DAY 4 - ifa-international.org

Transcription

DAY 4 - ifa-international.org
i n te r n a t i o n a l
Official Daily News Source for International Visitors at IFA
Personal Navigation Devices
More Than Ever a Key Attraction
at IFA 2007
VIDEO
The 2007 edition of the IFA is experiencing a major groundswell of interest from a public curious to learn about
new advances in the technologies, as well as trade representatives hailing from around Europe eager to better
understand the differentiators between major manufacturers and software producers.
After a first quarter result that
saw the Hungarian-based
software developer Nav N Go
rise to number two in the
global sales rankings, the
company has come to IFA
with a unique 3D navigation
system that shows buildings
and allows for real flying
around its mapped landscapes.
Miss Germany made an
appearance on the Nav N Go
stand yesterday with the
company-sponsored Ferrari.
Nav N Go has shot to
prominence since it launched
its software package and its
software architecture is now
used in navigation hardware
from 35 companies including
Sony, Clarion and Mio.
.../ Cont’d. Page 3
Success of “Unlimited
Mobile TV Platform”
Confirmed at IFA
VIDEO
The world-first public demonstration of DVB-H
combined with DVB-SH (Satellite). Even Miss IFA has
had the chance to get her first vision of this new system,
and was, like the rest of us, impressed.
Alcatel-Lucent is spearheading
an “eco-system” of companies
all
working
towards
establishing what’s termed
“Unlimited Mobile TV”.
Leon van de Pas, CEO of Nav N Go and Miss Germany 2007
Unlimited means that mobile
TV is everywhere and with an
unlimited number of channels.
Technology-wise it means
combining several standards,
which in this case is DVB-H
and the new DVB-SH
standard, based on a new
frequency known as the “SBand”, transmitted via satellite
and also via a network of 3Glike transmitters, enabling
excellent signal coverage and
improved penetration in builtup zones.
.../ Cont’d. Page 5
DAY 4
Monday
3rd September
CONTENTS
01 > HEADLINE NEWS
06 > MARKET & TECHNOLOGY TRENDS
10 > MEET THE VISIONARIES
13 > PRODUCT TRENDS
23 > CONFERENCE SPOTLIGHT
25 > TRADE NEWS
29 > GOING OUT
EXCLUSIVE
INTERVIEWS
Guerrino De Luca
President and Chief
Execuive Officer
Logitech
“Until the day that companies offer a
seamless world of home entertainment, the
living room will continue to be a wild,
untamed and diverse environment”
See page 10
Andreas Westhoff
Chief Sales Officer
Navigon AG
“The point is: Connected Navigation raises
the level of location based services to a new
dimension. Information combined with
interactivity and mobile navigation make
location based services attractive to the
consumer”
See page 11
Tim Bush
President
DisplaySearch
“Being able to view into what is actually
being sold through by NPD has added a
lot of credibility to the DisplaySearch
forecast”
See page 5
NEWS
Mood upbeat at the IFA 2007
Organisers and exhibitors thoroughly satisfied with the IFA
After the first three days, the interim assessment of the IFA 2007 by the organizers,
gfu and Messe Berlin, is positive. “We are thoroughly satisfied with the IFA over the
first few days,” announced Dr. Rainer Hecker, Chairman of the Supervisory Board
of the gfu, at the half-way stage of the 47th edition of the IFA Berlin. Dr. Christian
Göke, Chief Operating Officer of Messe Berlin, summed up by saying: “During
the first three days over 100,000 people attended what is one of the world’s largest events
for the CE industry in Berlin. Judging by the reaction of trade visitors to the products
from the consumer electronics industry, exhibitors can confidently expect full order
books.”
public. As Dr. Rainer Hecker pointed out: “The IFA is all set to be a resounding
success. International and domestic exhibitors, trade visitors and media representatives
are already reporting best-ever results. The particular interaction between trade visitors
on the one side and consumers on the other continues to ensure the success of the IFA.”
Hans-Joachim Kamp, Chairman of the Consumer Electronics trade association and
a member of the Supervisory Board of the gfu: “The IFA has now become the leading
trade show for the CE industry. This is reflected not only by the number of exhibitors,
which breaks all existing records, but equally by the rented display area of some 104,000
square metres, and the expected volume of orders totalling around 2.6 billion euros.”
This has already been confirmed by many exhibitors, who have reported
particularly keen interest in the areas serving the needs of dealers and the general
.../ Cont’d. from page 1
”Personal Navigation Devices
More Than Ever a Key Attraction at IFA 2007”
“There will be around 60 products launched over the next few months powered by our
software,” Nav N Go Chief Executive Officer Leon van de Pas said. “We have mapping
for 70 countries and we are aiming to be number one in navigational software.”
Nav N Go’s rapid rise was kick-started by the merger of a mapping company with a
mobile games developer. “If you don’t have a lot of money you have to be smart,” van de
Pas said. “And we have some of the best minds in Hungary working for us. These people
are artists and we treat them with huge respect. There are no fixed hours in the office
because you cannot force people to be brilliant and innovative. It has to come naturally.”
The company’s software package has attracted so many big name clients thanks to a
combination of a blindingly fast software engine and customizability. “We take our
clients’ needs very seriously and match their R&D investment in order to make sure they
have the best possible product.”
Gary Smith, IFA International, interviewing Leon van de Pas
IFA International • Monday, 3rd September 2007
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Page 1
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NEWS
Major US-Based Flat Panel Research
Organisation Makes New Inroads into Europe
.../ Cont’d. from page 1
”SUCCESS OF “UNLIMITED MOBILE TV
PLATFORM” CONFIRMED AT IFA”
DisplaySearch, recently taken over by NPD Group, on the expansion trail
Tim Bush, new Group
President for DisplaySearch, is
present
at
IFA
2007
underlining DisplaySearch’s
goal of increasing its presence
in Europe as part of an overall
expansion
programme.
DisplaySearch was acquired by
the NPD group in September
2005, but it has remained an
independent company. As part
of the deal, NPD offers
DisplaySearch
the
retail
tracking view of the market in
North America, enabling them
to
add
the
detail.
DisplaySearch for its part is a
supply chain company that
tracks the flat panel industry
and all the related categories,
tracking the information from
material acquisition down to
the end products. According to
Mr Bush, “Being able to view
into what is actually being sold
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through by NPD has added a lot
of
credibility
to
the
DisplaySearch forecast. It has
allowed us to look at retail prices
as we look at the cost analysis so
overall this alignment of the two
companies has really benefited
the analysis that DisplaySearch
brings to the market.”
While Gfk has a strategic
partnership with NDP, at this
point this relationship has not
been
leveraged
for
DisplaySearch. “We are still
looking for ways in which we can
still maximize the relationship.
The other story here for us and
the reason we're here at IFA is
that DisplaySearch is really
making an effort to be present in
Europe,” Bush adds.
NPD is a retail tracking
company in the U.S. but it also
has a consumer side. It
expanded into Europe around
ten years ago, and has about
100 employees in Europe.
Tracking
of
consumer
electronics is just one of the
industries that they cover, as
they are also very big in food
service, automotive, toys,
videos games. Since the buyout by NPD, DisplaySearch
has doubled in staff. “We are
really driving our business from
client demand and also we are
leveraging a unique business
model. Our conferences are
another way to bring the supply
chain together. The cool thing
about DisplaySearch is that we
actually allow our customers to
meet their customers on our turf
and be able to look at
information that helps make
business decisions.”, said Tim
Bush.
IFA International Editor in Chief Richard Barnes
interviewing Mr Mittermayr for Internet and Mobile
TV Broadcast
We
spoke
to
Herbert
Mittermayr, Vice President –
Marketing – Alcatel-Lucent
Mobile Broadcast...
DVB-SH is like DVB-H with a
satellite component, which
gives two advantages: you have
coverage everywhere and you
also get a frequency called SBand, which has a much wider
spectrum than UHF.
This means that if you are out
in the middle of the countryside, you can pick up the
satellite with mobile TV, but
also if you are in a building in a
heavily populated area…
LG Reveal 1080/60p - The Next
Generation of Full HD
LG Electronics presents a world
first at IFA: the Full HD
1080/60p TV set doubles the
frame rate over the existing Full
HD sets, delivering pictures of
incredible clarity. “The Full HD
1080/60p represents the next
generation of High Definition
Television,” says Ha Sang-Wok,
LG Electronics Manager
Digital
Display
Brand
Marketing Team. “The two
main points are the enhanced
resolution over Full HD and the
amount of information in the
picture, that gives twice more
detail and much smoother
motion.” Whereas regular High
Definition utilises 60 frames
interlaced and Full HD
functions with 30 progressive
frames, the new Full HD
1080/60p doubles the frame
rate with 60 progressive frames
per second.
Until now this technology has
only been used in gaming
consoles such as the Sony PS3,
but with an eye to the future
LG have produced the first
prototype TV set. “Japanese
broadcaster
NHK
wants
1080/60p as the next generation
broadcast standard and LG are
working with NHK to produce
the required chips, converter and
associated players,” says SangWok, adding “these sets could be
on the market quite soon. Sony
PS3 want to make more
1080/60p gaming content and in
the near future Blu-ray Disc will
be 60p compatible and our sets
will be ready.”
One of the most noticeable
enhancements that 1080/60p
has over regular Full HD is that
the patterning problem known
as the “moiré” effect is largely
resolved. “Full HD was able to
offer a 50% improvement, but
with 1080/60p there is a 90%
improvement and a huge
difference in the improvement of
fast motion images,” says SangWok. “Our target customers are
the early adopters for new
technology. There has been a lot
of interest shown from
competitors visiting our display
and once again this shows that
LG technology is ready for
everything.”
