Japan's Canon Inc said it planned to restructure its loss-making microchip stepper division by December,a move aimed at helping it better compete with ASML and Nikon Corp.
"Canon also aims to return to a trend of increasing profits each year in 2010,"Masahiro Osawa, a managing director,said in an interview yesterday.
The company, the world's largest digital camera maker ahead of Sony Corp and Nikon and a major manufacturer of copiers and printers that competes with Xerox Corp and Ricoh Co Ltd, posted its first annual operating profit decline in nine years in 2008.
"We have begun to see some encouraging signs here and there. We would like to make 2009 the floor for our earnings," Osawa said.
Following Osawa's comments, shares in Canon closed up 6.3% at 3,720 yen,its high for the day and outperforming the Tokyo stock market's electrical ma-chinery index which gained 3.7%.
Canon's microchip stepper division,which also manufactures LCD-making equipment and accounts for around 14%of revenue, posted an operating loss of 6.4 billion yen ($67 million) in AprilJune as chip makers reined in capital investment.
"The chip and LCD industries are in the midst of drastic changes ... we ourselves are starting to move to transform our business structure," he said, but declined to elaborate.
Canon trails ASML of the Netherlands and Nikon in chip steppers, multi-million dollar machines used to etch circuitry on to silicon wafers to make chips.
Canon last month posted a 72% fall in quarterly operating profit, also hit by sluggish demand for office machines and a firmer yen, but raised its full-year forecast by 6% to reflect more aggressive restructuring steps and a stronger-thanexpected demand for high-end digital cameras.
The restructuring moves included cutting 700 jobs at its chip-making equipment business and absorbing Canon Marketing Japan Inc's chip stepper sales and maintenance operations.
Osawa also said Canon plans to continue development of surface-conduction electron-emitter display (SED) technology despite sharp falls in LCD prices,although more time will be needed for a commercial launch.
SEDs were once seen as promising next-generation flat displays, but steep price falls in LCD and plasma panels have raised concerns over the viability of the commercially untested technology.
"I believe SEDs have technological competitiveness. But LCD prices have fallen at a much quicker clip than we had anticipated," Owasa said."When it comes to costs and technological expertise for commercial production, we need some time to catch up."
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL
Olympus may be leading in the superzoom wars with its 26x optical zoom SP-590UZ, but it takes a lot more than a long lens to make a decent longzoom camera. We're talking the same things it takes to make a good digital camera, like speedy performance, a competitive, useful feature set, and good picture quality.
DESIGN AND FEATURES
With the large handgrip, the SP-590UZ looks like a dSLR. The design is typical a big, solid body with a plastic chassis and a large, rubberised grip accommodating the four AA batteries that power the camera.For a nice touch, the bottom of the shooter extends out beneath the lens to provide a more stable platform when mounted on a tripod. Unfortunately, the camera takes two equally inconvenient forms of media:Olympus/Fujifilm's proprietary xD-Picture Cards or microSD media which fits into an xD card adapter.
Overall, the SP-590UZ is fairly straightforward to learn and operate if you've used a digital camera in the past couple of years. In addition to all the usual suspects on the mode dial, the snapper includes Beauty mode which blurs skin slightly.Even if it works extremely well, it's way too slow - approximately 20 seconds between shots - and the result is a two megapixel image.
There is also MyMode which holds up to four groups of custom settings, which includes the focal length setting at the time you saved them. An OK/Func button pulls up frequently needed shooting settings, which include drive mode, white balance, ISO sensitivity, metering, image size and compression.
Besides the standard continuous shooting, there are higher-speed drive modes:6fps and 10fps. However, they operate at reduced image sizes of five and three megapixels, respectively. This includes a precapture high-speed mode that shoots 10 three-megapixel frames at 10fps from focus lock until you snap the photo.
Like most megazooms, the SP-590UZ produces its sharpest shots in Super Macro mode, and the results are pretty sharp.
There are dedicated buttons for exposure compensation, flash, macro mode and selftimer, as well as a toggling Shadow Adjustment and a custom button to which you can assign a variety of capabilities,including image stabiliser, focus/AE lock,and focus mode. You can bracket the exposure up to five shots - most cameras limit you to three - in +/-1/3,2/3 or full stop intervals. While the SP-590UZ supports optical zoom when recording video, at best the camera does 30fps VGA saved as Motion JPEG-compressed AVI files. You can't zoom and record sound at the same time. That's certainly one way to defeat noise created by the lens mechanism moving.
