Cover Story
Who Will Change Television?
Competition is underway to see who is going to take the initiative in the creation of a new broadband-based video medium. A host of corporations with no previous television links, such as Google Inc., Microsoft Corp., and Apple Computer, Inc., are launching their own bids. Japanese home appliance manufacturers, on the other hand, cannot even find a way to enter the ring as televisions currently don't have sockets for distribution of Internet video content. The "rebirth of television" will be the ultimate accomplishment to rise out of the amalgamation of communications and broadcasting. Exactly who is going to take command?
(Part 1)Taking on the World with Video Distribution Betting Such an Endeavor-Moving from Expanding Market Share to Expanding the Market Itself
Simple questions you wouldn't dare to ask now
The content distribution industry in a nutshell
(Part 2) The Certainties and Uncertainties of Video Distribution; Common Knowledge Is about to Be Made
Leading Trends
Not Just Software, Hardware Development Also Moves to India
Renowned for their involvement in offshore development of software, Indian companies are now being increasingly employed as contractors for hardware design. In an environment where there is an abundance of engineers and labor expenses are low, companies are busy establishing systems that will allow them to accept jobs in all areas, from device development to LSI design.
Leading Trends
With the Worldwide Market Rapidly Changing, the Car Navigation Market Stands at a Crossroads
Car navigation systems manufacturers in Japan used to excel in the business for aftermarket navigation systems, but the market is changing. Bit by bit they are losing market share to OEM navigation systems. Meanwhile, on the global stage, demand for basic navigation systems, which Japanese makers barely produce, is spreading quickly. Anxious manufacturers are preparing countermeasures.
Leading Trends
SID: The Gathering of the Latest Display Technology
The Society for Information Display’s symposium, seminar, and exhibition, SID 2006, was held in San Francisco, California from June 4, 2006. The world’s largest, 100-inch, liquid crystal display panel was the subject of a lot of attention, as were color electronic paper and projectors using LEDs and lasers as a light source.
Keyword
white light emitting diode
Tech Tale
The 30 Year Struggle for Vertical Magnetic Recording (Part 5): “OK, Go Ahead. It’s a Festival”
The September 23, 2002 edition of Nikkei Electronics featured an article entitled, "HDD 150Gbit barrier the end of the road for longitudinal recording-perpendicular recording also at a standstill" (left photo). It commented that 150Gbits/in2 was the surface recording density limit for the longitudinal recording method and that there seemed to be little prospect for perpendicular recording being able to break through that barrier.
NETs Buyers' Guide
H.264 Encoder LSIs
"Incorporating all valid video compression methods"; "nothing will top it for some time"-the MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 ("H.264") video encoding format gets its name, "mammoth codec," from its high compression ratio. LSIs able to encode high definition television (HDTV) video using this method (H.264 encoder LSIs) should burst on to the market from the end of 2006. Driving the market will be camcorders capable of shooting HDTV video (related article on pp.22-23).
NETs Seminar
The Past and Future of Imaging Elements (1st Half): The 30 Year Path to High Resolution
Over two installments, we will explain the history of image sensors and upcoming developments based on what Takao Kuroda spoke about at the Image Sensor 2006 seminar hosted by Nikkei Electronics on April 12, 2006. Kuroda has experience working for an image sensor manufacturer in Japan on the development of charge-coupled devices (CCDs) and complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology sensors.
NETs Seminar
The Past and Future of Imaging Elements (1st Half): The 30 Year Path to High Resolution
Over two installments, we will explain the history of image sensors and upcoming developments based on what Takao Kuroda spoke about at the Image Sensor 2006 seminar hosted by Nikkei Electronics on April 12, 2006. Kuroda has experience working for an image sensor manufacturer in Japan on the development of charge-coupled devices (CCDs) and complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology sensors.
When Crystal Oscillators Won’t Work (Part 1): Be Careful of the Proper Value of the “Excitation Level”
If integrated circuits (ICs) are the “staple of industry,” then crystal oscillators are the “essence.” First used in quartz watches, they are now an indispensable component in almost all electronic devices. Recently, however, crystal oscillator malfunctions have been on the rise. We explain the causes and offer solutions.
The Latest on Quantum Encryption (Part 2): The Structure of “BB84,” the World’s First Quantum Code
The second installment of our explanation of the latest developments in quantum cryptography looks at the safety of the approach, referring to the example of world's first quantum cryptographic protocol, BB84. Safety in quantum cryptography is maintained in a different way to conventional cryptographic methods.
Interview
Sumita Optical Glass’s Shinobu Nagahama: “Because We Can Strive for a World’s First, I’m Happy”
What's New
- Matsushita and Sony Establish a Standard for Cameras to Record HDTV Using H.264
- Japanese SC Fabs Are Like a Candle in the Wind
- The Regulation Value of the Transmission Speed for High Speed Powerline Communication Is Reduced by Half
- The Momentum of Taiwanese Manufacturers to Conquer Digital Consumer Electronics as Seen at COMPUTEX
- JPCA Show 2006: Mass Production of PCBs with Internal Components Starts
- NTT Develops an Ultra-Violet LEC Using Aluminum Nitride with an Extremely Short Wavelength of 210nm
- A Test to Evaluate and Certify the Capability of Software Engineers to Start this Fall in Japan
