Multimedia Devices

The global market for AMOLED Displays is projected to reach US$14.4 billion by the year 2018, driven primarily by expanding applications and declining prices. Efforts to develop larger AMOLED Displays, which have been hampered due to complexities associated with mass production, bode well for future growth, primarily due to the enormous opportunities in the television industry.

Globally, the number of television households with Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) is projected to reach 337.6 million by the year 2018, driven by falling prices, and satellite and cable operators’ move to offer DVRs in bundled form along with other services. The time-shifting and ad-skipping capabilities of the DVRs are driving adoption among consumers.

As TV prices fall and profit margins are compressed across the supply chain, the push to introduce new premium features has taken on increased importance. The hope is that these new features, such as 3D and internet connectivity, will drive consumers to replace TVs faster. This unique global study provides clients with country-level insights and information based on nationally representative samples of more than 14,000 TV owners. The study combines analyst expertise with advanced consumer survey design.

Worldwide set top box markets are poised to achieve significant growth as the next generation TV Internet systems provide a way to improve bundled channel video services. Set top boxes support entertainment, business, educational, and healthcare video services delivery in the home. Channels and Internet capability will be accessible from the same handset. Gateways will be used to implement multiple device access in the home in some cases. Cloud systems proliferate. Set top box dedicated device markets at $8.7 billion in 2011 are anticipated to reach $15.6 billion by 2018 as next generation gateways and cloud computing are introduced to manage Internet connectivity to HD TV devices in the home.

Shipments of tablet PCs are expected to grow from 81.6 million units in 2011 to 424.9 million units by 2017, according to the report. The forecast for 2013 shipments has increased from 168.9 million to 184.2 million. This forecast estimates that in 2016 more tablet PCs will be shipped than notebook PCs. A growing diversity of operating systems is driving the increase in demand for tablets, as well as rapidly evolving features.

World market for Digital Cameras is projected to reach 155 million units by the year 2017. Growth will be primarily driven by continued digital advancements in photography, growing popularity and consumer acceptance of digital single lens reflex, SLR cameras and falling product prices as a result of falling chip prices. Strong demand in developing Asian and Latin American countries also bodes well for the future of the market.

Global market for Master Control Switchers is projected to reach US$118.6 million by the year 2017. Growth will be primarily driven by the transition from analog to digital broadcast signals. Investments mobilized by governments in developing countries to develop the broadcasting infrastructure and technologies are also expected to generate growth opportunities in the marketplace.

According to the report the total yielded area of resistive, projected capacitive, sensor-on-cover, and on-cell touch sensors grew to 9.6 million square meters in 2011, up 66% from 5.8 million in 2010. Analysts forecast this segment will reach to 13.0 million square meters in 2012, and grow to 16.4 million in 2014. The touch panel industry has grown rapidly in recent years, from $4 billion in 2009 to over $13 billion in 2011. 

Production value of Taiwan's flat panel display (FPD) industry (including FPD panels and parts/components) dropped 15.5% from the previous year to about NT$1.4 trillion (US$46.77 billion) in 2011, from the peak of NT$1.66 trillion (US$55.33 billion) in 2010, according to the Industrial Economics & Knowledge Center (IEK)-ITIS (Industry & Technology Intelligence Services) in Taiwan, which forecasts that the FPD industry till grow by about 8.6% to about NT$1.5 trillion (US$50 billion) in 2012.

World Blu-ray discs (BD) market is forecast to reach 6.6 billion units by the year 2017. With growing popularity of high-definition televisions and falling BD player prices, the Blu-ray discs market will continue to grow strongly in future years.