Communications and Technology Industry Research

In-Stat has forecast in its research forecast titled, “Embedded Picoprojectors Ready To Break Out” that the picoprojector revenue stream will cross the $ 1.1 Billion mark by 2014 with mobile hand held devices and accessory projectors accounting for significant market shares.

The next popular categories that integrate picoprojectors would be fixed and mobile computing devices, and a whole range of multi-functional consumer electronic products such as a digital photo frame, personal media players, digital cameras, and digital camcorders.

“As mobile devices add more multimedia capabilities, embedded picoprojectors can add a big-screen experience to a very small device,” said David Chamberlain, Author of the report and Principal Analyst, Cellular Devices, Mobile Consumer and Mobile Video Services, In-Stat (News - Alert).

The report says that projector technology has advanced to such an extent in terms of compression of technology that every single physical aspect of an entire projector system can be comfortably accommodated into a three dimensional thumbnail.

In-Stat found that illumination technologies are rapidly and continuously evolving by the day with manufacturers able to produce and supply Light Emitting Diodes (News - Alert) (LED’s) and green lasers, and that the demand for such gizmos integrated within other devices will be so huge that the volumes will easily drive down modular costs to the extent that picoprojectors will become part and parcel of relatively low cost cell phones and media players.

“Technological advances in miniaturization, signal processing, and light sources—including green laser—are making picoprojectors a realistic feature for small battery powered devices like cell phones, media players, computing devices, and other consumer electronics,” said Chamberlain.

During its research the firm unearthed many companies manufacturing and marketing picoprojectors such as 3M, Displaytech, Foxxcon, Light Blue Optics, Oculon, Optoma, Microvision, Toshiba, and Texas Instruments (TI). The power and scope of picoprojector technology can be viewed in a TI related video.

The report included futuristic global five year analysis and forecasts for market shipment, revenue, attach rates, product categories, vendor assessments for research and development organizations and manufacturers, and comparing competing technologies such as LED, laser,

Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS), and liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) displays.

The future for picoprojectors is guaranteed since there is evidence of consumers willing to pay more for additional technologies such as good quality cameras, reported TMCnet, to be included in a single hand held mobile device.

TMCnet reported that the mobile phone is also well positioned to displace the conventional wallet and all its contents, including replacing credit, debit and membership cards with NFC technology. Live TV streaming, video and music on demand are gradually becoming popular. Smartphones that are mini handheld computing devices are becoming more popular, TMCnet reported.