The rapid growth of such software development has proved its effectiveness and great influence on businesses’ success and profit increase. Specialized software like the Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) has changed the interaction between organisations and their suppliers. Now the suppliers are integrated completely in the organization’s manufacturing process.
The most important impact of Information Technology on organizational structure is the irrelevance of geographical locations and distances. This has lead to an increase in the number of people working from home. However this organizational structure has its own challenges in terms of supervision and the high motivation levels required of the workforce. The second type of organization uses Information Technology as a communication tool between a production facility and a delivery system. The production facility and the delivery system are typically partners; hence the organization does not have much control over their activities. The primary challenge for this type of organization is to maintain quality and delivery deadlines. The third type of organizational structure enabled by Information Technology is that of a conventional organization which has effectively integrated Information Technology into its structure. This type of organization is best characterized by Federal Express which has used Information Technology to streamline its delivery mechanisms for overnight deliveries. The fourth type of organizational structure uses informational technology to forge closer relationships with their suppliers and customers. This results in a vertically integrated organization.
Traditional organizational structures have withstood the test of time and are likely to retain their relevance. However it is imperative to understand the effect of Information Technology on organizational structure to understand the different organizational formats spawned by the information age.
The article was produced by the writer of masterpapers.com. Sharon White is a senior writer and writers consultant at Term Papers writing. Get some useful tips for business dissertations and nursing dissertation samples.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sharon_White
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Finding a Place for Modern Electronics in a Well Decorated Home
These days it is almost impossible to avoid having some form of high end electronic equipment in your home. Televisions, DVD players, and stereos are wonderful and entertaining devices that can enhance the pleasure and utility of a space. The problem is, they seem to design these products for the set of a B Sci Fi movie. There manufacturing company’s purpose is clear, to underline the futuristic technology you are getting. However this makes it difficult to find a way to integrate these products into a sophisticated, non media centered space.
Hiding in Plain Site
The most common answer to this problem, one that has been used since the invention of home technology, is to simply hide the media in some sort of decorative structure. This can be a cabinet, an armoire, a media center with swinging doors, or even a series of attractive shelves. All of these furnishing allow you to leave the toys in the room, without making them the focus of the area.
The main problem with this method is that you cannot both use the electronics, and leave them hidden. The doors will have to be opened to view the TV, and most remotes wont work through an oak panel.
Making it Work, Somehow
Modern technology is smaller, slimmer, and less obtrusive than it has ever been. Even though designs are still largely made up of chrome and flashing lights, the actual bulk of these products have decreased, making it easier to decorate around them.
Flat panel televisions are an excellent example of this trend. Light enough to be hung from practically any standing structure; their simple design makes them a relatively unobtrusive addition to a space. If it is still standing out too much a simple curtain or decorative cloth can be placed over the screen when it isn’t being used. Stereos, DVD players, and even video games are all following this size reduction trend.
If you don’t mind a little construction you can really hide these electronics away by having a 12”-15” shadowbox set recessed in your walls. Built with shelves to hang the various media on, it can be a great to leave everything readily accessible, without making it being an eye sore. A sliding panel can also be closed over the wall to completely hide the electronics whenever you like.
If you do use the method above though, you should be sure that the installer adds a way for the wires, both electrical and cable, to get out of the box without sticking out of the side. As long as you mention it in advance this shouldn’t be a problem.
Putting it Somewhere Else!
While modern technology may be an eye sore it is slowly inventing itself out of the problem. One of the most promising new mainstream technologies is the ability to set up media in one room, and enjoy it from another, wirelessly. Using this remote technology it is even possible to set up a remote control to run the system from a third location.
In this way it is possible for you to put a stereo receiver in one room, and to have a few wireless speakers set up throughout the house, in unobtrusive places. Setting up a remote sensor connected to a controller should give you the ability to run the system from wherever you like.
Conclusion
Media is going to get more and more sophisticated. If you want to enjoy the benefits of the technological revolution, without having a home full of garish ultra modern accessories, then you are going to have to use some clever planning. Luckily there are a variety of methods you can use to keep your home comfortable, while still leaving it well equipped.
Joey Lewitin is an artist, designer, and importer, of natural stone décor such as marble vases stone candle holders and much more. Visit http://pebblez.com/decor for more details
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joey_Lewitin
Hiding in Plain Site
The most common answer to this problem, one that has been used since the invention of home technology, is to simply hide the media in some sort of decorative structure. This can be a cabinet, an armoire, a media center with swinging doors, or even a series of attractive shelves. All of these furnishing allow you to leave the toys in the room, without making them the focus of the area.