Hall 11.2 Stand 101
IFA International • Monday, 3rd September 2007
Yes. For the end user it means
practically that he can watch it
everywhere, whether he is in
the living room at home in a
surrounded urban area, on the
motorway or on the top of a
mountain, he will get one of the
signals, either from terrestrial or
satellite. He will see no difference between the two.
We are now in the technology
hall, where the technology is
explained to everybody and
people can actually come and
learn about unlimited mobile
TV. There is also a demonstration taking place with Miss
IFA, tell me more about it…
The demonstration is quite
straight forward. We show it in
hall 26 as a walking demo
where you simply walk around
with the mobile phones in your
hand.
We have two versions, one is
DVB-H in UHF and the other
one is the same program but on
DVB-SH in S-Band. So from
the end user point of view you
see no difference, which is
exactly what we want to show:
it is fully complementary.
Hall 5.3 Stand 11
5
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MARKET & TECHNOLOGY TRENDS
The World is Not Flat... But it
Will Be Soon!
“...up till now everybody's been talking about full HD sets and 100 Hz sets,
but nobody has had both at the same time...”
When it comes to looking at trends world-wide but also the trends here at the IFA show, Bob Raikes from Meko in the UK has been in the game
for many years. IFA INTERNATIONAL asked Mr Raikes what he has found to be the most interesting advances at the show.
One of the problems with
being a display analyst these
days is that it's very hard to get
excited because there are so
many great displays, the
technologies you look at are all
really good and it's hard to be
knocked out. But there are
some really interesting things,
particularly an inflection point
has kind of changed: up till
now everybody's been talking
about full HD sets and 100 Hz
sets, but nobody has had both
at the same time. You could
buy a one 100 HZ set which
gave you very good motion on
an LCD and made it look more
like a plasma for moving
things, or you could have full
HD. But you could not have
both at the same time. The
technology has just arrived for
IFA, it is pretty well everywhere
and the LCDs are looking
really good.
LCD technology has now
evolved to a point where we
have full HD 100Hz, and very
good response times in general.
The companies seem to be
turning now a lot more towards
design, lifestyles and this sort of
things
to
market
the
products…
6
Absolutely, there are only a
handful of people who are
making the LCD panels for
everybody so it's very hard if
you are buying them and
making them into a TV to
make the picture really
different. In the days of CRT
TV's, all the major TV brands
had their own CRT factories
and their unique technology.
Now they're having to buy
panels wherever they can. So
they are focusing much more
on TV as furniture. There is a
phrase that is often used in the
industry, the “wife acceptance
factor”. What this means is that
a TV purchase is not just a
technology purchase, it's a
piece of furniture that has to
look good when it switched off
as well as switched on, it says
something about who you are,
what you are and how you feel
about your life. The kind and
brand of the TV you have in
your home is important. The
big brands are concentrating
on styling and features that
make it look nice.
Other things we've seen here in
Europe for the first time is 3D
TV courtesy of DLP. This is
something that's actually going
to market now in the United
States…
Yes, there are going to be
eighteen or twenty sets by the
end of the year from
Mitsubishi and Samsung in the
US retail that are capable of
showing 3D. Whether there is
actually going to be 3D
content for them to show is
quite a different concept. I was
at a very interesting conference
on Wednesday just before the
IFA on 3D, and the talk there
was on the classic chicken and
egg situation: if you want to sell
more 3D sets, you have to have
more 3D content, but you
don’t make 3D content unless
there are 3D sets. And that's
very much like the problem for
HD: HD sets are everywhere
but very few people in Europe
are watching in HD. I'm lucky
because I'm in the UK and I
can get SKY with great HD
picture. But for many people in
Europe you've got fantastic
technology now but they
haven't got the signal and the
content to really make the most
of their great TV sets. Meko
has been doing a lot of studies
recently into the market trends,
and there is no doubt that over
the next couple of days we will
be hearing some more results of
these studies.
Is there anything in particular
you can say about the
European markets, the TV
market that is different to the
U.S. market?
Absolutely, there has been
astonishing news just this week:
the US analyst Display Search
has said that Vizio were the
number one brand in the U.S.
for selling through stores in Q2.
And Visio is a brand that is less
than three years old, it is
Taiwanese owned and it’s
knocked Samsung off the top
spot, while Sony is now in third
position. Fourth and fifth
positions are also now down to
new brands. This is really
astonishing! The European TV
market is very stable, very much
built around the premium
prestige brands, Sony, Samsung,
Lge, Panasonic, Toshiba and so
on… They’re names we have
known for years in TV, but the
U.S. has seen a really radical
change. U.S. consumers love to
buy from warehouse channels
where LCD TVs are very easy to
buy and take home. They are
very low cost through these
channels and U.S. consumers
are always driven by low prices.
So they've really gone heavily
for these new low cost LCD TV
sets, it's causing a big headache
for the major brands and they're
all looking over their shoulders
now at whether it will happen in
Europe. I have to say Europe is
always more complicated, more
difficult, each country has a
different market so it's very
difficult. Visio was able to get a
lot of volume very quickly by
selling to one or two key
retailers. You really can’t do that
in Europe on a big scale. You
can do it in any one country in
Europe, but you can’t do it
across the whole continent. So
we will see people trying to do
that from the U.S. example, it's
going to be interesting and
exciting.
IFA International • Monday, 3rd September 2007
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MARKET & TECHNOLOGY TRENDS
Digital Still Camera Market
The SLR Sweet Spot and Rising Megapixels…
Tracking the Trends
Panasonic, with its Lumix Camera range, has become a stalwart in the digital camera business with a very broad range of solutions. We spoke to
Mamoru Yoshida, the DSC Business Unit executive about what he sees as being the strongest trends in the sector…
The biggest trend I see is the
increase of the “repeat
purchaser.” This type of
consumers
have
already
experienced using digital
cameras and want to upgrade
to higher added value cameras
such as D-SLR cameras. It is
for this reason that the D-SLR
segment is rapidly increasing
and it is in this segment that we
aim to participate more in the
future.
The number of megapixels in
cameras has been rising across
the board, but often people
don’t look at optics and
electronics...
What are the most important
things to consider today when
buying a basic digital camera
and a digital SLR camera?
Optics is a very important part
of the product. This is why all
of our cameras are equipped
with Leica lens to give the best
picture quality. Our D-SLR
camera is also equipped with
Leica lens and Mega O.I.S
which stops blur effectively.
They are also important to
improve the ease of use in our
cameras.
What is changing in the way
people use cameras today?
Users now expect good results
with their cameras in all kinds
of shooting conditions. They
want to have the freedom to be
creative without having to
think how to handle the
cameras. That is why we have
to
provide
intelligent
technology in our Lumix
cameras to fulfill the high
demand from consumers.
Panasonic is sponsoring a very
exciting project with Unesco
covering World Heritage sites...
Could you please tell us about
this project?
Panasonic is proud to be
involved in supporting “Our
Place” - The World’s Heritage
project that will create the
largest photographic collection
of Unesco World Heritage Sites
ever. We want to help
contribute to photographic
culture, as well as promote and
protect the important Unesco
World Heritage sites through
the Our Place Project. The
Panasonic supported project
will eventually have an
international team of 20
photographers, who will be
photographing a large number
of the 830 World Heritage Sites
situated in 138 countries
around the globe. The team
will exclusively use the
Panasonic Lumix range of
digital cameras, including the
Digital SLR, DMC-L1.
What trends will emerge at
IFA?
We believe many companies
will be displaying new D-SLR
cameras as well as digital still
cameras with an increasing
number of megapixels. For
Panasonic, we will be displaying
more intelligent cameras with
28mm wide angle lens. In order
to realize to our vision
“Creating a new photo culture
in digital era”, we keep
proposing uniqueness based on
the black box technologies. And
also we will expand digital AV
networking capabilities which
will be the next market trends.
Hall 5.2 a/b
IFA International • Monday, 3rd September 2007
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MARKET & TECHNOLOGY TRENDS
A New Definition in High Definition
1080p Player at €179
Now Available in Europe
New Medium Enterprises
(NME) has released its latest
commercial
HD
VMD
(Versatile Multilayer Disc)
Player and discs into the
European market, debuting at
IFA 2007. HD VMD brings
Full HD 1080i/p, high quality
players to consumers for an
attractive RRP of €179, at
soon to be announced stores.
Based on a red laser system,
HD VMD is positioning itself
as “The New Definition in High
Definition”
by
giving
consumers
what
the
manufacturers describe as “an
affordable, Full HD player and
DVD upscaler with superior
image playback”. Combining
high quality industrial optoelectronics
and
disc
technologies, HD VMD brings
together established DVD redlaser production infrastructure
with novel break-through
multilayer disc technology to
deliver its Full HD picture.
Consumers can expect more
exciting developments to come,
as HD VMD’s multilayer disc
technology is industrially
capable of storing over 30 GB
on a single sided disc.
Hollywood,
Bollywood
and
International titles worldwide
including
‘16
Blocks’,
‘Apocalypto’, ‘Passion of the
Christ’, ‘Lord of War’, ‘Lucky
Number Slevin’, plus the award
winning children’s series, ‘Lazy
Town’.
“European consumers have
waited for an HD solution at
DVD pricing; and with HD
VMD, we believe we have met
this desire through a stellar
quality, high-definition disc and
player at a price point that
almost anyone can afford,” says
Mahesh Jayanarayan, CEO of
NME, “With the launch into
the European market this month
and an accelerating rollout of
HD VMD content and retail
distribution partners, we plan to
drive adoption of HD in the
home.”
