ABI Research IDs Semiconductor Needs for the Next Growth Wave: Portable Entertainment

OYSTER BAY, N.Y.--Oct. 1, 20042, 2004--ABI Research forecasts that sales of portable video players will grow at an 84% CAGR from 2003 to 2009. In a time of maturing markets and single-digit growth in many areas of electronics, this kind of trajectory brings a gleam to many a semiconductor vendor's eyes.

Following computing in the 1970s and communications in the '80s and '90s, the latest wave of electronic portability is dedicated to entertainment, currently in the form of portable digital audio and video players.

"What processor ICs will enable portable entertainment devices?" asks Alan Varghese ABI Research's director of semiconductor research. "Video processing consumes heavy MIPs in order to decode the latest standards such as WM9 and H.264. It also requires flexibility to keep pace with constant changes in audio and video standards, and in connectivity technologies such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, NFC and ultrawideband."

So do portable entertainment processors need a DSP type of architecture, or an ASIC type of architecture? The answer, says Varghese, is "yes." DSP architectures are critical to providing upgradeability to state of the art standards, and to minimize time-to-market. But the ASIC type of architecture is critical for the high speed processing at low power that is essential for portable devices.

"Vendors such as Philips Semiconductors seem to understand the problem well," observes Varghese. "With their Nexperia PNX010x series architectures, they offer system-on-chip solutions that provide software programmability in conjunction with low power processing.

Does this mean that vendors offering only traditional DSP architectures or hard-wired ASIC type designs are bound to fail? This question and many more are answered in ABI Research's study, "Consumer Electronics Digital Signal Processors (DSP)" which outlines trends in CE features and applications, IC integration and cost-reduction roadmaps, competition and market share. It forecasts ASPs and shipments for thirteen CE devices and profiles key players in this space.

Founded in 1990 and headquartered in New York, ABI Research maintains global operations that support annual research programs, quarterly intelligence services and market reports in wireless, automotive, semiconductors, broadband, and energy. Their market research products can be found on the Web at www.abiresearch.com, or by calling 516.624.3113.