High-tech innovations in the home-audio equipment market and rapid advances in digital technology are set to fuel the growth of the industry to unprecedented levels.
Home-entertainment systems are an integral part of modern living. The global market is expected to reach Dh105.7 billion this year, according to market research by Gfk Group and the Consumer Electronics Association.
The main trend that is being witnessed by the industry is consumers upgrading from standard definition to high definition products."
Consumers today have become very discerning and are updating their home theatre systems with full high-definition plasma televisions in large screen sizes," explains Ajit Nair, advertising and PR executive, Panasonic UAE. "The buzz words in the market today are ‘digital integration'.
Consumers today want products that can be networked with each other," he explains. There are many advantages of high-definition TV or HDTV, including clearer pictures, superior sound quality, progressive scanning and a wider viewing screen.
HDTV has more than twice the sharpness and clarity of analogue TV broadcasts together with a far superior colour resolution.
The crystal-sharp image of HDTV means films can be viewed as the directors and cinematographers intended them to be, with the visual quality matching (if not surpassing, on the right home entertainment system) that offered by a theatrical screening. Imperfections that are often seen on traditional television are another reason why many prefer high definition to analog.
"Full high-definition television gives the highest level of picture clarity to the consumer," explains Mansoor ul Hasan, marketing manager, LG Electronics Gulf.
"It is also future proofing for digital broadcast channels," he explains. There are numerous sizes and styles of HDTV sets to choose from. Consumers have the choice of plasma, LCD (liquid crystal display), DLP (digital light processing) or LCOS (liquid crystal on silicon) monitors.
There are also projection displays to consider, which also come in LCD, DLP, and LCOS. Many people prefer the wall display monitor that either plasma or LCD offers.
However, these types of sets are usually the more expensive of the high definition sets, especially the ones that are sized between 40 and 70 inches.
Lower down the price ladder, are LCD displays that are sized at 42 inches and under.
"The good part is that these technologies are quite affordable for the value they deliver - so it is not the privilege of a few," says Vincenzo Ventricelli, director of customer marketing Phillips Consumer Lifestyle, sub-cluster Middle East and Africa. "We find that most upper middle income consumers embrace these technologies quite willingly."
HDTV broadcasts
High definition TV broadcasts have a screen resolution which is almost five times as sharp as conventional broadcasts.
This is due to the fact that high definition has double the lines of resolution when compared to a traditional analog television set.
While a traditional analogue set can only display 525 horizontal lines (or 625 lines in the case of a PAL signal) of resolution, HDTV broadcasts can display 1080 lines.
This makes a marked difference in the picture sharpness and quality. The increase in demand for more high-definition products has in turn led to a need for broadcasters to transmit more high-definition content.
The 2007 industry report by the Satellite Industry Association (SIA) on HDTV channels has indicated a huge upswing in consumer demand for more high-definition content while maximising the experience from their high definition television screens.
The trend is forecasted to result in a further 600 per cent growth in HDTV channels over the next five years globally, with an average annual growth rate of 35 per cent.
Consumer demand
The worldwide market for high-definition is currently experiencing robust growth, as the increase of HD services and rising sales of HDTV sets have helped fuel consumer demand for HD.
The market is forecast to grow to nearly 148 million HDTV households by 2011, with nearly 41 per cent of those households receiving HDTV programming via satellite.
This means, that the future of home entertainment systems lies with high-definition products. "New OLED technology is expected to become a commercial proposition for small screen TVs.
These are relatively cheaper than LCD," explains Ventricelli. "Wireless TVs and seamless home theatre formats are expected to be another development in the near
future."
The worldwide market is forecast to grow to nearly 148 million HDTV households by 2011, with nearly 41 per cent of those households receiving HDTV programming via satellite.