HD VMD is currently being
adopted by content providers
and distributors in dozens of
regions worldwide, including
Australia, Brazil, Central
Europe,
China,
France,
Germany, Iceland, India,
Japan, the Middle East Russia,
Scandinavia and the United
States.
Technology features:
NME launches on the
worldwide
market
in
October/November with a
competitive player and content
bundle box which will include
5 new HD VMD titles for
Australia, France, Iceland,
India, Poland and Scandinavia.
HD VMD’s growing list of
film
content
includes
blockbuster
films
from
8
• 1080p High Definition - HD
VMD disc has a capacity to
playback a full three hours of
true 1080p High Definition
material on a single side.
• 2p process - NME’s patented
2p process succeeded in
solving the technological
problems which limited
DVDs
to
two
information
layers (DVD9).
The superior bit
transfer rate and
f a u l t l e s s
encoding software
of the HD VMD
format provides unequalled
smooth delivery for the
ultimate in picture
quality and sound.
disc, HD VMD also has
industrial capability for 25,
30 and 40GB using NME’s
2p process method.
Hall 26c, Stand 115a
To find out more about HD
VMD go to
www.truehighdefinition.com
• Disc Capacity Multilayering is now
possible
with
HD
VMD’s commercial solution
with up to 20GB storage
capacity for a single sided
China Hualu Group joins
Blu-ray Disc Association
China Hualu Group Co.,
Ltd., the only consumer
electronics
company
belonging to Chinese stateowned Assets Supervision and
Administration Commission
of State Council, has joined
the Blu-ray Disc Association
as a contributing member.
CHLG is one of China’s
leading manufacturers of
audio and video devices and is
one of the largest providers of
audio and video content and
services in China. “After
careful
and
intensive
evaluation of next generation
DVD formats, China Hualu
Group decided to join the Bluray Disc Association since this
represents the best opportunity
in the market for us,” said
Chen Run Sheng, Chairman
of CHLG. “Hualu Group is
committed to actively help
improve the Blu-ray Disc
format and become involved in
its promotional activities in the
Chinese market.” “I am very
pleased China Hualu Group
joined Blu-ray Disc Association
and hope Hualu group will
propose Chinese technologies
and standards to the Blu-ray
Disc Association for further
improvement of the Blu-ray
Disc format and contribute to
the development of optical disc
related industries in China”,
said Bai Weimin, Director,
Department of Electronics &
I.T. Products, Division of
Broadcast & Television,
Ministry of the Information
Industry, China. “Blu-ray Disc
Association welcomes CHLG to
BDA,”
said
Sumitaka
Matsumura, Chairman of
China Task Force, Blu-ray
Disc
Association
and
Executive Officer, Pioneer
Corporation.
“CHLG is one of the most
influential companies in
China. We are confident they
will play an important role in
promoting and expanding the
Blu-ray Disc format to the
world.” “The addition of a
leading Chinese company like
CHLG is one more indication
of the strong and growing
support for Blu-ray,” said Andy
Parsons, chairman of BDA’s
US Promotions Committee.
“We look forward to CHLG’s
active participation in bringing
the benefits of Blu-ray to
consumers in China.”
Hall 6.2, Stand 104
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MARKET & TECHNOLOGY TRENDS
Emerging Markets to Drive Pay
TV Set-top Box Growth
The global transition from analog to
digital pay television is driving overall
healthy sales of digital set-top boxes, but
that growth won’t be uniform across the
world. Growth will vary widely by
regional markets and by digital TV
platforms, as well as the types of services
and technologies offered, according to a
new report from Digital Tech
Consulting (DTC).
DTC
believes
that
emerging
technologies, as well as the proliferation
of digital pay TV services into more
undeveloped countries, will be the main
growth drivers of STB shipments over
the next few years. These emerging
technologies include HD Programming,
Home Networking and Internet
Protocol Technology.
And with an estimated 14% increase in
STB shipments for all pay TV delivery
platforms in 2007 – DTH satellite,
cable, IPTV – growth is being driven by
a set of more immediate trends:
• New digital pay TV networks continue
to expand into all corners of the world,
as analog systems gradually phase out.
Several large analog pay TV markets,
such as China and India, are only just
beginning their transitions to digital
technology and promise robust growth
over the decade.
• Heightened competition among
platforms in more mature digital TV
markets, such as the United States and
Europe, is increasing the importance of
new features and services such as
HDTV and PVR.
• The rise of bundled services is proving
more attractive to consumers and
spurring growth in subscribers and
upgrades.
But the pay TV STB market is not
homogenous. Rather, DTC sees
different STB growth and opportunities
in different regions of the world.
Indeed, while North America accounted
for some 43% of units shipped in 2006,
this market share is forecast to decrease
to just 34% in 2012. Asia-Pacific,
however, is expected to rise from 26% to
36% during the same time period, while
EMEA holds steady with just under
30%. DTC’s regional outlook is as
follows.
North America
North American digital pay TV is
dominated by digital cable and direct-tohome (DTH) satellite, with ARPU
among the highest in the world based on
a large range of advanced services
including HD, PVR, and on-demand
content. In digital cable, MSOs pulled
ahead of DTH satellite operators in
terms of new subscribers on the strength
of their advanced, bundled offerings.
DTH satellite operators have responded
by expanding HD programming.
much to propel this wave. This same
phenomenon has also given rise to
resurgence in digital cable deployments.
Asia-Pacific
Asia-Pacific is the fastest growing market
for digital pay TV and is forecasted to
make up a majority of digital STB
shipments by 2012. The majority of the
Asia-Pacific STB market over the
forecast period will consist of low cost,
low margin units serving low ARPU
systems. A large portion of these will
come from deployments in China where
the transition to digital pay TV is
occurring primarily through cable, but
also through several major IPTV
networks. India will represent another
large concentration, with digital pay
services rolling out via DTH satellite,
digital cable and IPTV.
A handful of more mature DTH satellite
deployments such as SkyLife in Korea,
SkyPerfect TV in Japan or Foxtel in
Australia support shipments of advanced
STBs with features like HD and PVR.
Similarly, IPTV and digital cable
deployments in Korea, Japan and
Australia sport the more advanced STBs
to match the additional services.
Latin America
Latin America represents the smallest
digital pay TV market, accounting for
just 3% in 2006, as digital pay services
remain out of reach for much of the
population. DTH STBs make up the
majority of shipments, but IPTV and
cable are expected to make up a growing
portion.
www.dtcreports.com
Europe/Middle East/Africa
The EMEA pay TV market historically
has been almost exclusively satellite,
though there are some pockets, mostly
in the UK, Germany and Scandinavia
where there is some digital cable. But
this landscape is gradually changing, and
DTH satellite is facing new competition
on multiple fronts. Europe has seen a
wave of IPTV availability, with major
carriers having launched pay TV in every
major market. The promise of tripleplay (or quad-play) bundles, along with
HD and on-demand services has done
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N o r t h A m e r ic a
2009
2010
E u r o p e / M id d le E a s t / A f r ic a
So u rc e :
2011
A s ia / P a c if ic
2012
L a t in A m e r ic a
D ig ita l T e ch C o n s u ltin g
IFA International • Monday, 3rd September 2007
9
MEET THE VISIONARIES
Consumer Electronics 2.0
VIDEO
Towards a Seamless World of Home Entertainment
harmony. Until the day that
companies offer a seamless
world of home entertainment,
the living room will continue
to be a wild, untamed and
diverse environment. My
keynote took a look at the kind
of solutions that can tame this
environment and how these
solutions will change the face
of consumer electronics and
home entertainment in the
future.
What’s new? Well we’re calling
these new solutions and the
model which creates them
Consumer Electronics 2.0.
Being used to distribution
through classic IT channels,
how is Logitech's channel
approach changing?
Guerrino De Luca has been
President and Chief Executive
Officer of Logitech International
SA since February 1998 and a
member of the Board of Directors
since June 1998. Prior to that
time, Mr. De Luca served as
Executive Vice President of
Worldwide Marketing for Apple
Computer Inc., from February
1997 to September 1997, and as
President of Claris Corporation,
a personal computing software
vendor, from February 1995 to
February 1997. Before this Mr.
De Luca held various positions
with Apple in the United States
and Europe. Mr. De Luca holds a
BS in Electronic Engineering
from the University of Rome.
The Logitech keynote speech,
given by President and CEO
Guerrino De Luca, was entitled
"Never the same again - how
digital technology will change
the
face
of
consumer
electronics
and
home
entertainment". For some time
now we have been hearing
about convergence, so we
decided to ask Mr De Luca
what his take is on this much
used word.
Convergence is only part of the
story. We’ve been talking about
it for many years now, but if
you look at the living room
today, most of the devices in it
still don’t work together in
It’s probably easiest to explain
what isn’t changing and why.
For the most part, Logitech will
remain faithful to its indirect
channel sales model. This is
because the IT and CE
channels are increasingly
merging,
changing
the
distribution landscape in turn.
For example, Ingram Micro –
traditionally seen as an IT
player – has become a powerful
CE distribution partner over
the last two years. Logitech’s
direct sales approach will
remain unchanged too. We
have put in place a new sales
force focused on the CE
channels, from retail to
independent dealers and
custom installers. However,
Logitech will stay flexible in
terms of product distribution
when the need arises.
Can you give some concrete
examples of how retailers
should be changing their sales
tactics or patterns to take better
advantage of the meeting of IT
and consumer technologies?
