Multimedia Devices

Shipments of TFT-LCDs (thin film transistor-liquid crystal display) used in automobiles for devices such as navigation and rear seat DVD players increased 16% Y/Y to 49 million in 2012, according to the NPD DisplaySearch 2012 Automotive Displays Report. Shipments are expected to increase to 70 million by 2016. This is not surprising since commuters spend up to three hours in their automobiles every day and demand is on the rise for automotive displays that integrate convenience, safety, and functionality.

The total global surveillance and security market generates revenues of approximately $81 billion per year. Individual country markets are growing in the range of 7% to 9% per year depending on the exact locale. The three major end-user segments for equipment are industrial and commercial purchasers (nearly $52 billion per year); noncommercial applications, which consist of principally equipment sales for residential surveillance and security ($19 billion per year); and military/government (nearly $11 billion).

Despite the profound changes that are going through it, the global market for hardware & video games will grow up from 2013 to attain 79 billion Euro in 2016. This study follows the development of key indicators for the sector over five years and makes an appraisal of the key markets: Home consoles - Handheld consoles - Offline games - Online games - Mobile phone games.

With the annual Consumer Electronics Show just around the corner, speculation about what TV technologies will be highlighted by manufacturers has been growing. In recent years, highlights have included 3D, Smart TV, and OLED, as TV makers promoted technologies to excite consumer interest. This year it's 4K×2K.

With the advent of new touch sensor structures driven by consumer demand for lighter and thinner devices, NPD DisplaySearch group finds that in-cell touch technology and DITO (dual ITO) film are the wave of the future. More than 7.5% of the mobile phone marketplace will be using in-cell touch in 2012, a number that is estimated to grow to 16.7% by 2018. In addition, tablet PCs, which primarily utilize projected capacitive touch technology, will see a5% shipment share of DITO film structure technology in 2012.

The global market for Digital Media Storage is projected to record 11.4 billion units in annual sales by the year 2018, primarily driven by increase in the number of home and small business networks, continued data explosion, and the growing need for data backup and archiving. Robust demand from developing markets, Asia-Pacific in particular, also augurs well for the market.

The global Blu-ray Discs market is projected to reach about US$7.0 billion by the year 2018. Growth will be primarily driven by growing demand for high-definition home entertainment including blu-ray disc players, blu-ray home theaters, and blu-ray compatible video game consoles (Sony PlayStation). The development of web-enabled/network-capable blu-ray devices and 3D blu-ray disc players also augurs well for the future of the market.

The global market for Media Tablets is projected to reach 412.5 million units by the year 2018, driven by the quantity and variety of unique services and applications that are created specifically for Media Tablets. Factors such as touch screen displays, multiple connectivity factors, and tablet form factor are also expected to make Media Tablets popular for various forms of content consumption such as digital books, magazines, games, and videos.

The world market for PC-TV Tuners resurged following a brief recessionary lull, with revenues expected to reach US$2.6 billion through 2018. The growth of this relatively niche market is largely fostered by penetration of the DTT and MDTV markets, the extension of the entertainment PC concept to mobile computing devices such as netbooks and tablets, and the continuing popularity of video streaming websites.

The global market for 3D TVs is projected to exceed 200 million units by 2018, primarily driven by increased consumer interest, falling prices of 3D TVs, and the introduction of 3D standards. Other growth drivers include soaring demand for digital media entertainment, growing penetration of high-bandwidth broadband services among households, and rapid proliferation of Internet enabled devices such as smart TVs, smartphones, and tablet PCs.