In part 1 of this series, we showed you how video analytic technologies are playing a big role in helping B2B enterprises drive revenues and reduce overall operating costs. In part 2, we will hone in on the consumer space, where video surveillance is proving to be equally profitable.Consider the fact that by 2019, video will drive 80 percent of the world's Internet traffic. Some of the driving factors behind this growth include the proliferation of video-enabled IoT solutions, falling costs associated with video analytics systems and a strong demand for security-related video surveillance. Your brand should therefore consider embracing this opportunity by creating connected, IP-enabled products and solutions.Here is a closer look at a few of the many ways that companies are leveraging the growth in the consumer video surveillance market to increase revenues:Home protectionIn the past, installing a video security system for the home was both complex and expensive. Furthermore, accessing recorded video footage was not without its difficulties. Now, however, both these tasks can be made simple with the purchase of a low-maintenance and affordable IP-enabled camera which can transmit video in real-time or enable the playback of recorded videos. Intelligent video door phones, for example, can alert homeowners when someone comes to the front door or attempts to enter the house. This type of device could also offer advanced biometric security using facial recognition technology.Consumers are also benefitting from using IP video to mitigate property theft and vandalism. By setting up smart video cameras, for instance, it's possible to capture perpetrators on film. Such footage can be used as evidence when attempting to prosecute a thief for stealing a package or mail from the front porch, or a pesky neighbor who lets his or her dog roam freely on others' lawns. A smart video camera can also be used to remotely monitor a property in real-time, and in doing so provide a timely response to criminal activities.Child and senior surveillanceAdults find it difficult to trust care providers, who start out as strangers, while they are away from home. Intelligent, video-enabled babycams and sensors are playing vital roles in helping reduce this anxiety and ensure the safety of loved ones. Video cameras and sensors can be easily embedded in items like lamps, children's toys, tools and appliances for low-profile access. These solutions can transmit real-time information directly to mobile devices, allowing end users to check in and ensure that proper care is being administered.On-the-go activitiesOf course, IP video is not just for home security purposes. Consumers can now transmit live experiences while taking part in sports and outdoor activities, like skiing or white-water rafting, to a global audience. Real-time video feeds are ideal for sharing sports events, family outings, business presentations and much more.Drones are also helping to further the capture and transmission of live experiences. Footage that used to require ladders or cranes can now be accessed by simply sending a drone into the air and controlling it from a mobile device.For travel enthusiasts, the dashcam is a popular device. A dashcam can be equipped to the front or back of a car, and can provide invaluable on-road footage and insight. For instance, imagine getting into a car accident and having the video footage to share with the insurance company to help settle a dispute. A dashcam can also prevent accidents, too. It can be equipped with facial recognition software which can monitor a driver's eye movements, detect drowsiness and alert a driver before he or she swerves off of the road.It's handy for road trips, too. Picture driving across a scenic oceanfront highway and being able to share that footage with your friends and family.As you can see, the truly great part about the consumer video surveillance market for businesses is the ability to offer improved security with continuous access to video footage for seamless experiences.So, how will your brand profit from the consumer video surveillance market? Visit ThroughTek website to learn more.

China-based display panel makers BOE Technology, China Star Optoelectronics Technology and Tianma Micro-electronics, at the China Information Technology Expo (CITE) 2016 in Shenzhen, southern China, during April 8-10, focused on their 6G LTPS production lines which will come into operation soon, according to Digitimes Research.China-based makers showcased 5- to 5.5-inch Full HD LTPS panels for smartphones and plan to start production by the end of 2016, Digitimes Research indicated.For automotive displays, Tianma and Taiwan-based AU Optronics (AUO) showcased panels used in dashboards as well as circular semi-reflective and semi-transparent panels for smart wearables.LG Display and Tianma exhibited flexible AMOLED panels, while Huawei Technologies showcased smartwatches with circular AMOLED panels produced by AUO and China-based EverDisplay Optronics (Shanghai).

April 2016 average retail price for 7W LED light bulbs (equivalent to 40W incandescent ones) in the China market increased 4.9% on month to CNY27.9 (US$4.30), while that for 9W models (equivalent to 60W incandescent ones) decreased 2.3% to CNY29.2, according to Digitimes Research.Average retail prices for 40W- and 60W-equivalent LED light bulbs in the Japan market in April stood at JPY1,384 (US$13.0) and JPY1,951 respectively, the former slipping 1.6% on month and the latter dropping 4.1%, Digitimes Research indicated.April average retail prices for 40W- and 60W-equivalent LED light bulbs in other markets were: KRW8,791 (US$7.90, down 13.7% on month) and KRW11,609 (down 1.3%) in South Korea; US$17.20 (down 8.0%) and US$20.90 (up 1.0%) in the US; EUR7.40 (US$8.4, down 1.3%) and EUR9.10 (up 11.0%) in Europe.Samsung 40W-equivalent LED light bulbs and Osram 60W-equivalent models for sale in the South Korea market had the highest average lumen-price ratios of 113.7lm/US$ and 140.2lm/US$ respectively in April. In terms of luminous efficiency, Toshiba 40W-equivalent LED light bulbs and 60W-equivalent models available in the Japan market had the highest average level of 84.0lm/W and that of 105.1lm/W respectively.

