InfoComm and Projection Summit Show Future Trends

July 2, 2008

Source: Insight Media

The July issue of Insight Media's Large Display Report has just shipped to our subscribers. It's 108 pages long and full of news and analysis from InfoComm, Projection Summit and other happenings from the display industry. Here's a quick snapshot of some of the key trends we saw at these two shows and highlights of other coverage in this issue. If you really want to benefit from the analysis our team of world-class display experts provides in each issue of the newsletter, you need to subscribe -- but you knew that was coming!

Pocket Projectors to Revive in 2008 -- The newest pocket projectors to hit the market this summer will be LED based and will offer 150 lumens. That's a long way from the 25 lumens these products offered when introduced about two and a half years ago. As shown in the Pico/Pocket Projector Showcase at Projection Summit, these units are bright enough for many consumer and business applications, but is there a real value proposition for them?

Pico Projectors Offer Different Options -- There was much talk about pico projectors at Projection Summit -- projectors that today offer 7 to 12 lumens and can be sold as accessories that plug into iPods or cellphones, or can be embedded inside these and other products. There is great enthusiasm for this class of product as the volumes could be huge, but also a little trepidation as no one knows how the consumer will react to this new class of product. What seems clear is that products will come to market starting in Q3 and everyone will be watching closely to see if this is the future of small-scale projection.

3D Auto-Stereoscopic Displays Go Mainstream -- This year's InfoComm will certainly be remembered as the one where no-glasses 3D display became mainstream products. Samsung, LG, Toshiba, NEC, Philips, Alioscopy, others, including Electrograph, got into the game, showing off LCDs with lenticular arrays on the front of the panel to direct the left and right eye images to viewers, if positioned in the right sweet spot. While issues remain in making these images better and easier to acquire, the fact that so many companies are embracing the technology as a component in their digital signage arsenal tells you something -- you will see more of these used in attention-getting advertising venues.

Wide Format Projectors Finally Embraced -- The projection industry has lagged badly behind computer display trends. Earlier, as PCs and notebooks moved to wide aspect formats, projector makers didn't react. This year they did, with major players finally adding lots of wide aspect, mainstream projectors to their line up. It's about time.

Short Throw Projectors are a Hit -- The education market is booming and short throw projectors are all the rage. Last year we saw a few dipping their toes in this solution, but this year, the offerings are wide and deep. Hitachi, 3M, Sanyo, NEC, Smart Technologies and BenQ were at InfoComm and/or the Insight Media Projection Summit Short-throw Projector Showcase Pavilion to show off their wares. This segment is growing and the products offer a real value proposition.

LED Wall Innovations -- New forms and styles of LED walls emerged at InfoComm this year offering solutions that are clever and creative. Curved, spiral, transparent and meshed LED walls were unveiled along with different implementations like rotating volumetric displays and LED floors. These displays are still very pricey, but they are bright and get your attention.

The Return of Video Conferencing -- It's not your father's video conferencing any more. You need to check out the new systems being offered by Polyvision, Sony and Lifesize Communications. The quality is way up and the interactive tools are much better. It's still expensive, but can be cost effective in the right environment.

LCDs displacing PDP and Projectors -- The gains of LCD in the ProAV space were unmistakable. Large panels are replacing projectors in boardrooms, control rooms and video cubes. They are challenging PDPs in digital signage, too. This is creating threats and opportunities, so understanding how this will affect your business is critical.

Vibrant Microdisplay Market -- LCOS is not dead -- at least as far as Canon is concerned. They will now make their own panels to support a unique line of business projectors. And, LCOS is gaining in simulation and visualization markets, too. Meanwhile, 3LCD and DLP are trying to find fault with each other's technology, pointing to color accuracy, color brightness, dust, maintenance, burn-in, degradation and other issues, to find weaknesses to exploit. It's time to call a truce.

LED and Lasers Look Unstoppable -- LEDs will power pico and pocket projectors, but did you know they will soon power home theatre projectors? 700-900 lumen LED projectors will arrive in 2009. Laser projectors for TVs arrive this year, and they will start to power projectors from pico to large venue in 2009. If you are not looking at what this technology will do for you, you should be.

Digital Signage is Maturing -- It is also clear that signage is becoming a growth engine for the ProAV community. New products are emerging and better system integration and easy to use system platforms are making it simpler to operate these systems. Add 3D to the mix and we are looking at a very vibrant and rapidly growing market.

So there you have it -- a quick snapshot of some of the highlights in the July issue of Large Display Report. The full table of contents is below and if you really want to understand these trends and how to capitalize on them...

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