Dec/Jan 2019
ertonline.co.uk
Big-screen TV’s are driving the consumer electronics market, but what are the other trends and technologies that will shape CE retailing over the next year?
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BIGGER
50-inch plus screen sizes. Average prices have remained solid thanks to the attractiveness of enhanced screen technologies such as OLED and premium LED offerings, along with enhanced surround sound solutions such as Dolby Atmos. The UK TV market is worth £2.4 billion annually (GFK), the largest sector of consumer electronics. “Smart Audio has been the strongest performing
AV sector in 2018 in terms of year-on-year growth – primarily down to the demand for voice control speaker units, especially in the lower price sectors and the Amazon Echo continues to lead the sales charts.”
IS BETTER Voice control is fast becoming a ‘go to’ feature
across a broad range of consumer electronics, with Google, Amazon and Apple the most common platforms to be integrated. Elsewhere, Artificial Intelligence applications remain at an early stage of integration within consumer-based devices, but as Mr Hide explains, “we should be under no illusion that AI-based technologies and feature sets are likely to be the biggest driver of change and product and service development over the next decade. Applications for AI are very broad and the technology has great potential.”
Portability is key The portable audio market is constantly evolving and growing, with a host of new product types introduced over the last year, also with increasing sound quality. For example, the ‘Live Mode’ on Sony’s SRS-XB501 portable wireless speaker allows the consumer to experience their favourite artists as if it was live, adding a whole new level to the sound. In addition, a prominent trend in the current market is noise cancelling headphones, as consumers love an audio product that can eliminate the potential disturbances around them. Says Claire Poux, Sony’s Head of Sound
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