The main problem with this method is that you cannot both use the electronics, and leave them hidden. The doors will have to be opened to view the TV, and most remotes wont work through an oak panel.
Making it Work, Somehow
Modern technology is smaller, slimmer, and less obtrusive than it has ever been. Even though designs are still largely made up of chrome and flashing lights, the actual bulk of these products have decreased, making it easier to decorate around them.
Flat panel televisions are an excellent example of this trend. Light enough to be hung from practically any standing structure; their simple design makes them a relatively unobtrusive addition to a space. If it is still standing out too much a simple curtain or decorative cloth can be placed over the screen when it isn’t being used. Stereos, DVD players, and even video games are all following this size reduction trend.
If you don’t mind a little construction you can really hide these electronics away by having a 12”-15” shadowbox set recessed in your walls. Built with shelves to hang the various media on, it can be a great to leave everything readily accessible, without making it being an eye sore. A sliding panel can also be closed over the wall to completely hide the electronics whenever you like.
If you do use the method above though, you should be sure that the installer adds a way for the wires, both electrical and cable, to get out of the box without sticking out of the side. As long as you mention it in advance this shouldn’t be a problem.
Putting it Somewhere Else!
While modern technology may be an eye sore it is slowly inventing itself out of the problem. One of the most promising new mainstream technologies is the ability to set up media in one room, and enjoy it from another, wirelessly. Using this remote technology it is even possible to set up a remote control to run the system from a third location.
In this way it is possible for you to put a stereo receiver in one room, and to have a few wireless speakers set up throughout the house, in unobtrusive places. Setting up a remote sensor connected to a controller should give you the ability to run the system from wherever you like.
Conclusion
Media is going to get more and more sophisticated. If you want to enjoy the benefits of the technological revolution, without having a home full of garish ultra modern accessories, then you are going to have to use some clever planning. Luckily there are a variety of methods you can use to keep your home comfortable, while still leaving it well equipped.
Joey Lewitin is an artist, designer, and importer, of natural stone décor such as marble vases stone candle holders and much more. Visit http://pebblez.com/decor for more details
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joey_Lewitin
Testing a Transformer- How To Accurately Test A Transformer
There is two types of transformers in the market- linear transformer and switch mode power transformer. The transformers design is different. Sometimes it is just referred as ac transformer. Linear transformer mostly used in radio, project kits, VCD and etc while switch mode transformer can be found in Monitor, Tv, Fax and so on.
A transformer consists of two or more coils wound on the same core. For power transformers, the core material is usually iron. For a radio-frequency transformer, the core material is usually ferrite or air. The basic property of a transformer is to change AC voltage. A transformer cannot change direct current voltage. A step down transformer has a lower AC output voltage at its secondary winding than the AC input voltage to its primary winding. Conversely, a step up transformer has a higher secondary than primary voltage. The transformer laminations or coating of shellac, enamel or varnish is to insulate adjacent turns from shorts between winding. I will not go too details about how transformer work and transformer calculation as you can read more details from most electrical and electronic transformers books.
How to test transformers: Transformer failures are relatively rare in most electronic equipment, compared with other components. If too much current goes through a coil or winding, the winding heats up and can either open up completely, or the insulation between turns of wire can break down, causing the coil to be partly or completely shorted.
Just like a coil, you can check continuity of any primary or secondary transformer winding. The actual value of DC resistance you read is rather meaningless, but at least you will know whether a winding is open. Checking linear transformer is quite straight forward. Apply the ac voltage to the primary winding and expect output voltage at the secondary side. No or low output voltage means the transformer winding has open or shorted winding. Look for any evidence of overheating, such as darkened or blackened areas or a burnt smell.
About how to test a power transformer-it is a little bit complicated. You cannot apply ac voltage to the equipment and expect the desire output at the secondary side without connect to load otherwise over voltage will happen (because you have removed all the secondary load) and will blow the power section which consist of power fet, pwm ic and etc. Swith mode power supply are designed to run with load while linear transformer can be test without load.