The Consumer Electronics 2.0
model I’ll be talking about in
my keynote is a new approach
to the industry and product
development. As a result, it will
change the retail landscape and
our retailers’ sales tactics. We
should see a more solution-
10
based
kind
of
selling, rather than the
traditional “product on shelf ”
presentation. A good example
is MediaMarkt, who recently
announced a restructuring of
its CE department in stores. A
newly created Wireless Music
Streaming corner has now been
developed and implemented in
store, to which Logitech is one
of the leading contributors.
Are you working together with
any CE manufacturers in terms
of bundling, or is this on the
horizon?
A bundle needs to provide real
benefits and/or a price
advantage to the consumer.
Unfortunately it’s too common
to find bundles which sell one
good
product
alongside
another product that is not
selling as quickly on its own.
We won’t rule out bundles and
are in constant discussions with
various players from the CE
industry about optimizing our
channel
sales
approach.
However, we are convinced
that our products offer the
quality, innovation and style
necessary for them to stand
alone!
How is Logitech changing in
order to keep pace with the
market?
The
world
of
home
entertainment is changing and
the internet is changing the
ways in which we use, manage
and enjoy content at home.
Radio was the first online
product and it created huge
social change in how families
enjoyed entertainment. Then
VHS was
the
first
example of
hardware that
allowed time-shifting but
it was also the first example of
the industry not doing it right.
It was too hard to set up, the
number of VHRs whose clock
was blinking at 00:00 bears
testimony to that.
How is the humble mouse
adapting to the need of modern
consumers?
We have created two new
devices: the Space Navigator,
which doesn’t look like a
traditional mouse, and the
MXR that does, which
contains some magic. The
Space Navigator is a 3D
motion controller that allows a
way of navigating that is fluid
and unmatched by the mouse
and keyboard combination. It
enables the user to fly around
features on a site like Google
Earth as if they were in a
helicopter.
Then there’s the MX Air laser
mouse that can be used in a
conventional fashion or held in
the hand like a remote control.
In the Windows Media Centre
you can use it to navigate
around features without being
tied to the desk and you can
also use it for PC content on
the TV screen. If you’re
listening to music you can
control volume by moving it
left or right and it changes the
song when you move it up or
down. It’s a richer form of
navigation that is right for
today’s
sophisticated
environment.
Hall 25 Stand 113
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MEET THE VISIONARIES
Setting the “Roadmap”!
Connected Navigation – on the way to travel intelligence!
We are starting to see some links now between mobile phones and GPS… but it’s just a beginning. Here at IFA 2007, thought leaders are setting the scene
for the future roadmap (pardon the pun!) for the industry. IFA International asked Andreas Westhoff, Chief Sales Officer for Navigon, how the market is
evolving...
But one will not replace the
other. Both devices have
unique qualities.
How
will
“Connected
Navigation” help to develop
Location Based Services?
Andreas Westhoff studied law at
the University of Würzburg,
Germany and the New York
University, New York. After his
studies he started his professional
career at E-Plus Mobilfunk
GmbH in 1996. From Regional
Sales Manager followed by his
work as a Regional Team Leader
he became Key Account Manager
and responsible for distributors
such as ProMarkt, Brinkmann
and Hertie. He left E-Plus in
2000 as Head of the service
provider sales department,
moving on to Brodos AG,
Baiersdorf, Germany. As Sales
Director he established the sales
of e-services. Subsequent to this,
he joined ad pepper media
International N.V., Nürnberg,
Germany. As Director Corporate
Development his responsibilities
contained corporate strategy,
M&A, cooperation and investor
relations. Since 2001 he is
working for Navigon, Germany
as Head of Consumer Products
and signs responsible for
Navigon’s global sales activities.
In 2006, he was appointed as
CSO of Navigon AG.
Location Based Services aren’t a
new phenomenon. The simple
fact is that they weren’t
introduced to the market
successfully. A lot of people had
the idea that location based
services are the best way to earn
a lot of money quickly. This
was obviously wrong. To
provide information that
everyone could find in the
internet for free is nothing
special. The point is that
connected navigation raises the
level of location based services
to
a
new
dimension.
Information combined with
interactivity and mobile
navigation makes location
based services attractive to the
consumer. And this is the big
difference
with
former
approaches.
So new business models will be
able to be built around this?
Of course. With our idea of
“connected navigation” we are
able to address completely new
target groups. It is a business
model that appeals to people in
their 20’s. Some of them don’t
even have a car. These people
meet in online communities.
And if we are able to attract
them with our idea of
connected navigation for free,
we have a brilliant base for
advertising. This opens up
entirely new horizons.
What is Navigon doing to
promote this and to work in
this direction?
We are introducing the new
navigation system Navigon
2110. this is designed to appeal
to first time buyers of mobile
navigation. Like its bigger
siblings the Navigon 5110 and
7110, the easy to use 2110
features
high-performance
software behind a smart
outer shell and is available in
black and white. In terms of
technology, the smallest device
in the Navigon family is fitted
with all the essential functions
expected
of
modern
navigational aids today. It is the
only Navigon product without
a visible TMC antenna. The
traffic news receiver is
integrated into the car charging
wire, making the route planner
even more compact. Thanks to
improved route calculation, the
intelligent software shows the
correct way to your destination
without long waiting times.
With over two million special
destinations, the system guides
you to any desired destination.
The SIRFStar III GPS receiver
module sees to optimal
position fixing. The in-built
PIN code anti-theft protection
takes care of security when you
leave the vehicle.
Hall 8.1 Stand 111
Hall 7.2c Stand 101
A short time ago the main
navigation-experts began to
develop special software to
converge route planning with
mobile phones. Navigon was
one of the first to do this in
2004. But navigation by
mobile phone has only been a
very small niche when you are
looking at the overall
navigation market. Last year
80,280 smart phones with
mobile navigation were sold in
Germany - compared to 2.8
million PNAs. These figures
show clearly how things are.
Now the time has come to
grow the market – and we
intend to push growth with our
new product range, which will
be on the market this year. I am
sure that in a few years time
mobile navigation by smart
phone will catch up with
mobile navigation by PNA.
IFA International • Monday, 3rd September 2007
11
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PRODUCT TRENDS
Podcast To The World With
Behringer’s Turnkey Kit
VIDEO
Podcasting has opened up the
world of webcasting to everyone
and now two turnkey kits from
Behringer make it even easier for
anyone to produce quality podcasts.
Behringer’s Podcastudio comes in USB
and Firewire versions and both kits are
Windows and Mac compatible. Each
bundle comprises everything you need
to immediately start producing your
own programmes: a microphone, a
mixer, cables and softwares.
The budget USB kit is ideal for speechbased podcasts and comprises a
dynamic microphone tailored for talk
programmes, a mini-mixer and 18 bit
48 kHz interface box whilst the Firewire
kit comprises a higher spec studio
quality
condenser
microphone,
compact mixer with additional inputs
and a higher quality 24 bit, 96 kHz
interface box. The Firewire package is
targeted for music-based podcasts and
musicians.
“Behringer’s Podcastudio means that for
the first time on the market there is an
affordable turn-key package that makes
Podcasting accessible to everyone.
Everything is supplied including cables
that allow you to plug into your
computer and start producing and
uploading immediately and a
comprehensive software bundle,” says
Behringer Product Specialist Florian
Schober. “It is a complete studio in a
box!”
regular electric guitar in the shape of a
Fender Stratocaster but with a USB
interface and software allowing direct
recording onto a computer and multiple
effects.
The software bundle for the USB
package includes all necessary RSS feed
and Podcast consumer software such as
Podifier, PodNova, Juice & Golden Ear.
You also get the easy to use audio
editing software Audacity. The Firewire
package comes with Ableton Live Lite 4
Behringer edition, Kristal and Audacity
software. “The USB version is also a good
basic studio for musicians,” says Schober.
Customer Benefits:
• Ease of Use – Turnkey bundle/Plug
& Play
• Quality Components
• Good Value for money
“We are musicians ourselves and have
been taking care of musicians’ needs for
almost 20 years,” says Franzen, adding
“we bring a lot of experience with us and
are an ideal company to reach out to
aspiring creative consumers.”
Hall 11.1, Stand 102
This is the first year that Behringer,
based in Willich in Germany, are
present at IFA. “Until now our clientele
have been professional musicians but since
last year we have developed a range of
products for regular consumers who want
to spread out their creativity,” says
Behringer’s Sales Manager Jürgen
Franzen. Another new Behringer
product at IFA is the USB Guitar. It is a
The Truth Is...
Verbatim
Verbatim have launched some
exciting new external HD drives at
IFA. Other innovations include the first
generation of the HD DVD DL Dual
Player with 30 GB of storage and the
USB 2.0 Store 'n' Go with a massive 16
GB of storage space. For fans of highresolution films, HDTV and equivalent
HD recorders, Verbatim now offers for
the first time an HD-DVD in Dual
Layer format with up to 30 GB. The new
HD-DVD DL boasts over 30 GB of
storage capacity and a write speed of 4.5
MB/s. The HD-DVD DL 30 GB is
compatible with version 2.1 of the HD
DVD standard.
In the USB keys sector too, Verbatim is
raising its aim and to coincide perfectly
with the IFA is unveiling its new HiSpeed USB 2.0 Drive Store ‘n’ Go with
an astonishing 16 GB storage capacity.
Hall 15.1, Stand 131
IFA International • Monday, 3rd September 2007
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PRODUCT TRENDS
The Giant Screen
Experience at
Home
The EMP-TWD10 is the latest Epson
Home Entertainment centre to incorporate
Epson’s 3 LCD projector experience, advanced
DVD features and impressive sound performance.