PERFORMANCE
With the exception of overly long shot lag in dim light, the SP-590UZ delivers pretty typical performance for a megazoom. It powers on and shoots in 1.6 seconds, which is actually pretty fast in this class. In good light it matches the focus-and-shoot speed of the best of its class -0.6 second - but in dim light it struggles, resulting in an overly slow 1.4 second delay. Its two second shot-to-shot time matches the rest of the crowd, and enabling flash bumps that to a pretty typical 2.5 seconds. While its continuous shooting rate of 1.2fps sits close to the bottom of its class, frame rate is almost immaterial with an electronic viewfinder (EVF) camera since your real constraint for burst usability is the blackout interval of the viewfinder, which is almost universally bad.
As is typical with EVFs, the colours look completely different than on the LCD, but it refreshes quickly, even in low light, and it is relatively well-magnified. The screen itself is too reflective to work well in direct sunlight, but you can set everything to display only on the EVF. Olympus' optical image stabilizer works well out to the end of the zoom range.
IMAGE QUALITY
We debated on the rating of the SP-590UZ's photo quality. It's not bad, and if you're not picky, you'll probably be very happy with the photos. However, even at low sensitivities (ISO 64 and ISO 100) our photos displayed visible noise, a lack of sharpness and had that painterly artifact quality usually associated with higher ISO images, which makes prints look soft. The automatic white balance yields cool results in all lights (which, ironically, results in pretty good rendering under i-candescent lighting). But metering and exposures are good, and there's practically no fringing.Colours are vibrant and pleasing,but not very accurate. The loresolution video capture looks pretty good and perfectly sufficient for YouTube, but it's hard to get around the audio/zoom trade-off.
Ultimately, the Olympus SP-590UZ ranks as a functional but not particularly notable superzoom. While none of the current models have a 26x optical zoom, as with many superzooms,the EVF makes it impractical to shoot the things most people want the long lens for - childrens'sports, for example. So you may as well go with an alternative.
DESIGN AND FEATURES
With the large handgrip, the SP-590UZ looks like a dSLR. The design is typical a big, solid body with a plastic chassis and a large, rubberised grip accommodating the four AA batteries that power the camera.For a nice touch, the bottom of the shooter extends out beneath the lens to provide a more stable platform when mounted on a tripod. Unfortunately, the camera takes two equally inconvenient forms of media:Olympus/Fujifilm's proprietary xD-Picture Cards or microSD media which fits into an xD card adapter.
Overall, the SP-590UZ is fairly straightforward to learn and operate if you've used a digital camera in the past couple of years. In addition to all the usual suspects on the mode dial, the snapper includes Beauty mode which blurs skin slightly.Even if it works extremely well, it's way too slow - approximately 20 seconds between shots - and the result is a two megapixel image.
There is also MyMode which holds up to four groups of custom settings, which includes the focal length setting at the time you saved them. An OK/Func button pulls up frequently needed shooting settings, which include drive mode, white balance, ISO sensitivity, metering, image size and compression.
Besides the standard continuous shooting, there are higher-speed drive modes:6fps and 10fps. However, they operate at reduced image sizes of five and three megapixels, respectively. This includes a precapture high-speed mode that shoots 10 three-megapixel frames at 10fps from focus lock until you snap the photo.
Like most megazooms, the SP-590UZ produces its sharpest shots in Super Macro mode, and the results are pretty sharp.
There are dedicated buttons for exposure compensation, flash, macro mode and selftimer, as well as a toggling Shadow Adjustment and a custom button to which you can assign a variety of capabilities,including image stabiliser, focus/AE lock,and focus mode. You can bracket the exposure up to five shots - most cameras limit you to three - in +/-1/3,2/3 or full stop intervals. While the SP-590UZ supports optical zoom when recording video, at best the camera does 30fps VGA saved as Motion JPEG-compressed AVI files. You can't zoom and record sound at the same time. That's certainly one way to defeat noise created by the lens mechanism moving.