The best way to test a switch mode power transformer is first remove it from the board. Check only the primary winding as secondary winding failures are exceedingly rare. How do we know which one is the primary winding? Trace from the big filter cap the positive pin to see where the circuit goes. It will go to one of the pin of the transformer. Then look for the power fet middle pin which is the Drain and it will lead to another pin of the transformer. This two pins is the primary winding of the transformer. Checking the resistance of the primary winding only can reveal whether it is open but it cannot check if it has developed a shorted winding. Only by using a ringer test you will know if it shorted or not. A shorted turn in the primary winding can cause the power section to blow.
The cheapest ringer tester that i came across is Dick Smith LOPT METER or flyback tester. Just connect the probes to the primary winding and the result are instantly seen from the Led bar graph. 4-8 bar represent a good winding, 1-2 bar represent partial short and if the led goes off means there is a heavy short in the winding. Besides checking the transformer it can be use to check B+ COIL, horizontal yoke coil and flyback primary winding and ballast (choke).
The expensive ringer tester is from sencore equipment. Sencore LC102 and LC103C besides checking capacitor it also have the capability to check all kind of winding. Whether it is a low voltage transformer, high voltage transformer, current transformer, pulse transformer, electric transformer, custom transformer this equipment will be able to check and test it.
If you do not wish to invest on this tester you may use a light bulb to check it. Remove one of the primary winding pin and connect a 60 watt light bulb. One end to the circuit while the other to the transformer pin. If the bulb light and didn't goes off suspect a shorted winding and if the light goes off, the winding is ok.
Transformer repair is not easy and it require a good skill to do it. Most of the transformer repairer preferred to rewind bigger winding such as fan, car alternator and starter. Swith mode power transformer is a little bit difficult to rewind because of the small size and low price.
Jestine Yong is a electronic repairer and a writer. For more information about electronic repair please visit his website at http://www.noahtec.com/electronic-repair-articles.htm
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jestine_Yong
A transformer consists of two or more coils wound on the same core. For power transformers, the core material is usually iron. For a radio-frequency transformer, the core material is usually ferrite or air. The basic property of a transformer is to change AC voltage. A transformer cannot change direct current voltage. A step down transformer has a lower AC output voltage at its secondary winding than the AC input voltage to its primary winding. Conversely, a step up transformer has a higher secondary than primary voltage. The transformer laminations or coating of shellac, enamel or varnish is to insulate adjacent turns from shorts between winding. I will not go too details about how transformer work and transformer calculation as you can read more details from most electrical and electronic transformers books.
How to test transformers: Transformer failures are relatively rare in most electronic equipment, compared with other components. If too much current goes through a coil or winding, the winding heats up and can either open up completely, or the insulation between turns of wire can break down, causing the coil to be partly or completely shorted.
Just like a coil, you can check continuity of any primary or secondary transformer winding. The actual value of DC resistance you read is rather meaningless, but at least you will know whether a winding is open. Checking linear transformer is quite straight forward. Apply the ac voltage to the primary winding and expect output voltage at the secondary side. No or low output voltage means the transformer winding has open or shorted winding. Look for any evidence of overheating, such as darkened or blackened areas or a burnt smell.
About how to test a power transformer-it is a little bit complicated. You cannot apply ac voltage to the equipment and expect the desire output at the secondary side without connect to load otherwise over voltage will happen (because you have removed all the secondary load) and will blow the power section which consist of power fet, pwm ic and etc. Swith mode power supply are designed to run with load while linear transformer can be test without load.
The best way to test a switch mode power transformer is first remove it from the board. Check only the primary winding as secondary winding failures are exceedingly rare. How do we know which one is the primary winding? Trace from the big filter cap the positive pin to see where the circuit goes. It will go to one of the pin of the transformer. Then look for the power fet middle pin which is the Drain and it will lead to another pin of the transformer. This two pins is the primary winding of the transformer. Checking the resistance of the primary winding only can reveal whether it is open but it cannot check if it has developed a shorted winding. Only by using a ringer test you will know if it shorted or not. A shorted turn in the primary winding can cause the power section to blow.
The cheapest ringer tester that i came across is Dick Smith LOPT METER or flyback tester. Just connect the probes to the primary winding and the result are instantly seen from the Led bar graph. 4-8 bar represent a good winding, 1-2 bar represent partial short and if the led goes off means there is a heavy short in the winding. Besides checking the transformer it can be use to check B+ COIL, horizontal yoke coil and flyback primary winding and ballast (choke).