The EMP-TWD10 is ideal for watching films and
enjoying video games and sports on the big screen.
The integration of a USB interface is one of many
advanced features aimed at giving easy
installation, flexibility and mobility.
The EMP-TWD10 base (DVD reader and
speakers) can rotate 180°; this unique feature
ensures that the access to the DVD and the sound
quality stay optimal in any situation. During the
configuration change, the left and right speakers
swap automatically. If you add to this the
horizontal and vertical lens shift which allows the
lens to shift up, down, left and right without
image distortion, you get the most advanced and
14
versatile Home Entertainment centre on the
market. You can project a 60” image from less
than 1.5 metres away and when not in use, you
can simply pack it up to be neatly stored away.
Sophie Layer-Le Nalbaut, Product Manager for
Home Video Projectors, Epson Europe, says. “The
Epson EMP-TWD10 brings giant screen fun to the
home. It combines contemporary design with
superior imaging and sound technology,”.
“It is the ideal home entertainment centre for
families because it is so easy to set up and use. It is the
perfect way to watch films, listen to music, play
computer games or enjoy a slideshow of family photos
and videos.”
Hall 21b, Stand 103
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PRODUCT TRENDS
An SLR camera with Face New JVC
recognition system
Micro-System
by Panasonic
Enhances CD
Conversion
Among the new items being displayed by Panasonic at the IFA in the photographic field are the
Lumix DMC-FZ18, a compact eight megapixel camera with a focal length of between 28 and
504 millimetres, and the Lumix models DMC-FX55 and FX33, also with eight megapixels, 28 to 100
millimetre wide-angle zoom and measuring just 95 by 57 by 23 millimetres.
The digital SLR camera Lumix DMC-L10 is aimed at the more demanding photographer. Its
outstanding features include a new 10.1 megapixel live MOS sensor, an LCD monitor with 6.35
centimetre diagonals and real-time live picture, that can be swivelled both horizontally and vertically,
an ultrasound dust protection system and the fast and highly efficient Venus Engine III image
processor to provide a picture quality suitable for the Leica lenses.
Combined with the handy new wide angle tele-zoom, the “Leica D Vario-Elmar 3.8-5.6/14-50 mm”,
corresponding to a small camera focal length of between 28 and 100 millimetres, is supplied in the kit
with the designation “DMC-L10K”.
According to the manufacturer the DMC-L10 is the first SLR Camera to be equipped with a face
recognition system. This can register human faces, enabling it to concentrate on them when setting
the range and exposure.
Hall 5.2
Beyond The Click
Kodak expands the post capture experience with new suite of HD products
Eastman Kodak Company has
unveiled a raft of new products
aimed at giving consumers even more
opportunities to see their pictures
differently and do more with them. With
this new range, Kodak is delivering an
easy solution for consumers to capture
and display High Definition (HD)
pictures on vibrant wide-screen HDTVs
and digital picture frames, making the
viewing and sharing of images in the
home more seamless and enjoyable than
ever before.
Harnessing the latest digital technology,
Kodak has developed three new digital
cameras with HD still and video
capabilities, the Kodak Easyshare V1233,
V1253 and Z812 IS models and the
intuitive Kodak Easyshare HDTV dock
which will enable consumers to display
HD images on an HD television.
The phenomenal growth of photo
sharing services, such as Kodak Gallery,
social networking sites and instant
messenger applications has created a
massive appetite for displaying
photography. Combined with this, the
emergence of trends such as citizen
photography has prompted consumers to
look for other avenues to display their
pictures and videos. With the
introduction of HD to its digital capture
and display devices, Kodak is enabling
people to display personal photos and
videos with incredible image clarity and
IFA International • Monday, 3rd September 2007
JVC launch a new micro component system featuring K2
technology, oblique cone speakers and a built in memory with
USB Host and iPod connection at IFA. The UX-DM8 debuts
alongside the UX-DM9DB and additionally comes with a DAB
tuner.
The UX-DM8 and UX-DM9DB serve as a hub to organise music
files from external sources and also upgrades the quality of digital
audio. K2 Technology uses JVC’s own algorithms to store high
frequency signals usually lost in the CD conversion process.
The systems are compatible with DVD-R/-RW with MP3/WMA/
WAV files.
The 1GB built-in memory and USB port operate at 8x copy speed
from a variety of sources. The Aux input on the front panel lets you
connect to a variety of devices and offers a portable link for fast
connection.
The 1GB capacity allows the transfer of music to and from CDs,
iPods and USB players without a PC. The speakers are an original
JVC design featuring a new rigid and lightweight hybrid cone. The
Oblique Cone deliver a natural sound with natural high frequency
reproduction.
Hall 5.2, Stand 104
sharpness anywhere in the home –
whether on HDTVs or digital picture
frames.
“At Kodak, we see that consumers are
embracing the photography experience,
capturing, sharing and displaying, like
never before. From printing to
personalizing gifts to sharing pictures and
videos online, consumers are increasingly
inventive with their images and the growth
of digital media has fed a sense of pride in
our photography – we want to show it off,”
said John O’Grady, Kodak’s General
Manager, European, African & Middle
Eastern Region. “The products announced
today represent an important step in
helping progress how images can be taken,
viewed and shared, and Kodak is dedicated
to supporting innovation that will continue
to bring intelligent, easy-to-use HD
solutions to the market. The Kodak
Easyshare will be available from September
2007 and the Kodak Easyshare HDTV
Dock will be available from October
2007.”
Outdoor exhibition Space - 2041
17
PRODUCT TRENDS
Elac Revives Sounds
of the 60s & Launch
Crystal Membranes
The rebellious spirit of the 60s is the
theme for German speaker
manufacturer Elac’s new speaker range
This mid-range series is launched at IFA
alongside the new 240 series utilising a
revolutionary new crystal membrane
design (pictured).
precise three-dimensional soundscape that
is tolerant of positioning. The flagship FS
249 floorstander starts at 1,998 euros, but
the BS 243 at 498 euros provides an
accessible price point for this new
technology.
Recessed In-Wall Box Hides
Full-motion Flat-panel Wall
Mount
Click here for
At IFA 2007, Sanus Systems
introduces to the European
Market its new Recessed In-Wall Box
(Model LR1A) that allows a flat-panel
TV to rest snuggly against the wall,
hiding the mount in the process. The
product is simple to install and means
you can have a TV flush with the wall
with no visible wall mount. When used
AUDIO
PODCAST
with Sanus Systems' VisionMountTM
VM400 or LRF118 Wall Mounts,
virtually any TV from 15" to 50" can be
mounted so that the TV can be pulled
out and pushed back, depending upon
viewing needs. TV’s of up to 60 kg can
be installed this way in absolute security.
Hall 25, stand 102
Hall 1.2, stand 109
The Elac 60s range starts at just 229 euros
for each of the BS 63s delivering
excellent
three-dimensional
vocalisation.
The privately owned Kiel
based company also
debuts the top range
Elac 240 series. The drive units
are constructed using a highly rigid
aluminium membrane with a
crystalline surface structure.
This innovative design provides an
unusually flat frequency response with a
18
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PRODUCT TRENDS
FSC Releases Market Firsts
for Digital Home
• The Scaleoview Monitor –
optimised for video telephony.
A camera and 2 microphones
are integrated directly into the
display housing and connected
via USB to a PC. The camera
offers a flicker free transfer rate
of 30 frames/s and the
microphones are supported by
software that wipes out
background noise.
Fujitsu Siemens Computers are presenting several
new products at the IFA Berlin
that will be on sale for
Christmas. These include:
• The Scaleo Home Server – a
market first for the digitally
networked home. The Scaleo
Home Server is the digital
home’s media centre. Data on
the Home Server as well as data
backup and recovery for all
systems in the network can be
managed via an easy-to-use
interface. Users can easily
IFA International • Monday, 3rd September 2007
increase storage using internal
and external hard disks.
Users can access all media,
including videos, photos, music
and data from any PC in the
home network as well as the
internet.
• The Scaleo Green PC (first on
the market from the major
vendors) – delivering what
consumers asked for. The PC
uses a “Green” motherboard
with particularly low emissions.
Specially developed software
reduces energy consumption to
an absolute minimum when the
PC is not being used. This new
PC has been designed to meet
the
strict
environmental
guidelines defined by the
Energy Star 4.0 rating and is
also extremely quiet.
• The first Living Room PC
Scaleo Evi 2565 with a Blu-ray
drive and Intel Core 2 Duo
E6x20 processor will be
unveiled at the IFA.
Depending on the model, the
Scaleo Evi has a storage capacity
of 250, 350 or 500 GB. It
comes with an ATI 2600pro
graphics card equipped with an
HDMI interface for HDTV
output.
Hall 13, Stand 101
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PRODUCT TRENDS
Motion Estimation & Motion Compensation
New Features on Haier T-Series LCD TVs
Chinese
TV
manufacturer Haier are
presenting a large range
of new product at IFA this year.
China is the largest television
manufacturing base in the
world and Haier is one of the
most recognised and respected
domestic brands.
Haier’s T-series flat screen LCD
TVs come in black glaze and
feature their proprietary
Motion Estimation Motion
Compensation
(MEMC)
system to reduce judder and
motion blur. The Motion
Estimation
technology
calculates one intermediate
image whilst the Motion
Compensation adds the image
between the two moving
images. MEMC works in
combination with the 100 Hz
field frequency to give a
superior fluidity in fast moving
images. The MEMC 100Hz
works especially well for
gamers.
