DisplaySearch Unveils Final Agenda for Upcoming TV Ecosystem Conference; 3D, TV Connectivity and Holiday Season Outlook to be Examined

Sort Date: 08132009

AUSTIN, TEXAS, August 13, 2009—Two of the hottest topics in the TV industry today—connectivity and 3D—will be discussed at the DisplaySearch TV Ecosystem Conference: TV After the Digital Transition—Finding the Next Big Thing taking place on September 2, 2009 in San Jose, California. The conference will shed light on many of the important developments affecting TV today and in the foreseeable future. In addition, attendees will learn about DisplaySearch's outlook for the short term, including the 2009 holiday season.

“We’ve got a great line up for this year’s TV Ecosystem Conference—providing a forum for engaging presentations and panels to spark further discussion about keeping innovation and profitable growth alive during hard economic times,” noted Paul Gagnon, DisplaySearch Director of North America TV Research.

The four sessions feature presentations from display component makers, TV manufacturers, semiconductor manufacturers, content developers and wireless/connectivity providers.

Supply Chain Analysis: Market Trends and Forecasts

The TV market is enjoying a period of relatively strong growth amid the global economic downturn. During the session, speakers will review the reasons for this strong performance and critical success factors that companies are using to keep consumers interested. We’ll also explore the short- to mid-term outlook from the perspective of several different stakeholders in the industry:

• Paul Gagnon, Director, North American TV Research, DisplaySearch
• Robert J. O’Brien, Director, End Market Intelligence, Display Technologies, Corning Incorporated
• Bruce Tripido, Associate Vice President, Marketing, Sharp
• Jeff Schindler, Vice President Marketing and Business Operations, Vizio

3D TV

3D promises to be the next major breakthrough in home TV viewing, following the switch from analog to digital and SD to HD. It could revolutionize the home TV experience. But there are many obstacles in the way, including the lack of a common set of standards. We’ll explore the pitfalls to avoid and paths to success in making quality 3D in the home a reality.

• Eisuke Tsuyuzaki, Chief Technology Officer, Panasonic Corporation of North America (Keynote)
• Brad Hunt, President, Digital Media Directions, LLC
• Pete Ludé, Senior Vice President, Solutions Engineering, Sony Electronics, Inc Executive Vice President, SMPTE
• Jeff Park, Technology Evangelist, HDMI

TV System Architecture Overview

The introduction of new technologies and features, like 120 Hz+ frame rates and LED backlights, has implications for system design and architecture. The growing trend towards digital connectivity means that TVs need to have the right hardware and software to handle myriad content formats. In addition, there is a role for both commodity type TVs and high-end models, but with different architectures to satisfy cost and performance requirements. Speakers in this session will talk about various solutions and approaches to meeting these system design challenges.

• Paul Semenza, Senior Vice President, Analyst Services, DisplaySearch
• Stuart McKechnie, Director of Strategic Marketing, Zoran Corporation
• Wen Li, Chief Marketing Officer, Trident Microsystems, Inc.

TV Connectivity

A greater variety of consumer and commercial content, especially via digital downloads, means that TVs need to be more nimble at accessing these various forms of content. Speakers in this session will address both the wired and wireless connectivity options, along with the potential format and standards issues. What’s the best solution for in-home content delivery, as well as external streaming or web content?

• Ken Lowe, Vice President, Strategic Marketing, Sigma Designs
• Leslie Chard, President, WHDI (Wireless Home Digital Interface) LLC
• Richard Bullwinkle, Chief Evangelist, Rovi Corporation
• John LeMoncheck, President and CEO, SiBEAM, Inc.
• Bill Bunch, Director, Wireless Media Business, Broadcom Corporation

During the week of the TV Ecosystem Conference, each attendee will also have the opportunity to have a complimentary one-on-one meeting with Paul Gagnon, DisplaySearch Director of North American TV Research. Please contact Laura Castellano to set up a time on Tuesday, September 1 or Thursday, September 3.

This is part of the DisplaySearch’s Fall Conference Series, taking place September 1-3 in San Jose, California. The series also includes these one-day conferences covering the display industry’s hottest market segments:

• Digital Signage Conference: Flat Panel Displays Go Out-of-Home, Tuesday September 1, 2009
• Emerging Display Technologies Conference: Innovation for the Next Wave of Growth, Thursday, September 3, 2009

Receive a 20% discount on your registration fee is you register for more than one of our Fall Conferences!

For more information about these conferences and sponsorship opportunities, please contact Laura Castellano at 1.408.226.1101 or laura_castellano@displaysearch.com. Media interested in attending the conferences should contact Stacey Voorhees-Harmon at 1.925.336.9592 or stacey@savvypublicrelations.net.

About DisplaySearch
DisplaySearch, an NPD Group Company, has a core team of 50 employees, located in Europe, North America and Asia, who produce a valued suite of FPD-related market forecasts, technology assessments, surveys, studies and analyses. Visit the DisplaySearch blog to read about how our top analysts are interpreting up-to-the-minute issues that impact the display industry, and join us in this discussion about technology and the flat panel industry. The company also organizes influential events worldwide. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, DisplaySearch has regional operations in Chicago, Houston, Kyoto, London, San Diego, San Jose, Seoul, Shenzhen, Taipei and Tokyo, and the company is on the web at http://www.displaysearch.com/.

About The NPD Group, Inc.
The NPD Group is the leading provider of reliable and comprehensive consumer and retail information for a wide range of industries. Today, more than 1,700 manufacturers, retailers, and service companies rely on NPD to help them drive critical business decisions at the global, national, and local market levels. NPD helps our clients to identify new business opportunities and guide product development, marketing, sales, merchandising, and other functions. Information is available for the following industry sectors: automotive, beauty, commercial technology, consumer technology, entertainment, fashion, food and beverage, foodservice, home, office supplies, software, sports, toys, and wireless. For more information, contact us or visit http://www.npd.com/ and http://www.npdgroupblog.com/. Follow us on Twitter at @npdtech and @npdgroup.