The expensive ringer tester is from sencore equipment. Sencore LC102 and LC103C besides checking capacitor it also have the capability to check all kind of winding. Whether it is a low voltage transformer, high voltage transformer, current transformer, pulse transformer, electric transformer, custom transformer this equipment will be able to check and test it.
If you do not wish to invest on this tester you may use a light bulb to check it. Remove one of the primary winding pin and connect a 60 watt light bulb. One end to the circuit while the other to the transformer pin. If the bulb light and didn't goes off suspect a shorted winding and if the light goes off, the winding is ok.
Transformer repair is not easy and it require a good skill to do it. Most of the transformer repairer preferred to rewind bigger winding such as fan, car alternator and starter. Swith mode power transformer is a little bit difficult to rewind because of the small size and low price.
Jestine Yong is a electronic repairer and a writer. For more information about electronic repair please visit his website at http://www.noahtec.com/electronic-repair-articles.htm
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jestine_Yong
The Rapid Pace of Evolution in Consumer Electronics
The evolution of consumer electronics, high definition displays, digital broadcasts, displays and media is happening at an increasingly rapid pace. Advancements in technology are occurring much faster than before, reducing the time to deliver new technologies to market at an exponential rate. The algorithm for designing and delivering new technology is nearly a fifty percent reduction in time with every significant breakthrough. With such a rapid race for invention the simultaneous introduction of diverse technologies is as inevitable as price erosion and shortened life cycles for what is considered "new" in consumer electronics.
A brief history of Television and the advancement of Display Devices underscores the incredibly increasing pace of developing technology.
In 1876 Eugene Goldstein coined the term "Cathode Ray" to describe light emitted when an electric current is forced through a vacuum tube. Fifty years later in 1928, GE introduced the Octagon, a television with a spinning disc and a neon lamp that created a reddish orange picture that was half the size of a business card. By 1948, twenty years later, the demand for black & white television began a transformation in communications and entertainment. By 1949, several familiar brand names fought for a share of the booming market. These brands included familiar names like Admiral, Emerson, Motorola, Philco, Raytheon, RCA, and Zenith. The market was also saturated with brands like Crosley, Du Mont, Farnsworth, Hallicrafters, Sparton and Tele-Tone. In 1951 CBS broadcasted a one hour Ed Sullivan show in color, but there were only two dozen CBS television sets that could process the color broadcast. In 1954, RCA brought the first color television to market, but only 1,000 units were sold to the public that year. In 1956, Time Magazine called color TV the "most resounding industrial flop of 1956".
The Plasma Display Panel was invented at the University of Illinois in 1964 by Donald H Bliter, H Gene Slottow and student Robert Wilson. The original monochrome displays were popular in the early 1970's because they did not require memory or circuitry to refresh the images. By 1983, IBM introduced a 19 inch monochrome display that was able to show four virtual sessions simultaneously. By 1997, Pioneer started selling the first color Plasma televisions to the public. Screen sizes increased to 22 inches by 1992, and in 2006 Matsushita unveiled the largest Plasma video display of 103 inches at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada.
DLP was developed at Texas Instruments in 1987 by Dr. Larry Hornbeck. The image is created by selective reflection of colored beams of light on a Digital Micromirror Device (DMD Chip). Each mirror represents one pixel on the projected image. The number of pixels represents the resolution. For example, 1920 x 1080 resolution refers to a grid of individual dots of light that are 1920 wide x 1080 high, created from the beam of light reflected off of the same number of tiny mirrors on chip that is smaller than a postage stamp. Concentrated light from a bright Mercury Arc Lamp is beamed through a small rotating color wheel of red, green, blue and sometimes white. The light passing through the color wheel is reflected on the tiny mirrors act independently to point the colored light at or away from the pixel target. The colors perceived by the human eye are a blending of combinations of the red, green and blue reflections in each pixel, and the combination of pixels create the total image. This technology was widely used in Digital Projectors and gradually became a competing technology to Cathode Ray Tube projection television sets, at least until consumers discovered the cost of replacing the high intensity projector lamps.