The flagship sets in Haier’s Tseries are the 42-inch LT42T1
and the 47-inch LT47T1 with
Integrated Digital TV Tuner
(IDTV) and Integrated DSM
HD Engine. Both of course
also feature the MEMC 100Hz
technology to reduce judder
and improve motion. The sets
are full HD with a dynamic
contrast of 5000:1, a 6ms
response time and a 10bit
Wide Colour Gamut. The sets
feature an onboard recordable
USB and a multi cards reader.
An external hard drive can be
connected with software on the
TV Via the USB port,
providing an interface to
programme recordings. Three
IFA International • Monday, 3rd September 2007
HDMI
connections
coordinate the sets with all
external peripherals. Haier’s
HDMI interface supports
transmission of up to 2.2
gigabytes per second and1920
x 1080p Full HD resolution.
All data is sent uncompressed,
minimising artefacts that arise
from recompression. Up to
eight 192kHz audio channels
are supported. Haier’s LCD
sets also feature a 176-degree
viewing angle, eliminating
shading effects that can arise
with LCD TV screens when
not sitting directly in front of
the set.
has a PC input for use as a PC
monitor. The Plasma PT series
also comes in 50, 42 and 32inch versions.
Also on display at the Haier
stand is their U-home
Ubiquitos Network, a fully
integrated home Ethernet that
shares information between
personal computers and other
digital facilities. The U-home
brings your home to you when
you are out of the house, and
the home appliances connect
you to the world when you are
home.
Hall 25, Stand 114
Haier also produce a range of
large screen plasma sets
including the top of the range
60 inch PT60A11 at 1366 x
768 pixel resolution and a
contrast ratio of 7000:1. It also
21
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CONFERENCE SPOTLIGHT
Sense and Sustainability
VIDEO
Philips Electronics Underline Importance of Lifestyle Solutions at IFA Keynote
Experience
rather
than
Consumer Electronics,” Provoost
said. “We are in the consumer
emotion business. And that is the
key, because consumers make
increasingly well-informed and
intelligent choices and look for
genuine solutions. So we have to
offer meaningful innovation
that addresses the consumer
wellness paradigm.”
Rudy Provoost, Executive
Vice President Royal Philips
Electronics
and
Chief
Executive Officer, Philips
Consumer Electronics, kicked
of the 2007 keynote season
with a challenge to the CE
industry and to IFA. “Last year
I spoke about the idea of
convergence on the grounds that
it is an out-dated idea of what
convergence should be, that is to
say merely based around driving
consumers to buy new products.
But what the CE industry really
needs is a new kind of
convergence, where products are
all about enhancing people’s lives
through solutions that go beyond
the old paradigm. And IFA also
is being forced to change, it is
becoming a lifestyle market even
though in the past it has been
primarily technology driven. In
the last 12 months, I believe that
Philips has made great strides in
this direction, which at root
involves
becoming
a
healthcare/lifestyle/technology
company as opposed to a
manufacturer of products.”
Provoost does not, however,
expect the global industry to
change overnight: “I realise that
the notions of healthcare and
lifestyle are not areas that are
normally associated with IFA,”
he said. “It is primarily a
technology fair, so you’re
probably asking yourselves how
those ideas fit in to our industry.
And the answer is that more and
more of our products, especially
flat screen TVs and MP3 players,
are
inspirational
lifestyle
propositions that enhance the
quality of people’s life.”
Ultimately the consumer
experience is everything: “CE
should refer to Consumer
IFA International • Monday, 3rd September 2007
Business
Week
recently
promoted Philips from 67th to
38th place in its brand value
index while the Dow Jones
named the company as the
global leader in sustainability.
“We know that we need to supply
people-centric innovation and
profound experiences that
enhance the space in which
people live, but we have not
abandoned
technology,”
Provoost said. “The architecture
is still important to us, but it is
much more important to help
consumers to relax and live
healthily so our products are not
only based on rational ideas, they
also include an emotional aspect
which addresses the desire for
well-being and pleasure in a
crowded and stressful world.”
The company’s origins as a
lighting
company
have
provided it with a certain
familiarity. Generally speaking
consumers are comfortable
with the Philips brand. “We
know that the brand is solid but
our marketing, especially around
new products like the Aurea Flat
Screen, is changing. It’s not all
about ‘tech and spec’. The
advertising campaign is a work
of art that communicates the
feminine, emotional aspects of
the
product,”
he
said.
“Consumers are actively seeking
a better life balance and mood
enhancement. After a hard day
they want truly compelling
experiences and products like
AmbiSound Home theatre
provide an all-in-one solution
that also avoids cables and
clutter.”
As well as providing products
and solutions for the home,
Philips is also engaged in
improving
the
urban
environment: “100 years ago
less than 10% of people lived in
cities, that figure currently stands
at 55% and is expected to rise to
75%,”
Provoost
said.
“Therefore the issue of urban
beautification becomes very
important. Light provided by the
AmbiLight system can make an
important difference to the
quality of urban life by
enhancing feelings of security as
well as adding a sense of spectacle
and also bringing a greater sense
of identity.” You might not
immediately see a connection
between a shaver and the new
Aurea but Provoost sees one:
“Of course there is no technical
connection but the link lies in
the value of feeling good about
yourself. Even a device as
everyday as a shaver is part of
this chain of well-being,” he
said. “It’s all part of consumercentric thinking and this is why
our motto is Sense And
Simplicity. This is our
commitment, it is our DNA and
we apply ourselves in that way
across all our products.”
Philips is also the world’s
second largest provider of
healthcare products such as
scanners and defibrillators.
“Population growth means that
these products are more and more
important. Plus there is the fact
that within 10 years there will be
over 2 billion people over the age
of 60 and healthcare expenditure
will constitute 10% of global
GDP,” Provoost said. “This
means that the lifestyle concept
will relate to an increasingly
broad spectrum of products that
are about healthy living.”
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TRADE NEWS
HD DVD Announces Important New
Developments at IFA
In his IFA conference session,
Ken Graffeo, Co-Chairman of
the European HD DVD
Promotional group, said 75%
of
Europe’s
thriving
independent film and TV
production sector are releasing
new titles on HD DVD. In
total there will be around 400
by the end of 2007. “With new
HD DVD releases from Pathé,
Constantine, Studio Canal and
24
our exclusive Hollywood partners
Paramount and Dreamworks, we
are able to offer a range of
topflight tiles.” All five Harry
Potter films are due out this
quarter alongside the three
Bourne Ultimatums, Blade
Runner, Shrek, The Matrix and
Oceans 11 to 13, plus popular
TV series like Heroes, Battlestar
Galactica and the original Star
Trek. “HD DVD offers an
increasingly sophisticated online
element
which
facilitates
personalization,
access
to
discussion forums and features
such as the voting system for the
issues raised by Blood Diamonds.
HD DVD also enables clipediting, interactive games and up
to 300 extra features on any
given disc,” Graffeo said. “And
while we all know that there is
fierce competition between HD
DVD and Blu-ray I think it’s a
mistake to perceive it as a format
war. What it really is is a price
war. There will be a sub-€300
HD DVD player by early next
year that, compared to the DVD,
is extremely fast. DVD players
took four years to drop to that
price.”
Paramount
VicePresident Chris Santo made a
short
but
significant
presentation: “Paramount has
ended its agnostic approach and
will now only release on HD
DVD,” he said. “And we will be
releasing Transformers on the
format shortly.”
Olivier Van Wynendaele,
Deputy General Manager of
HD DVD at Toshiba,
reiterated the importance of the
sub €300 player. “The new
SHD 7000 player from Venturer
is a welcome addition to the
growing range of HD DVD
players and is a perfect
compliment to the new Toshiba
HD-EP 30 and 35 models. I also
think that it’s important to
emphasise the fact that consumers
who have bought earlier models
will not be left behind. We have
several firmware upgrades which
will enhance existing players,” he
said. The number of disc
replication companies is
growing: “There are now 28 disc
replicators and authoring labs,”
Van Wynendaele said. “Plus the
current number of European
content partners is set to grow
from 25 to around 50 by the end
of this year”. Jordi Ribas,
General Manager of HD DVD
projects at Microsoft, pointed
to several areas in which he
believes the HD DVD is a
superior product despite the
lower price: “The HDi system
was developed by Microsoft in
order to facilitate the addition of
interactive and web-based
features,” he said. A recent
promotion of five free discs
with the purchase of Xbox HD
player had a dramatic effect on
sales in the US. “We’re always
looking to give more value to the
consumers and this promo action
increased sales by a factor of
seven,” he said. “Alongside the
Xbox player, the choice of CE
and PC-based players available is
growing
with
9
CE
manufacturers and 12 PC
makers now making hardware.
There are also now 1600+ titles
available globally and the
amount and variety of web-based
downloads of extra content is
growing rapidly.”
IFA International • Monday, 3rd September 2007
TRADE NEWS
LG Mobile Push into
New Mobile Markets
The Mobile Communications
division of LG Electronics is
changing its “go to market”
policy in the mobile field,
launching two feature-based
mobile phones at IFA,
building on the success of
their Chocolate, Shine and
Prada models in the style
phone market.
As a relatively recent arrival in
the mobile phone market, LG
Electronics new feature-based
range is intended to further
increase their market share by
identifying and innovating
niche markets.
LG Electronic’s Chang Ma,
VP Strategy Planning Team
Mobile
Communications
explains, “We are having a
great year, we were 21% up in
Q2 over Q1 in terms of volume
and our profit structure is
getting better and better. This
year we are targeting a 7-8%
market share and within 2-3
years we aim to hit a double
digit market share. The market
is still growing and we plan to
keep up with market demand
by aggressively creating new
markets, and doing our best to
serve our customers needs.”
