Where is the High Definition Digital Space Headed?

From malls to football stadiums to gas stations, one thing is apparent – high definition digital has become ubiquitous.

“There are several reasons to explain the steep trajectory behind high definition adoption,” Jason Holschen, director of product management at Avocent, a division of Emerson (News - Alert) Network Power, told TMCnet. “First, the cost of technology has dropped tremendously over the last four years which provides access to high definition video to the average consumer.” Specifically, devices such as LCD and LED TVs and Blu-Ray players are being offered more competitively than ever before.

Moreover, access to high-speed broadband connections has eliminated barriers to high definition video, bringing it to desktop computers and televisions. In addition, in 2007 when the Federal Communications Commission (FCC (News - Alert)) announced that the conversion to digital-only broadcast would take place in 2009, this greatly helped propel forward the high definition digital movement.

This week, Holschen and Senior Product Manager of Avocent Products and Services Caleb Hooper sat down with TMCnet to discuss the high definition digital industry and where it is headed.

TMCnet: What are the main benefits of high definition digital?

Holschen: Resolution is the main reason why HD looks so much better than SD video. The leap from SD video to HD video is very large, so much so that additional factors that improve on picture quality serve only as incremental changes.  The primary benefit between HD and higher resolution HD comes from increased pixel count.  From a broadcast or post production viewpoint, higher resolution HD allows for more of the story to be told without the hindrance of technical limitations, thereby providing an uncompromised end user experience.  HD content that is created and distributed in a complete digital workflow preserves a level of quality that was not previously possible.

TMCnet: What new verticals are recently adopting high definition digital and why?

Hooper: HD video is quickly becoming a market expectation – not a bonus – for many verticals that utilize video. HD and higher resolution HD is being adopted in everything from mobile devices to healthcare to subsurface exploration to digital cinema. The price of HD is being impacted by the cost curve of a maturing technology along with broad consumer adoption rates. HD allows for more information, detail and a better end user experience in the same form factor compared to SD.  

TMCnet: What are the new trends with regards to high definition digitial?

Hooper: First it was the move from 720p to 1080p and now we see video quality expectations in the 2K range, heading toward the 4K range in the next several years. To this point you can look at the ground swell of excitement that has risen around Sony, Arri, and Red Digital Cinema cameras.

TMCnet: Where is the industry heading?

Hooper: The industry is constantly moving to higher and higher resolutions and over all image quality. One of the byproducts of the digital HD evolution is the start to finish digital workflow.  Ever increasing video resolution is placing challenges in the forms handling larger files and computing power required to handle these intensive formats. There is a growing need to streamline and improve the handling of massive files efficiently.

TMCnet: How does Avocent (News - Alert) make sure that its technology remains competitive in this market?

Holschen: Possibly the most important factor to consider with HD video is video compression due to its impact on network bandwidth and storage requirements.  For many years Avocent has been among the technology leaders in regards to video compression.  In fact, very early on Avocent developed a proprietary codec for compression technology since a suitable, cost effective solution was unavailable at the time.

Hooper : Avocent products also play a role in creating efficient workflows for the creation of digital content. The video content being created today is ramping up on computing power and resources required in proportion to the resolutions and quality. Avocent offers unique solutions to secure, efficient, and comfortable environments for industries taking on the 800 pound HD gorilla.