PERFORMANCE
With the exception of overly long shot lag in dim light, the SP-590UZ delivers pretty typical performance for a megazoom. It powers on and shoots in 1.6 seconds, which is actually pretty fast in this class. In good light it matches the focus-and-shoot speed of the best of its class -0.6 second - but in dim light it struggles, resulting in an overly slow 1.4 second delay. Its two second shot-to-shot time matches the rest of the crowd, and enabling flash bumps that to a pretty typical 2.5 seconds. While its continuous shooting rate of 1.2fps sits close to the bottom of its class, frame rate is almost immaterial with an electronic viewfinder (EVF) camera since your real constraint for burst usability is the blackout interval of the viewfinder, which is almost universally bad.
As is typical with EVFs, the colours look completely different than on the LCD, but it refreshes quickly, even in low light, and it is relatively well-magnified. The screen itself is too reflective to work well in direct sunlight, but you can set everything to display only on the EVF. Olympus' optical image stabilizer works well out to the end of the zoom range.
IMAGE QUALITY
We debated on the rating of the SP-590UZ's photo quality. It's not bad, and if you're not picky, you'll probably be very happy with the photos. However, even at low sensitivities (ISO 64 and ISO 100) our photos displayed visible noise, a lack of sharpness and had that painterly artifact quality usually associated with higher ISO images, which makes prints look soft. The automatic white balance yields cool results in all lights (which, ironically, results in pretty good rendering under i-candescent lighting). But metering and exposures are good, and there's practically no fringing.Colours are vibrant and pleasing,but not very accurate. The loresolution video capture looks pretty good and perfectly sufficient for YouTube, but it's hard to get around the audio/zoom trade-off.
Ultimately, the Olympus SP-590UZ ranks as a functional but not particularly notable superzoom. While none of the current models have a 26x optical zoom, as with many superzooms,the EVF makes it impractical to shoot the things most people want the long lens for - childrens'sports, for example. So you may as well go with an alternative.
KODAK TO EXPAND DIGITAL-PRINTING SERVICE, EXPECTS MARKET TO DOUBLE
Kodak (Thailand) is expanding its digital-printing service,as the market is expected to double each year.
Managing director Preecha Prasatwattana, who assumed the position in April, yesterday said Kodak would install digital-printing kiosks in four Thailand Post brances in Bangkok next month.
If the service proves popular, it may be expanded to other post offices.
Kodak will also increase its picture kiosks to 550 by year-end, from 400 nationwide now. It also has 400 Kokak Express Coloru Labs.
Digital printing now contributes half of the company's total revenue,while the rest comes from digital-camera sales.
The digital-printing market has boomed in recent years, with people taking pictures with not only digital cameras, but also camera phones and printing them out at a kiosk or labs.
Although the digital-camera market saw sales drop 20-25 per cent in the first seven months of the year,Kodak's first half digital-printing revenue rose 35 per cent year on year.
"We've so far maintained our market share of 50 per cent in the digital-printing business," Preecha added.
Managing director Preecha Prasatwattana, who assumed the position in April, yesterday said Kodak would install digital-printing kiosks in four Thailand Post brances in Bangkok next month.
If the service proves popular, it may be expanded to other post offices.
Kodak will also increase its picture kiosks to 550 by year-end, from 400 nationwide now. It also has 400 Kokak Express Coloru Labs.
Digital printing now contributes half of the company's total revenue,while the rest comes from digital-camera sales.
The digital-printing market has boomed in recent years, with people taking pictures with not only digital cameras, but also camera phones and printing them out at a kiosk or labs.
Although the digital-camera market saw sales drop 20-25 per cent in the first seven months of the year,Kodak's first half digital-printing revenue rose 35 per cent year on year.
"We've so far maintained our market share of 50 per cent in the digital-printing business," Preecha added.
Kodak looks to printing to offset camera decline
Kodak (Thailand) aims to maintain last year's sales revenue by offsetting its troubled camera sales - set to hit a five-year low - with its printing sales.
This year the company projects its sales of cameras, which provide about 40% of its revenue, to total 80,000 units,down from 90,000 last year due to the downturn and H1N1 flu keeping shoppers out of department stores.
The company expects its printing businesses such as Kodak Kiosk and Kodak Express Digital Online to generate higher revenue because of their convenience for customers, said managing director Preecha Prasatwattana.
Printing contributes more than half of the company's income while its other businesses provide about 10%.
The company plans to open about 150 kiosks nationwide, bringing its total to 550 by the year-end.
"The investment cost for these kiosks,starting at 60,000 baht, fits with the cur-rent economic situation," he said.