The global memory price slump has been ongoing for years resulting from continuously shrinking PC shipment volumes. A considerable number of Taiwan-based memory makers do not have their own brands and lack the ability to develop critical technologies and therefore are having difficulty making ends meet. In comparison, AVEXIR Technologies, founded in 2006, has secured its position in the high-end memory market with robust R&D capabilities and marketing strategies.Total revenues have continued to set new records for years. The share of revenues generated from sales of own-brand products broke the 80% level in 2015, and is likely to go over 90% in 2016. This shows that with strong determination and devotion of time and effort, vendors can develop their own brands and compete with international players at a global level.Taking a retrospective look at the history of the company established ten years ago, Han-Hong Cheng, general manager, AVEXIR Technologies, says, "Taiwan-based memory vendors mostly operated on an OEM basis at that time. There were a handful of makers working on their own brands, but most of them only provided conventional memory modules. Unable to introduce offerings distinguished from other brands, it was only natural that they fell into price wars. However, a look at the business strategies of globally well-known brands would show that they all put great emphasis on R&D and innovation. Their products are aimed at midrange to high-end market segments to set themselves apart from the competition and build up their brand value."As such, AVEXIR Technologies was established with an aim at the high-end memory market in hopes of becoming a world leader in memory application products. A decision was made for the company to target the consumer market with the AVEXIR brand name. However, in consideration that their own brand lacked visibility at the start-up stage and most large distributors were less willing to work with AVEXIR Technologies, the company decided to operate on the OEM model as the main track and own-brand business as a side track, hoping to gradually increase its brand awareness on the memory market. Also by providing professional customization services that are unique around the market, AVEXIR Technologies enables more people to see its R&D and innovation abilities.Committed to R&D, AVEXIR Technologies holds more than sixty patentsWith semiconductor fabrication technologies continuing to advance, Cheng found that memory modules produced by different brand vendors are growing more and more similar in terms of performance and reliability in recent years. Common consumers would have difficulty discerning the differences among the variety of brands. Cheng therefore started to think about a future course of action for the company to grow on top of its high-end memory business and walk a new path different from the competitors'. In observing the changes in the consumer market, Cheng found gamers not only favor high-end memory with superior performance and reliability but also place emphasis on the combination of peripherals, such as the headphone and mouse. He therefore decided to expand into the gaming market six years ago, launching memory products specifically designed for gamers."Innovation on memory should not be limited to improvements on performance and reliability but it can also be about studying consumer needs and turning it into actual products on the market. This is the reasoning behind the launch of the Core series, the first on the market with lighting effects, developed from the perspectives of gamers. The series combines AVEXIR's in-house-developed LED tubes and light guide sticks blinking in a rhythm similar to breathing to deliver lighting effects that gamers love. AVEXIR Technologies has put years of efforts into innovative design, which has enabled the company to win international design awards including iF and Red Dot for many consecutive years and has attracted partnership deals with multiple distributors and motherboard makers," indicated Cheng.Over the years, AVEXIR Technologies has delivered a host of products that amaze the market. With a focus on building up a patent system, AVEXIR Technologies has filed more than sixty patent applications in Taiwan, China, Europe and the U.S. for the purpose of protecting its R&D achievements. Furthermore, since 2012, the company has also been partnering with major motherboard makers to launch a variety of product lines through licensing deals and cross-sector cooperation. For example, two ASUS ROG-certified gaming memory products were on exhibition at Computex 2015, which stirred up quite a craze at the event. The win-win partnership strategy has successfully boosted AVEXIR Technologies' revenues as well as AVEXIR's brand image around the globe.Belief makes the brandA priest in a small town in Texas where it had not rained for a long time decided to gather the townspeople outside the church to pray for rain. Although the people all lowered their heads to pray with sincerity, still not a drop of rain came down. When the crowd started to murmur and question the existence of God, the priest couldn't help blaming the people for being unfaithful. The people did not really believe in God as there was only one little girl that brought an umbrella.Cheng uses the story to elucidate belief and explain the motto written on the back of his company's business cards — "What We Believe is How We Behave." He stresses that AVEXIR Technologies is a business that acts on its belief because it is the power that drives the team forward. He is confident that AVEXIR Technologies will make the world's best gaming memory and become a pioneer in high-end memory modules. AVEXIR Technologies will build a world-class brand on the foundation of its establishment in Taiwan.Citing a Robert Frost poem, "two roads diverged in a wood, and I, / I took the one less traveled by, / And that has made all the difference," Cheng elaborates on his business philosophy and the AVEXIR brand spirit one more time. He expects to see the company take the No. 1 spot in terms of its global market share of high-end memory in one to two years. However, that is not the ultimate goal as being competitive does not mean to hold onto a position but to keep on advancing to glorify the Made in Taiwan label. This will set a foundation that the company will build on top of over the next ten years.Han-Hong Cheng, general manager, AVEXIR Technologies

