisure and a fresh focus on consumer electronics and home networks
• Matsushita: success founded on DVD players and flat displays
• Microsoft: video games, television (attempts and failures), Windows Media Center, Windows Media 9 (a major initiative)
• Philips: the influence of flat displays
• Sony: continued implementation of convergence strategy
• TCL-Thomson Electronics Corporation (TTE): the world leader in television sets is Chinese, the TCL group, analysis of the creation of TTE
• Thomson: towards an exit from consumer electronics
• Samsung: an all equipment strategy

China and its impact 

7/ CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Home networks
• Despite the accelerated switch to digital and the increasingly virtual nature of supports, home networks are, and will remain, essentially based on IT
• Consumer electronic networks remain to be invented, their growth will be promoted by that of storage devices and flat displays

Devices and services
• What is the future for the business model of devices subsidised by services such as STB and mobile telephony?
• How will the uses of multi-functional consumer electronic devices develop?
• Relations between devices and services (set top boxes, portable devices, iPod, etc.)