Kodak also plans to launch the Kodak Kiosk at post offices nationwide. The first four kiosks will be installed in Bangkok next month.
"Kiosks providing an express photo printing service still have ample room to grow because customers order photo printing from files in both digital cameras and mobile phones," said Mr Preecha.
Paisan Areepongsa, the company's sales and marketing manager for its consumer digital imaging group, forecast that the downturn will shrink the camera market by 20% this year to between one million and 1.2 million units.
The company plans to launch four camera series, starting at 2,900 baht,over the next few months to help maintain its market share at 7-8%.
This segment has considerable room to grow because only 5-10% of Thailand's households own cameras, said Mr Paisan.
Kodak aims to introduce its first video camera next week, priced at 6,000 baht,to test the market and attract new users.
This year the company projects its sales of cameras, which provide about 40% of its revenue, to total 80,000 units,down from 90,000 last year due to the downturn and H1N1 flu keeping shoppers out of department stores.
The company expects its printing businesses such as Kodak Kiosk and Kodak Express Digital Online to generate higher revenue because of their convenience for customers, said managing director Preecha Prasatwattana.
Printing contributes more than half of the company's income while its other businesses provide about 10%.
The company plans to open about 150 kiosks nationwide, bringing its total to 550 by the year-end.
"The investment cost for these kiosks,starting at 60,000 baht, fits with the cur-rent economic situation," he said.
Kodak also plans to launch the Kodak Kiosk at post offices nationwide. The first four kiosks will be installed in Bangkok next month.
"Kiosks providing an express photo printing service still have ample room to grow because customers order photo printing from files in both digital cameras and mobile phones," said Mr Preecha.
Paisan Areepongsa, the company's sales and marketing manager for its consumer digital imaging group, forecast that the downturn will shrink the camera market by 20% this year to between one million and 1.2 million units.
The company plans to launch four camera series, starting at 2,900 baht,over the next few months to help maintain its market share at 7-8%.
This segment has considerable room to grow because only 5-10% of Thailand's households own cameras, said Mr Paisan.
Kodak aims to introduce its first video camera next week, priced at 6,000 baht,to test the market and attract new users.
CANON AIMS TO BE NO 2 IN CAMCORDERS
Canon Marketing (Thailand) intends to become No 2 locally in digital video camcorders this year, buoyed by its newly launched Legria subbrand.
It is in third place now.
Canon entered the Kingdom's digฌital videocamcorder market 10 years ago but did not focus on it as much as it did its other business, such as inkjet printers.
However, the faster growth of flashmemory camcorders internationally, including in Thailand, is allowing Cannon to focus more on the segment now by launching its new Legria camcorder subbrand, said Warin Tantipongpanich, director and general manager of the Consumer Imaging and Information Division.
Digital video camcorders account for 10 per cent of the division's Bt3 billion in annual sales.
Canon is No 3 in digital video camฌcorders, with a 7percent market share. The No2 player enjoys a 12percent share, while the market leader commands 62 per cent.
The company believes the launch of the new Legria lineup, especially flashmemory camcorders, will drive its market share to 14 per cent this year, enough to bump Canon up into second place.
Warin said the new subbrand would allow Canon to communicate more easily with clients and that the company would create awareness through belowtheline marketing activities.
"We'll hold roadshows to introฌduce Legria digital video camcorders. Customers will be able to see for themselves the quality of these camฌcorders before deciding to buy, which is a good strategy for competing against the market leader," he said.
Warin said flashmemory camฌcorders were the only segment enjoying growth this year, while harddisk and DVD camcorders had declined.
The company predicts the flashmemory camcorders will become a major segment, replacing harddisk camcorders next year.
The overall digital videocamฌcorder market plunged nearly 30 per cent year on year in the first half, because of the economic crisis and reduced consumer purchasing power. However, the overall growth rate for Canon Marketing (Thailand) was 18 per cent.
It is in third place now.
Canon entered the Kingdom's digฌital videocamcorder market 10 years ago but did not focus on it as much as it did its other business, such as inkjet printers.
However, the faster growth of flashmemory camcorders internationally, including in Thailand, is allowing Cannon to focus more on the segment now by launching its new Legria camcorder subbrand, said Warin Tantipongpanich, director and general manager of the Consumer Imaging and Information Division.
Digital video camcorders account for 10 per cent of the division's Bt3 billion in annual sales.