Your enterprise has long been using closed-circuit cameras for video surveillance purposes. For the most part, this technology has done a great job of keeping your organization safe from unauthorized intruders.Now, however, the time has come to look beyond closed-circuit cameras and rethink how your organization can utilize video analytic technologies. Recent advances in the cloud computing and connected devices space have driven the creation of many new video use cases. Video analytic technologies-when used in conjunction with smart sensors-can significantly reduce operational costs and drive profits across the enterprise. What's more, by combining video with data it then becomes possible to glean greater insight about daily operations. This can be a powerful tool identifying key trends as they arise, and predicting future events.Consider this: According to ABI Research, the global value-added services market, which encompasses streaming video, will exceed $10 billion by 2021. Data analytics and device and application platform services will demonstrate the strongest revenue growth in the non-consumer video surveillance market during this time.Here are some ways that your organization can benefit from video analytics:Improve traffic flowsBusinesses must ensure that large amounts of people can move from point to point with minimal congestion. Intelligent video cameras can facilitate smoother traffic flows by collecting and reporting insightful data about crowd movements. Equipped with greater knowledge about daily, weekly and monthly footfall patterns, businesses can plan more strategically and maximize profits. This type of intelligence can also increase public safety, and lead to healthier and more pleasant environments.Understand shoppers' habitsRetail displays aren't just for decoration purposes. They are meant to drive sales. Therefore, store planners must understand exactly how the displays impact the attitudes of shoppers. Videos and smart sensors take the guessing game out of shopper analysis. They track how crowds respond to small changes, and how changes ultimately either drive or reduce profits on a daily basis. Now, store managers can use hard data to better understand their customers' shopping patterns.Reduce manufacturing wasteFactories have three major challenges when mass-producing products: Reduce waste, control hazardous materials and ensure regulatory compliance. In the past, the factories primarily relied on employees to manage and control these processes, and thus were subject to human error. Now, however, factories can speed up production while also reducing costs and risks by installing smart sensors and video cameras on assembly lines. Managers can use the data to produce comprehensive reports and streamline operations. For example, some smart sensors can detect glitches during production and strategically shut down assembly lines to avoid producing faulty products and wasting materials. This type of surveillance can reduce risk by automatically ensuring that products meet expected standards and regulatory compliance before they are shipped to market. In turn, this system ensures consumer satisfaction and also reduces product recalls.Monitor worksitesManagers must strive to maximize productivity while also ensuring that workers are happy, healthy and safe. One way to do this is to use video analysis and smart sensors to collect and analyze both working habits and environmental conditions. This is especially vital in risky areas such as construction sites and manufacturing facilities, as well as in areas with extreme weather conditions where workers must adhere to specific guidelines to avoid injuries.As for your security system, use video cameras and sensors to improve on-site security capabilities, such as quickly identifying employees using facial recognition technologies to ensure that only authorized personnel are on-site. This is particularly important for utility companies that must keep up a tight watch to prevent intruders from inflicting physical harm on critical infrastructure like electrical grids and power plants. Smart security solutions can provide around-the-clock surveillance that surpasses the capabilities of even the most vigilant guards. Learn how your enterprise can drive profits and improve its business with video surveillance solution by visiting ThroughTek website.

Sharp has published financial report for fiscal year 2015 (April 2015-March 2016), recording consolidated revenues of JPY2,461.5 billion (US$22.6 billion), net operating loss of JPY161.9 billion and net loss of JPY255.9 billion, and Sharp's future transformation to improve business operations hinges on synergy arising from Taiwan-based Foxconn Electronics' stake investment of JPY388.812 billion for a 66.00% stake, according to Digitimes Research.Display Device Company under Sharp, Sharp's display panel business group, generated sales revenues of JPY771.5 billion, decreasing 14.9% on year, and suffered net operating loss of JPY129.1 billion and this was mainly due to decreased shipments of LCD TV panels and smartphone-use panels, Digitimes Research indicated. Of Foxconn's stake investment, JPY200 billion is earmarked for developing OLED technology, revealing Foxconn's focus on OLED panels to mainly improve Sharp's business operations.For Electronic Components and Devices Company, Foxconn is expected to help Sharp develop products related to IoT (Internet o Things) application. For Consumer Electronics Company, Foxconn will help Sharp tap emerging markets.