In 1904 Otto Lehman published a work on Liquid Crystals. By 1911, Charles Mauguin described the structures and properties of liquid crystals. In 1926, Marconi Wireless Telegraph company patented the first practical application of the technology. It was not until 1968 that George Heilmeier and a group at RCA introduced the first operational LCD Display. In December 1970, M. Schadt and W. Helfrich of the Central Research Laboratories of Hoffman-LaRoche in Switzerland filed a patent for the twisted nematic field effect in liquid crystals, and licenses the invention to the Japanese electronics industry for digital quartz wrist watches. By 2004. 40 inch to 45 inch LCD Televisions became widely available on the market, and Sharp introduced a 65 inch display. By March 2005, Samsung introduced an 82 inch LCD panel. Then in August 2006, LG Philips unveiled a 100 inch LCD display. At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada in January 2007, Sharp once again claimed the top spot for size as they introduced the 108 inch LCD panel under the brand name AQUOS. From tiny liquid crystals to the battle for supremacy and 108" displays, the demand for bigger size and sharper contrast in high definition video has proved once again that Size Matters.
By 2006 there have been more than 220 manufacturers of television sets, and the list is growing just as the types of technology for displays is expanding. Other display technologies include Vacuum Flourescent Display (VFD), Light Emitting Diode (LED), Field Emission Display (FED), not to be confused with K-FED, and Liquid Crystal on Silicon (SED). As the ability to generate and provide high definition broadcast on demand continues to develop, the demand for improved quality and larger displays will continue to increase proportionally. The technology to watch for the next significant leap in high definition and quality image reproduction will be the Surface Conduction Electronic Emitter Display (SED).
So where will the high definition images come from? This pace of technology and battle for formats is racing even faster than the development of the display devices.
Ampex introduced the first commercial Video Cassette Recorder in 1956, with a price tag of US$50,000. The worlds first Video Cassette Recorder for home use was introduced by Philips in 1972. By 1975, SONY introduced Betamax. The first VHS VCR arrived to market in 1977, JVC's HR-3300, creating a format war that raged for market share during the 19080's. By the 1990's the battle for dominance between VHS and Beta was replaced by a new battle between the MultiMedia Compact Disc from SONY and Philips, versus the Super Density Disc supported by Time Warner, Matsushita, Hitachi, Mitsubishi, Pioneer, Toshiba and Thomson. Amazingly enough, it was Lou Gerstner, president of IBM, who stepped forward and acted as matchmaker to convince the rival camps to collaborate and combine the best of both technologies into a single standard. The result of which became the DVD Consortium, later became known as the DVD Forum. The competing technologies collaborated on standards for manufacturing DVD products with common format until the battle for supremacy was revived in 2006 between HD DVD and Blu-Ray high definition video.
It took 20 years to migrate from a $50,000 commercial device to a Video Cassette Recorder for the home. It was almost a 20 year battle in the format war between VHS and Beta, until rival camps under the guiding hand of Lou Gerstner collaborated on a common DVD format. The common DVD format lasted for a mere ten years until the competing technologies once again took the field of battle to claim dominance in the high definition video market, as HD DVD and Blu-Ray fight for supremacy, movie titles, profit and the bragging rights to define the next standard in the evolution of video. At this pace of technology evolution, advancement occurs twice as fast or in half the time of the proceeding era. At this rate we can anticipate the announcement of the next significant advancement in technology and another format within the next five years. Will the next format combine the best technologies of HD DVD and Blu-Ray? Will the next step in evolution be based on utilization of more colors from the spectrum to create even greater definition? Will the format war for storage medium like VHS tapes and Blu-Ray discs become obsolete as the new medium transforms to wireless video streaming on demand? One thing is for sure, it will not take long to find out. Hold on to your VHS movies, compact discs and DVD's, as these will be collector's items and museum pieces before a child born today will graduate from college.
Are you concerned about having the latest technology when you make your next purchase in consumer electronics? Are you worried about selecting the right format, so your library of movies and collection of media will last longer than your pile of LP records and eight track tapes? Choose a display that supports Digital High Definition, learn about the types of INPUTS for your display device or television, and then pick the one that fits your budget. The types of INPUT and connections are important for being able to take advantage of the best display possible from your television or display device. As for recorded media, take your chances on the media that has the most selection of titles and is compatible with your other entertainment devices. There is a good chance that the state-of-the-art technology you purchase today will be obsolete before your extended warranty expires, so sit back and enjoy the evolution.