The two new feature-based
products are the Viewty
professional camera-phone
and the KS20 Internet
browsing phone. “The success
of Chocolate, Shine and Prada
phones clearly demonstrates our
capability in the design
segment, now we want to create
another pillar and demonstrate
our reputation of innovating
for the consumer,” says Chang
Ma. “The Viewty cameraphone is the first product in the
LG Mobile Features segment.
Our objective is more than just
launching a new cameraphone. This is the starting
point for what LG mobile are
trying to do in the features
segment and that is to convert
customer insights into the
technology and then to create
additional benefits so the
VIDEO
consumer realises that this
technology tangibly delivers
these benefits.”
Viewty is the first LG mobile
that is a professional 5.1
mega-pixel camera phone.
“Insight research showed us
that the customer desired to see
the picture as well as taking the
picture. So we adopted our
latest high-end technology to
make the picture display
beautiful for people to see and
share and also keep in their
profile,” explains Chang Ma.
The Viewty has large LCD
(3.0 inch) enhancing the
viewing of pictures. It also has
a 120 fps capability enabling
the recording of very fast
motion with slow-motion
playback. “This is something
that is not only new for a
mobile phone but also for a
camcorder,” says Chang Ma.
There is an image stabiliser, a
TV playing capability, touchscreen operation and an
embedded picture editing
software developed by LG.
Another unique feature is
that recorded movies can be
instantly uploaded with just
one click to YouTube.
The other feature-based
model taking a bow here at
IFA is the KS20 Internet
phone. Chang Ma says that
until now Internet browsing
on mobile phones has not
been very friendly with small
screens and multiple key
inputs for simple tasks. “We
have
minimised
these
inconvenient factors with our
touch pad screen technology,
larger LCD and high speed
data receiving capability. All
these things combined make
mobile browsing much easier.”
Hall 11.2 Stand 101
IFA International • Monday, 3rd September 2007
Expert Blows Out
40 Candles at IFA
Oldest international voluntary buying group further
solidifies ties with IFA
This year the organisers of IFA have placed a greater emphasis on international
dealers. We asked Heinz Heer, President of the Board, to tell us more about his
organisation’s activities...
On the basis of our
international supplier policy,
the country managers finetune for their countries and on
this basis, buyers from
international organizations
and retailers can have
individual discussions with
suppliers. This is a get together
place in the morning and in
the evening where people can
meet and exchange their
experiences at IFA.
Expert
is
the
oldest
international voluntary buying
group, and we are celebrating
our fortieth anniversary this
year. We have had a close
relationship with the IFA
organizers for many years. We
actually launched our IFA
booth concept of a get
together place eight years ago.
Of course our international
colleagues use the opportunity
to meet their counterparts,
share their experiences.
Can you tell us more about the
concept of your lounge where
trade visitors can meet?
What can you tell us about the
general developments and
evolutions in the CE industry?
Flat TV is once again the star
this year. The sales increases
are tremendous for flat TVs,
while the old picture tube TVs
sales are dropping. But due to
a
price
erosion
of
approximately 25% or 30%
per year in flat TVs, the
general increase is not as big as
the increase in unit sales.
However they are a major
driving force and will remain
one in the future. Everybody
wants to have a flat TV, so
there are still millions of
households wanting to buy a
flat TV. The trend is still for
bigger screen sizes and as you
can see here at IFA, all the
major manufacturers are
focussing on the 40 inch
ranges.
At a time, when everybody is
talking about convergence,
how do you manage to
categorise the products?
Interconnectivity is one of the
important themes. We need to
consult the consumers. As
specialist retailers, we have
many training courses in
partnership with the industry
to
demonstrate
the
interconnectivity of the
different products in the
stores. Now, just like mobile
phones, digital cameras are for
everyone. All the kids want to
have their digital cameras,
which gives great perspectives
for the future.
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IFA 2007
TRADE
VISITORS’
TOUR
This year these popular tours are
available for four different sections
of the fair.
Audio Entertainment
Home Entertainment
Technology & Components
Connectivity
The main attractions will be Web
2.0, digital photography and music
in the new My Media section, best
sound and best image for an optimum home cinema experience,
communicating with providers of
phone services, satellite navigation,
cable and aerial broadcasting, the
international halls and the IFA
Science and Technology Forum.
Dates: 31 August to 5 September
Time: daily at 11 a.m. and 1.30 p.m., on 5 September at 11 a.m.
Place: tours start at the International Trade Visitor Reception in Hall 1.1
and will take an hour
Commentary will be in English or German, depending on the nationalities of
those participating.
Date:
Time
11.00 – 11.15
11.20 – 11.35
11.40 – 12.00
13.30 – 13.45
13.50 – 14.05
14.10 – 14.30
Exhibitor
The BlogHouse (Special Event)
DivX, Inc.
Christian Schwaiger
Technotrend
Connect (Special Event)
MIO Technology
31.08.07
Hall
26
26c/116
26a/221
1.1/200
6.2
4.2/113
Exhibitor
The BlogHouse (Special Event)
DivX, Inc.
Astra
Technotrend
Connect (Special Event)
MIO Technology
01.09.07
Hall
26
26c/116
26a/221
1.1/200
6.2
4.2/113
Date:
Time
11.00 – 11.15
11.20 – 11.35
11.40 – 12.00
13.30 – 13.45
13.50 – 14.05
14.10 – 14.30
Exhibitor
Technotrend
DivX, Inc.
Astra
Technotrend
Connect (Special Event)
MIO Technology
02.09.07
Hall
1.1/200
26c/116
26a/221
1.1/200
6.2
4.2/113
Date:
Time
11.00 – 11.15
11.20– 11.35
11.40 – 12.00
13.30 – 13.45
13.50 – 14.05
14.10 – 14.30
03.09.07 / 04/09/07
Exhibitor
Hall
The BlogHouse (Special Event) 26
DivX, Inc.
26c/116
Christian Schwaiger
26a/221
Humax Digital
Connect (Special Event)
6.2
MIO Technology
4.2/113
Date:
Time
11.00 – 11.15
11.20 – 11.35
11.40 – 12.00
05/09/07
Hall
26
26c/116
26a/221
Date:
Time
11.00 – 11.15
11.20 – 11.35
11.40 – 12.00
13.30 – 13.45
13.50 – 14.05
14.10 – 14.30
No registration is required.
If you have any further queries,
please feel free to contact:
Axel Weber Project Manager IFA
Organisation, Trade Visitors Service
Information & Communication
Messe Berlin GmbH
Messedamm 22 / 14055 Berlin
Germany
phone: +49 (30) 3038-2407
fax: +49 (30) 3038-2059
[email protected]
Exhibitor
The BlogHouse (Special Event)
DivX, Inc.
Astra
Date:
Time
11.00 – 11.15
11.20 – 11.35
11.40 – 12.00
13.30 – 13.45
13.50 – 14.05
14.10 – 14.30
31.09.07 / 01.09.07 / 02.09.07
Exhibitor
Hall
Kenwood Electronics
1.2/105
Beyerdynamic
2.2/101
Xounts AG
7.1/101
Yamaha Elektronik
1.2/106
Sony Deutschland
7.2/101
Maxfield
14.1/101
Date:
11.00 – 11.15
11.20 – 11.35
11.40 – 12.00
13.30 – 13.45
13.50 – 14:05
14.10 – 14.30
03.09.07 / 04.09.07
Kenwood Electronics
Beyerdynamic
Xounts AG
Yamaha Elektronik
TrekStore
Maxfield
Date:
11.00 – 11.15
11.20 – 11.35
11.40 – 12.00
1.2/105
2.2/101
7.1/101
1.2/106
16/101
14.1/101
05.09.07
Kenwood Electroics
Beyerdynamic
Xounts AG
1.2/105
2.2/101
7.1/101
Date: 31.08.07 / 01.09.07 / 02.09.07 / 03.09.07 / 04.09.07
Time
Exhibitor
Hall
11.00 – 11.15
Humax Digital
26/219
11.20 – 11.35
Epson
21/103
11.40 – 12.00
Samsung
20/101
13.30 – 13.45
Panasonic
5.2/101
13.50 – 14.05
Grundig
23/101
14.10 – 14.30
Fujitsu-Siemens
13/101
Date:
Time
11.00 – 11.15
11.20 – 11.35
11.40 – 12.00
Exhibitor
Humax Digital
Epson
Samsung
05.09.07
Hall
26/219
21/103
20/101
Date:
Time
11.00 – 11.30
11.40 – 12.00
13.30 – 13.45
13.50 – 14.05
14.10 – 14.30
31.08.07 / 02.09.07 / 04.09.07
Exhibitor
Hall
ARD Digital
2.2/101
Alcatel-Lucent
5.3/11
Hongkong Sunshine
3.1/400
Fraunhofer
5.3/1
WiMAC & porTiVity
5.3/4
Date:
Time
11.00 – 11.30
11.40 – 12.00
13.30 – 13.45
13.50 – 14.05
14.10 – 14.30
01.09.07 / 03.09.07
Exhibitor
Hall
ARD Digital
2.2/101
Alcatel-Lucent
5.3/11
Hongkong Sunshine
3.1/400
DRM Digital Radio
5.3/14
T-labs (Deutsche Telekom)
5.3/16
Date:
Time
11.00 – 11.30
11.40 – 12.00
Exhibitor
ARD Digital
Alcatel-Lucent
05.09.07
Hall
2.2/101
5.3/11
TRADE NEWS
European Retailers Benefit
from DLP/Carrefour Development
VIDEO
Interview / Bob Wudeck, US Pro A/V Channel Manager, DLP Products
Visitors to the IFA passing by the DLP
stand will note a new kind of projector
mount specifically designed for retail use.