Global tablet shipments are expected to drop 4.6% sequentially to reach 42.84 million units in the second quarter, which is still the slow season for the table market. Vendors have yet to step up their orders for the new products they are supposed to launch in the third quarter. However, the shipment volume for th esecond quarter will drop only 7.9% on year, an improvement from the previous quarters' over 10% drops.Apple iPad shipments are estiamted to reach 11.1 million units, up 8.8% sequentially. The second quarter was originally the slow season for Apple's tablet products, but the launch of the iPad Pro has changed the company's product lifecycle and iPad Air 2's price cut will also help improve Apple's tablet shipment performance in second-quarter 2016, according to Digitimes Research's latest report on tablets.China's white-box players are seeing more fluctuations in the second quarter. Spreadtrum's 3G solutions continue to see price cuts and have attracted many white-box vendors to join the tablet market. In addition, with Cherry Trail-based Windows tablet reference design becoming mature and able to replace existing Bay Trail-CR solutions that have been released for over two years, many white-box vendors are preparing to launch Windows 2-in-1 devices in the second quarter.As for non-Apple first-tier vendors, most of them have turned to focus on profitability and are no long keen on gaining market share. The strategy has significantly impacted the first-tier group's overall shipment performance and their combined shipments are expected to drop 12.2% sequentially to reach only 16.14 million units.In the second quarter, Samsung Electronics is not as aggressive as it was in the same quarter a year ago in developing new tablet products. Lenovo and Asustek are both aggressively developing new products and will release new Android and Microsoft Surface-like products.

There were an estimated 44.89 million tablets shipped globally during the first quarter of 2016, falling 31.3% on quarter and 12.1% on year, according to Digitimes Research.The shipments consisted of 10.2 million iPads, 18.4 million from major brands, and 16.3 million units by white-box vendors/makers, respectively decreasing 36.6%, 36.5% and 19.7% on quarter, Digitimes Research indicated.7-inch models accounted for 28.8% of the shipments, 7.9-inch 15.0%, 8.x 5.7%, 9.x 28.7%, 10.x 11.4%, and 11-inch and above 10.4%. In terms of touch-panel technology, GFF (glass + film + film) accounted for 48.9% of shipments, GF2 (glass + double film) 35.7%, OGS (one glass solution) 8.0% and On-Cell 7.5%.Apple was the largest vendor taking up 22.7% of shipments, followed by Samsung Electronics with 13.8%, Lenovo 4.8%, Amazon 4.5%, Huawei Technologies 4.3%, Asustek Computer 2.7%, LG Electronics 1.9%, TCL 1.8%, Microsoft 1.6% and Acer 1.4%.Taiwan-based ODMs/OEMs shipped 14.5 million tablets in the quarter, dropping 37.8% on quarter and 17.6% on year. Foxconn Electronics accounted for 64% of shipments, Compal Electronics 15.9%, Pegatron 5.2% and Wistron 1.5%.

Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix will both lower their total capex for memory ICs in 2016, according to Digitimes Research. During the year, both companies will focus on migrating to 18nm process technology for the manufacture of DRAM chips and ramping up their 3D NAND flash capacities.Combined memory capex by Samsung and SK Hynix will reach US$12 billion in 2016, down 18.4% from 2015, said Digitimes Research.As high as 70% of Samsung's total capex for memory ICs will be used to develop its 18nm process technology for the manufacture of DRAM chips, as well as purchases of new equipment for the new node, Digitimes Research indicated.SK Hynix will cut its capex for DRAM memory but will increase the amount for NAND flash chips. The company is looking to build new production capacity for 3D NAND flash in the second half of 2016, Digitimes Research said.

At the China Information Technology Expo (CITE) 2016 in Shenzhen, southern China, during April 8-10, China-based TFT-LCD panel makers focused on exhibiting Ultra HD TV panels, including BOE Technology's 98-inch 7680 by 4320 (8kx4k) model and 82-inch 10240 by 4320 (10kx4k), according to Digitimes Research.LG Display showcased curved-surface AMOLED TV panels, Digitimes Research indicated, while AU Optronics and China Star Optoelectronics Technology exhibited curved TFT-LCD panels for TVs and monitors. TCL, Skyworth, Changhong and Konka showcased curved LCD TVs and HKC showcased curved LCD monitors.Hisense and Tianjin Communication & Broadcasting (TCB) exhibited low-cost large-screen (100-inch and above) laser-projection TV technology.