Canon is No 3 in digital video camฌcorders, with a 7percent market share. The No2 player enjoys a 12percent share, while the market leader commands 62 per cent.
The company believes the launch of the new Legria lineup, especially flashmemory camcorders, will drive its market share to 14 per cent this year, enough to bump Canon up into second place.
Warin said the new subbrand would allow Canon to communicate more easily with clients and that the company would create awareness through belowtheline marketing activities.
"We'll hold roadshows to introฌduce Legria digital video camcorders. Customers will be able to see for themselves the quality of these camฌcorders before deciding to buy, which is a good strategy for competing against the market leader," he said.
Warin said flashmemory camฌcorders were the only segment enjoying growth this year, while harddisk and DVD camcorders had declined.
The company predicts the flashmemory camcorders will become a major segment, replacing harddisk camcorders next year.
The overall digital videocamฌcorder market plunged nearly 30 per cent year on year in the first half, because of the economic crisis and reduced consumer purchasing power. However, the overall growth rate for Canon Marketing (Thailand) was 18 per cent.
CHINA INSTALLS NEARLY THREE MILLION SECURITY CAMERAS
Chinese police say they have installed 2.75 million surveillance cameras since 2003 and are expanding the system into the largely neglected countryside.
The cameras are the m ost visible components of police surveillance and notification systems installed around the country, mainly in urbarn areas, according to a news release posted on teh Public Security Ministry's website yesterday.
Such systems have proved controversial in other countries, especially in Britain, which reportedly has 4.2 million surveillance cameras installed, or about one per 14 people. British police say the system has in fact done little to bring down crime.
No debate over privacy rights has taken place in China, where the ratio of cameras to people stands at only one to 472,000, and where tight communist political control and broad and insrusive police pwers have long been the norm. The camera-to-person ratio is believed to be much higher in China's cities, with the capital Beijing having 265,000 cameras, according to the official Xinhua news agency.
But China's moves to combine surveillance cameras with face recognition software has raised concerns about how the equipment will be used. It is not clear how many surveillance cameras in China use such software.
The police news release said widespread camera installation began in 2003, but did not say whether that had made a dent in the crime rate or helped police crack more cases. However, police say violent crime had declined with better enforcement of rules governing weapons and explosives.
The police news release said the Public Security Ministery had recently decided to expand the use of security cameras in the countryside, which is home to about 800 million of the country's 1.3 billion people. Such efforts should "put the safety of the broad masses of the people first and foremost", the release said.
The cameras are the m ost visible components of police surveillance and notification systems installed around the country, mainly in urbarn areas, according to a news release posted on teh Public Security Ministry's website yesterday.
Such systems have proved controversial in other countries, especially in Britain, which reportedly has 4.2 million surveillance cameras installed, or about one per 14 people. British police say the system has in fact done little to bring down crime.
No debate over privacy rights has taken place in China, where the ratio of cameras to people stands at only one to 472,000, and where tight communist political control and broad and insrusive police pwers have long been the norm. The camera-to-person ratio is believed to be much higher in China's cities, with the capital Beijing having 265,000 cameras, according to the official Xinhua news agency.
But China's moves to combine surveillance cameras with face recognition software has raised concerns about how the equipment will be used. It is not clear how many surveillance cameras in China use such software.
The police news release said widespread camera installation began in 2003, but did not say whether that had made a dent in the crime rate or helped police crack more cases. However, police say violent crime had declined with better enforcement of rules governing weapons and explosives.
The police news release said the Public Security Ministery had recently decided to expand the use of security cameras in the countryside, which is home to about 800 million of the country's 1.3 billion people. Such efforts should "put the safety of the broad masses of the people first and foremost", the release said.
KINGDOM A PRIORITY MARKET FOR CCTVS, SAYS SAMSUNG
Thailand has been selected as a priority market, along with Russia and Indonesia, for Samsung Electronics' new strategy to transform its CCTV business from a headquarters-direct operation to a local one.
The change, which allows local units to use their present resources, such as manpower, service network, dealer network, market intelligence and brand awareness, is a key step to achieving the global target of joining the world's top three by 2012.
Do In-rok, vice president for video security systems, yesterday said Thailand was chosen because of its great potential to achieve business-to-business success in supplying all kinds of CCTV products.