We spoke to Bob Wudeck, US Pro A/V
Channel Manager, DLP Products, about
this innovative demonstration idea.
to actually roll out to multiple locations
so that each job is customized for each
particular store.
What we have on show here is a
Carrefour (a major French retailer)
display that is designed to be integrated
into a standard retail shelf. Most retail
shelves can hold paint and other heavy
items and what we can do is simply use
the infrastructure that exists in a store to
mount an arc of a pole that will hold the
projector and be able to fill up one shelf
with the screen. So we have a customized
screen, a customized display and the end
effect for the consumer is that they finally
get to see a projector in a retail
environment working the same way it
would in the home. So it’s a bright, big
image, even though you don’t need to
have a dark room.
I think first is that if you show what a
projector can do, people will be much
more disposed to buy it. In France and
Germany, most of the major CE retailers
have pretty compelling projector displays
and all of them can show you how a
projector works. They’ll have a DVD set
up and have it running. And that seems
to deliver the concept of how a projector
might work and how you might use it in
your home. Then the consumer can take
that and begin to project it into his own
living room, and start seeing how he
might use one there. In the US, they
would typically sit on a shelf, and they
don’t have a lot of displays. That’s
beginning to change now after we’ve
begun to show them what we’ve done
over here in Europe and share some
concepts, and they’re starting to learn the
same lessons.
You’ve been based in Texas for a long
time but working in the European
domain from over there. Obviously there
are some lessons to be learned in both
directions…
What are the particular lessons you’re
able to take back to the US?
Hall 26a Stand 218
Everybody’s different, so what we’ve
learned is that what happens in France is
not the same as what happens in
Germany, the US or England, so you
really have to be flexible, to listen to the
retailers and the dealers and see what
problems they have. You can then try to
work within their environment to solve
those problems in a way that allows them
IFA International • Monday, 3rd September 2007
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DESIGN IS EVERYTHING*
“Design” is a great word. Whether in engineering or in
creative endeavours, as a verb, “to design” refers to the
process of originating and developing a plan.
Designing a marketing/communication campaign can often
be even more important than the design of the product itself
as sales reps and consumers are bombarded with an overload
of conflicting information. We at Cleverdis therefore hold the
belief that the growth of the CE Industry today will be increasingly dependent upon INFORMATION DESIGN.
Through information design, presented in the form of
Cleverdis SPECIALreports, many of the world’s top CE companies
benefit from the fact that we are able to put information into
perspective for a market that hungers for newfound clarity
and simplicity.
IFA has this year chosen Cleverdis as the “information
designer” of IFA INTERNATIONAL, the official English
language daily magazine for the show.
Find our more on www.cleverdis.com.
*According to wikipedia: Information design has been defined as the art and
science of preparing information so that it can be used by human beings with
efficiency and effectiveness.
Information Intelligence
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GOING OUT
Where to go
Berlin
Berlin is one of Europe’s greatest capital
cities offering visitors a multitude of
different lifestyles, architecture and
cultural possibilities. There is something for
everyone here, from the most down to earth
up to the ultra sophisticated.
in
Berlin: a centre of culturel excellence
Berlin’s status as a cultural hotspot is thoroughly deserved and in terms of classical
music, the city is one of the great global centres of excellence. Sir Simon Rattle’s
tenure as head conductor at the Berliner Philharmonie on the Herbertvon-Karajan Strasse (close to the Potsdamer Platz) is, according to most classical
experts, one of the best things that has happened to the establishment in years.
Rattle’s inspiration and energy have driven the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra,
already one of the world’s best, to new heights. Tonight you can catch the Boston
Symphony Orchestra performing Ives, Carter, Ravel and Bartok while tomorrow
night the Konzerthausorchester Berlin with Lothar Zagrosek, Ernst Senff Chor
and Ralf Sochaczewsky will be performing Ives and Dvorak. In the smaller
Kammermusiksaal the T’ang Quartet are performing Sheng, Shulhoff and
Dvorak. Wednesday sees a performance of Ives and Mahlerby the San Francisco
Symphony Orchestra conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas.
sentenced to hang. The production does, however, have a happy ending.
At the Kleines Theater on Sudwestkorso 64 on Wednesday you can catch Vida
Apasionada: Das Leben der Frida Kahlo (The Life Of Frieda Kahlo) written and
performed by Veronika Kranich.
Delegates looking for a warm, friendly, atmospheric and thoroughly typical
Berlin cafe in a central location should go to the Cafe Hardenberg at
Hardenbergerstrasse 10 in Charlottenburg. The establishment is a mere five
minute walk from the Zoologischer Garten S-Bahn station. Food is served from
9AM-11PM to an accompaniment of classical and chill-out music in the
daytime. There is a good selection of beers and an evening menu featuring a
mixture of local and Mediterranean dishes. The food is fresh and delicious and
portions are generous. Overall the Hardenberg is great value for money and the
service is excellent.
The Konzerthaus on Gendarmenmarkt was re-opened in 1984 after a long
period of reconstruction following its almost entire destruction in WW2.
The facade was faithfully rebuilt while the interior of the building now has three
concert halls. The house orchestra, the Berlin Symphony and numerous visiting
orchestras perform there. Tuesday night sees two concerts; the house orchestra
performing Ives and Dvorak conducted by Lothar Zagrosek and the Venezuelan
Brass Ensemble conducted by Thomas Clamor playing Bernstein, Mussorgsky,
Castro, Abreu, Scarpino and Mendoza.
The Berliner Ensemble was established by Bertolt Brecht and his wife, Helene
Weigel in January 1949. Initially the group mainly performed plays by Brecht,
but added some from other dramatists in the 1970s and is currently housed in
the Theater am Schiffbauerdamm. Tonight and for the next two nights the
ensemble is performing Die Dreigroschenoper, adapted by Brecht and Kurt
Weill from The Beggars opera by John Gay. Known in English as the
Threepenny opera, the piece is set in late 19th Century London. The protagonist is Macheath, a highwayman and a vicious, amoral criminal.
Macheath alias Mackie Messer, or Mack the Knife marries Polly Peachum but her
father dissaproves. He tries to get Macheath arrested and hanged. But his plans
are hindered by the fact that the chief of police, Tiger Brown, is Macheath's
childhood friend. Still, Peachum eventually prevails Macheath is arrested and
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GOING OUT
Take a bike, take a ride along the Berlin Wall
For delegates who eel like taking a non-strenuous way to see more of the former
East, more of the Wall, and more of what makes Berlin the unique city it is
today, this Berlin Wall Bike Tour delves deeper into the darkest time in Berlin's
history - The Cold War. Regardless if this is your first trip to Berlin of if you
already feel like "ein Berliner", this is a great way to see the city.
An extremely insightful four and a half hour tour, leisurely covering about 6
miles (10 kilometers) by bike. This pervasive tour covers why Berlin was divided and how, the Berlin Airlift, tales of espionage by both the Allies and feared
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30
East German secret police (Stasi), the downfall of communism, how Berlin is
dealing with its past and much, much more.
Your tour begins with an orientation to the Berlin Wall and the route you will
follow, before hopping on your comfortable bikes. You go down the former
main boulevard of East Berlin to reach the longest stretch of Berlin Wall still
remaining - more than 3,300 feet (1 kilometer) of graffiti-painted Wall. Bike
along more than 3 miles (5 kilometers) of where the Wall existed to understand
the differences (many still existing) between life on both sides of the Wall.
After a lunch break in a typical German beer hall, the tour continues with additional checkpoints, escape attempt stories (some successful, some not), the last
of the round deathstrip watchtowers, Potsdamer Platz, the Brandenburg Gate
and much more. This is a great time to grab a bite and have a drink, as well as
to plug your guide for inside information. Experience Berlin as the locals do!
Start under the giant TV Tower by the Alexanderplatz S- and U- Bahn station,
just to the right of the Tower entrance. It's easy, look for the yellow sign, you
can't miss it! You'll begin with a brief introduction of Berlin before grabbing
bikes, so don't fret if you're running a minute or two late.
The Blackberry B-List
News Junky Cherno Jobatey Club on Teufelsseechaussee. Alternatively when I need a fix of politics I
on his Favorite Berlin Places go to the Bundespressestand. It’s my
Cherno Jobatey, recently described
as "Germany’s most enertaining
alarm clock" in the conservative
newspaper FAZ, has "shaped ZDF
Morning News with his irrepressible
zest” according to Germany's people
magazine Bunte. “I love the Laden
der
Berliner
Blindenstalt
Luisenstrasse. It’s a charity that sells all
kinds of brushes designed by some of
Berlin’s top design talent. My favourite
is a nail brush shaped like the
Brandenburg gate and I love the
Sammlung Berggruen Museum on
Schlossstrasse. It exists thanks to one of
the great art patrons of Europe who
donated his collection to the city of
Berlin.”
When it comes to biting political
satire, John Stewart on the Comedy
Central website is a favourite. “I love
his humour. When I want to work up
a sweat I go to the Teufelsberg Health
favourite bar in the summer and you
can meet all types of politicians there.”
“In terms of food I love Spindler &
Klatt. It’s next to the Spree river and
enjoys fantastic sunsets plus you can
dance till late. I also really like the
Schleusenkrug beer garden which is
next to a canal lock. And if you like
beautiful women there’s nowhere better than the Piso + Garz beauty salon.
It’s where the city’s most attractive
females go for their treatments.”
IFA International • Saturday, 1st September 2007
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