OL4.APR–rep
Data converter growth revives with help from consumer applications
The worldwide data converter industry in general–and the consumer
electronics part of that industry specifically–is projected to resume a
healthy growth rate after struggling for the past couple of years.
According to Venture Development Corp. (VDC), a management consulting firm
based in Natick, MA, the industry should soon re-establish the 7% to 8%
annual growth rates it saw in the 1980s. Products covered by the forecast
include A/D converters, D/A converters, sample-and-hold amplifiers,
multiplexers, voltage/frequency converters, and RAMDACs. Most of the
growth in data converters is projected to occur in three consumer
application areas: audio, video, and computer peripherals. VDC notes that
a large percentage of the population now owns digital audio equipment and
personal computers, and may own digital video equipment in the near
future. Compact disc players will continue to account for the majority of
data converters sold in the consumer audio market, according to VDC. In
the consumer video market, however, demand for converters should increase
as a result of new products like PhotoCD and CD-I, and features–such as
picture-in-a-picture and special effects–for TVs and VCRs that rely on
digital electronics. Much of the growth in this area is expected to come
from High-Definition Television (HDTV). VDC expects shipments of
converters for microcomputer applications to quadruple over the next five
years. The advent of multimedia has already spurred the use of D/A
converters and RAMDACs, while the imminent arrival of “personal digital
assistants” and personal communicators should continue to bode well for
the increased use of data conversion components. For more information,
contact James Campbell of VDC at 508-653-9000. –Richard Pell Jr.
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