"Our Thai subsidiary [Thai Samsung Electronics] is quite strong in the B2B business. With the new local operation strategy, we are able to meet the market's needs and access market segments more effectively," Do said.
Shin Woo-chul, director of area sales and marketing for video security systems, digital media and communications, said the global CCTV market was expected to reach US$41.5 billion (Bt1.4 trillion) next year on growth of about 15 per cent.
"Asia has enjoyed the highest growth rate for CCTV systems, at about 16.8 per cent last year to $2.9 billion in market value, while the CCTV market in Thailand is expected to experience a big increase from $72 million posted last year to $106 million projected by 2011," Shin said.
Samsung Electronics has been in the CCTV market for 16 years.
"Globally, the CCTV market is fragmented, with no powerful brand. The market is occupied by more than 400 players, and many of them are small companies.
"The world market leader, Pelco in the US, has a share of only 5.5 per cent, while the top 10 players in the CCTV market globally have a combined share of less than 50 per cent," Shin said.
Samsung Electronics ranks seventh in the global CCTV market with a 3-per-cent share.
"We want to be at least No 3 in the market with a 5-per-cent share by 2012," he said.
For the CCTV business, the ability to provide immediate technical support is absolutely crucial for
success.
Pelco, for instance, commands 10 per cent of its US market, because they have strong technical support, Shin added.
Thai Samsung Electronics de-puty managing director Arnut Changtrakul said the launch of
CCTV products and access-control systems in Thailand was another piece in the jigsaw puzzle for the Thai operation.
The company is positioning itself as a total solutions provider for various product applications, including home appliances, semiconductors, digital media like audio-video and information-technology products, liquid-crystal-display panels and mobile-phone networks.
"We expect to achieve local sales of Bt120 million from CCTV and access-control systems and a 1.5-2-per-cent market share this year," Arnut said.
The domestic CCTV market is expected to expand 13 per cent to more than Bt2.8 billion this year.
The change, which allows local units to use their present resources, such as manpower, service network, dealer network, market intelligence and brand awareness, is a key step to achieving the global target of joining the world's top three by 2012.
Do In-rok, vice president for video security systems, yesterday said Thailand was chosen because of its great potential to achieve business-to-business success in supplying all kinds of CCTV products.
"Our Thai subsidiary [Thai Samsung Electronics] is quite strong in the B2B business. With the new local operation strategy, we are able to meet the market's needs and access market segments more effectively," Do said.
Shin Woo-chul, director of area sales and marketing for video security systems, digital media and communications, said the global CCTV market was expected to reach US$41.5 billion (Bt1.4 trillion) next year on growth of about 15 per cent.
"Asia has enjoyed the highest growth rate for CCTV systems, at about 16.8 per cent last year to $2.9 billion in market value, while the CCTV market in Thailand is expected to experience a big increase from $72 million posted last year to $106 million projected by 2011," Shin said.
Samsung Electronics has been in the CCTV market for 16 years.
"Globally, the CCTV market is fragmented, with no powerful brand. The market is occupied by more than 400 players, and many of them are small companies.
"The world market leader, Pelco in the US, has a share of only 5.5 per cent, while the top 10 players in the CCTV market globally have a combined share of less than 50 per cent," Shin said.
Samsung Electronics ranks seventh in the global CCTV market with a 3-per-cent share.
"We want to be at least No 3 in the market with a 5-per-cent share by 2012," he said.
For the CCTV business, the ability to provide immediate technical support is absolutely crucial for
success.
Pelco, for instance, commands 10 per cent of its US market, because they have strong technical support, Shin added.
Thai Samsung Electronics de-puty managing director Arnut Changtrakul said the launch of
CCTV products and access-control systems in Thailand was another piece in the jigsaw puzzle for the Thai operation.
The company is positioning itself as a total solutions provider for various product applications, including home appliances, semiconductors, digital media like audio-video and information-technology products, liquid-crystal-display panels and mobile-phone networks.
"We expect to achieve local sales of Bt120 million from CCTV and access-control systems and a 1.5-2-per-cent market share this year," Arnut said.
The domestic CCTV market is expected to expand 13 per cent to more than Bt2.8 billion this year.
iSex HOW PORNOGRAPHY HAS REVOLUTIONISED TECHNOLOGY
By Matilda Battersby, Jack Riley and Dina Rickman
Super 8 projectors
The Super 8 projector rose to popularity due in
part to the large amount of pornographic content which was quickly available for it. The
Super 8 camera was a favourite for fraternity
house "home movies", although it was a drawback that the film had to be developed.
