This Week's News

2008 Flat Panel Digital Signage Conference

DisplaySearch has unveiled the final line up of speakers for its upcoming 2008 Flat Panel Digital Signage Conference, called “The Future is Out-of-Home.” Presenters at the conference represent executives from a varied group of businesses who will present their views on the digital signage market and their visions for the next big market for flat panel displays – outside the home in public and commercial environments. The inaugural conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Chicago on May 28.

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ISF Training at TI/DLP

Registration is still open for the ISF Commercial special Training and Certification Course, May 29-30 at the facilities of Texas Instruments/DLP in Plano, TX (a suburb of Dallas). ISF (Imaging Science Foundation) Commercial, under the direction of Alan Brawn, exists to establish standards and training to ensure that display devices are set up and calibrated for the best possible image quality throughout the life of an installation. Since being launched at InfoComm in 2007, the ISF Commercial program has seen rapid growth as commercial AV installers, including those working in the booming digital signage arena, have seen the value and need to differentiate themselves in the market and take their display expertise to the next level.

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2008 LCD Backlight Report Released

Insight Media has announced the release of the 2008 LCD Backlight Report: Including LCD-TV, Monitor & Notebook PC Displays - An Opportunity Analysis. The report reveals penetration expectations for alternative backlight technologies; with LEDs taking significant share from CCFLs by 2012. The 193-page report provides a detailed analysis of the technologies competing with CCFLs, and provides insights into on-going developments of other components in the Backlight Unit ("BLU") such as light guides, prism films, diffusers and multi-function films. Special emphasis is placed on the throughput analysis of various technologies, their costs - now and through 2012 - and penetration rates by application. The report contains 100 figures and 69 tables.

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Audio for Signage at Paradise Forum

The largest directive audio Sound Shower installation in the world can now be found in the Paradise Forum in Birmingham, UK. Panphonics and Nexus Digital Signs were brought in to provide a new and innovative digital signage system, linking the best in audio and visual technology. The idea was to introduce directive audio speakers by Panphonics together with a giant video wall made up of smaller screens by NEC to create a point where the signage would have highest visibility and recognition by the people passing through Paradise Forum on their way to the city center. The screens were placed above one of the Forum’s exits and a compilation of Sound Showers was elevated metres above the central hall where movement of people is greatest.

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Bringing Research to Retail

Economists define a recession as two consecutive quarters of negative growth of Gross Domestic Product. Before this officially occurs, it can sure feel like a recession. Like right now. Our economist friends won’t officially pronounce that the U.S. economy is in a recession for another couple of months. But putting lipstick on a pig does not alter the fact that it is a pig, or a recession. You might now inquire as to how we managed to find our way into this (or, as stated by two other noted economists in 1930 “this is another fine mess you have gotten me into,” MGM Films).

The next logical question is, of course, how deep and how long? At the Platt Retail Institute, we like going out on a limb, because economic forecasting is not our day job, and we can’t get fired if we are wrong. Hey, at least we take a position. In any case, our response is a very straight forward: not very deep and not very long. Here is why to both.