Released in 1965 by Kodak, the film came in
plastic cartridges containing plenty of potential on their 15 metres of film. But the
projector, a temperamental contraption,would sometimes disappoint anxious viewers
by refusing to work.
Polaroid
A need for instant satisfaction prompted the invention of the Polaroid camera. You get to take delightfully rude images of your nearest and dearest in the comfort of your own home and you don't have to wait weeks before you can reap the benefits.Despite the frantic hand flapping that comes with developing a Polaroid negative, you get to see the result in less than a minute. Plus, you get to avoid the embarrassing trip to SnappySnaps to see the disapproving shop assistant.
VoIP
Voice over Internet Protocol was developed to feed the porn market after
frustrated internet users bemoaned the lack of "dirty talk" online. VoIP basically
allows you to use internet-based sex phone lines (a bit like Skype, but filthier)and allows you to view whatever you like
while you chat. What could be simpler?And, you don't even need to hold a phone
to your ear as you can use an ear piece or
web cammike to speak to your "date".
VHS
The war of video formats began in 1975 when Sony launched the Betamax system, closely followed in 1976 by JVC's VHS. Despite the technical superiority of the Betamax system, VHS won the battle for customers as it was easier for amateur pornographers to produce their own content with VHS, and porn was readily available in the VHS format. Although porn helped VHS to dominate over Betamax, the relationship was reciprocal, with VHS offering the pornography industry a system of distribution which allowed it to insinuate itself into the mainstream. The rival Betamax tapes were not long enough to record a film, at only 60 minutes, and adult content was not available on Betamax.
DVD players
The DVD player has not only increased the availability of pornography beyond VHS, but
allowed it to be viewed in a more accessible format. Fans of risque films could quickly flick to
their favoured scenes or pause to view particularly agreeable moments in high definition. The advent of the DVD player has seen
history repeating itself, with the VHS vs Betamax
war being channelled into the fight between HD
DVD and Sony's Blu-ray. Sony appear to be
suffering due to the company's continued reluctance to support the adult films, with Blu-ray
not releasing its first adult film until 2007.
Pay-per-view cable or satellite
The pay-per-view format on satellite and cable helped pornography to thrust itself into the mainstream. Instead of videos only being available to those brave enough to rent racy material face to face, one could order porn from the TV at home,or through premium services within hotels. The ubiquity of pornography available in the home led to Jacqui Smith's husband, a British politician,recently getting in trouble for billing the taxpayer for two porn films he bought on pay-per-view, via his wife's expenses.
The internet
For many, the internet is synonymous with
pornography. While statistics on usage are difficult to come across given the shady legal status of the industry,2007 estimates claimed that
the industry was worth $2.84 billion a year, with
89% of pornography produced in the US. It's difficult to ascertain precisely how much of an influence salacious material had on the rise of the
world wide web, but it's generally acknowledged that which such a sizeable chunk of internet traffic
dedicated to the transmission and reception of pornography we may not have seen the 100% year
on year growth of the internet witnessed from the
mid-'90s to the early noughties.
Interactive television
Have you seen that little red button on some TV remotes? Well, the interactivity that button supplies you with for mainstream news and satellite sports channels was reportedly developed for the porn industry.It was intended to allow users to home in on the most interesting actors/actresses/activities available. Apparently the TV remote control element means you can bypasses the embarrassment of having to sign up and pay-to-view via a call centre.
The video phone
Not only have video phones allowed
customers to view downloaded pornography whenever and wherever they
choose, they have also given the public a constant instrument to film with, allowing
amateurs to immortalise their tawdry
dalliances without the hassle of any forward planning. This benefit has been particularly embraced by teenagers, and has allowed their peers to share amorous moments with one another electronically,
leading to the "sexting" craze, which has been reported in Australia, New Zealand,
the US and the UK.
Camcorder
Electrical outlets in the 1990s saw sales boosted by the libidos of people wanting to make their own adult movies using snappy little camcorders - a far cry from the hefty film cameras of old. With women's magazines lambasting the home-made blue movie as a way to spice up a long-term romance, young and old began to get a bit creative. Just don't forget which tape is which and record Coronation Street over it.
Super 8 projectors
The Super 8 projector rose to popularity due in
part to the large amount of pornographic content which was quickly available for it. The
Super 8 camera was a favourite for fraternity
house "home movies", although it was a drawback that the film had to be developed.
Released in 1965 by Kodak, the film came in
plastic cartridges containing plenty of potential on their 15 metres of film. But the
projector, a temperamental contraption,would sometimes disappoint anxious viewers
by refusing to work.
Polaroid
A need for instant satisfaction prompted the invention of the Polaroid camera. You get to take delightfully rude images of your nearest and dearest in the comfort of your own home and you don't have to wait weeks before you can reap the benefits.Despite the frantic hand flapping that comes with developing a Polaroid negative, you get to see the result in less than a minute. Plus, you get to avoid the embarrassing trip to SnappySnaps to see the disapproving shop assistant.
VoIP
Voice over Internet Protocol was developed to feed the porn market after
frustrated internet users bemoaned the lack of "dirty talk" online. VoIP basically
allows you to use internet-based sex phone lines (a bit like Skype, but filthier)and allows you to view whatever you like
while you chat. What could be simpler?And, you don't even need to hold a phone
to your ear as you can use an ear piece or
web cammike to speak to your "date".
VHS
The war of video formats began in 1975 when Sony launched the Betamax system, closely followed in 1976 by JVC's VHS. Despite the technical superiority of the Betamax system, VHS won the battle for customers as it was easier for amateur pornographers to produce their own content with VHS, and porn was readily available in the VHS format. Although porn helped VHS to dominate over Betamax, the relationship was reciprocal, with VHS offering the pornography industry a system of distribution which allowed it to insinuate itself into the mainstream. The rival Betamax tapes were not long enough to record a film, at only 60 minutes, and adult content was not available on Betamax.
DVD players
The DVD player has not only increased the availability of pornography beyond VHS, but
allowed it to be viewed in a more accessible format. Fans of risque films could quickly flick to
their favoured scenes or pause to view particularly agreeable moments in high definition. The advent of the DVD player has seen
history repeating itself, with the VHS vs Betamax
war being channelled into the fight between HD
DVD and Sony's Blu-ray. Sony appear to be
suffering due to the company's continued reluctance to support the adult films, with Blu-ray
not releasing its first adult film until 2007.
Pay-per-view cable or satellite
The pay-per-view format on satellite and cable helped pornography to thrust itself into the mainstream. Instead of videos only being available to those brave enough to rent racy material face to face, one could order porn from the TV at home,or through premium services within hotels. The ubiquity of pornography available in the home led to Jacqui Smith's husband, a British politician,recently getting in trouble for billing the taxpayer for two porn films he bought on pay-per-view, via his wife's expenses.
The internet
For many, the internet is synonymous with
pornography. While statistics on usage are difficult to come across given the shady legal status of the industry,2007 estimates claimed that
the industry was worth $2.84 billion a year, with
89% of pornography produced in the US. It's difficult to ascertain precisely how much of an influence salacious material had on the rise of the
world wide web, but it's generally acknowledged that which such a sizeable chunk of internet traffic
dedicated to the transmission and reception of pornography we may not have seen the 100% year
on year growth of the internet witnessed from the
mid-'90s to the early noughties.
Interactive television
Have you seen that little red button on some TV remotes? Well, the interactivity that button supplies you with for mainstream news and satellite sports channels was reportedly developed for the porn industry.It was intended to allow users to home in on the most interesting actors/actresses/activities available. Apparently the TV remote control element means you can bypasses the embarrassment of having to sign up and pay-to-view via a call centre.
The video phone
Not only have video phones allowed
customers to view downloaded pornography whenever and wherever they
choose, they have also given the public a constant instrument to film with, allowing
amateurs to immortalise their tawdry
dalliances without the hassle of any forward planning. This benefit has been particularly embraced by teenagers, and has allowed their peers to share amorous moments with one another electronically,
leading to the "sexting" craze, which has been reported in Australia, New Zealand,
the US and the UK.
Camcorder
Electrical outlets in the 1990s saw sales boosted by the libidos of people wanting to make their own adult movies using snappy little camcorders - a far cry from the hefty film cameras of old. With women's magazines lambasting the home-made blue movie as a way to spice up a long-term romance, young and old began to get a bit creative. Just don't forget which tape is which and record Coronation Street over it.
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