Words of Wisdom
"The theory of evolution by cumulative natural selection is the only theory we know of that is in principle capable of explaining the existence of organized complexity." - Richard Dawkins
"Television is the first truly democratic culture - the first culture available to everybody and entirely governed by what the people want. The most terrifying thing is what people do want." - Clive Barnes
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." - Arthur C. Clarke
bout the Author: John Mehrmann is a freelance writer and President of Executive Blueprints Inc., an organization devoted to improving business practices and developing human capital. http://www.ExecutiveBlueprints.com provides resource materials for trainers, sample Case Studies, educational articles and references to local affiliates for consulting and executive coaching. http://www.InstituteforAdvancedLeadership.com provides self-paced tutorials for personal development and tools for trainers. Presentation materials, reference guides and exercises are available for continuous development.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Mehrmann
A brief history of Television and the advancement of Display Devices underscores the incredibly increasing pace of developing technology.
In 1876 Eugene Goldstein coined the term "Cathode Ray" to describe light emitted when an electric current is forced through a vacuum tube. Fifty years later in 1928, GE introduced the Octagon, a television with a spinning disc and a neon lamp that created a reddish orange picture that was half the size of a business card. By 1948, twenty years later, the demand for black & white television began a transformation in communications and entertainment. By 1949, several familiar brand names fought for a share of the booming market. These brands included familiar names like Admiral, Emerson, Motorola, Philco, Raytheon, RCA, and Zenith. The market was also saturated with brands like Crosley, Du Mont, Farnsworth, Hallicrafters, Sparton and Tele-Tone. In 1951 CBS broadcasted a one hour Ed Sullivan show in color, but there were only two dozen CBS television sets that could process the color broadcast. In 1954, RCA brought the first color television to market, but only 1,000 units were sold to the public that year. In 1956, Time Magazine called color TV the "most resounding industrial flop of 1956".
The Plasma Display Panel was invented at the University of Illinois in 1964 by Donald H Bliter, H Gene Slottow and student Robert Wilson. The original monochrome displays were popular in the early 1970's because they did not require memory or circuitry to refresh the images. By 1983, IBM introduced a 19 inch monochrome display that was able to show four virtual sessions simultaneously. By 1997, Pioneer started selling the first color Plasma televisions to the public. Screen sizes increased to 22 inches by 1992, and in 2006 Matsushita unveiled the largest Plasma video display of 103 inches at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada.
DLP was developed at Texas Instruments in 1987 by Dr. Larry Hornbeck. The image is created by selective reflection of colored beams of light on a Digital Micromirror Device (DMD Chip). Each mirror represents one pixel on the projected image. The number of pixels represents the resolution. For example, 1920 x 1080 resolution refers to a grid of individual dots of light that are 1920 wide x 1080 high, created from the beam of light reflected off of the same number of tiny mirrors on chip that is smaller than a postage stamp. Concentrated light from a bright Mercury Arc Lamp is beamed through a small rotating color wheel of red, green, blue and sometimes white. The light passing through the color wheel is reflected on the tiny mirrors act independently to point the colored light at or away from the pixel target. The colors perceived by the human eye are a blending of combinations of the red, green and blue reflections in each pixel, and the combination of pixels create the total image. This technology was widely used in Digital Projectors and gradually became a competing technology to Cathode Ray Tube projection television sets, at least until consumers discovered the cost of replacing the high intensity projector lamps.
In 1904 Otto Lehman published a work on Liquid Crystals. By 1911, Charles Mauguin described the structures and properties of liquid crystals. In 1926, Marconi Wireless Telegraph company patented the first practical application of the technology. It was not until 1968 that George Heilmeier and a group at RCA introduced the first operational LCD Display. In December 1970, M. Schadt and W. Helfrich of the Central Research Laboratories of Hoffman-LaRoche in Switzerland filed a patent for the twisted nematic field effect in liquid crystals, and licenses the invention to the Japanese electronics industry for digital quartz wrist watches. By 2004. 40 inch to 45 inch LCD Televisions became widely available on the market, and Sharp introduced a 65 inch display. By March 2005, Samsung introduced an 82 inch LCD panel. Then in August 2006, LG Philips unveiled a 100 inch LCD display. At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada in January 2007, Sharp once again claimed the top spot for size as they introduced the 108 inch LCD panel under the brand name AQUOS. From tiny liquid crystals to the battle for supremacy and 108" displays, the demand for bigger size and sharper contrast in high definition video has proved once again that Size Matters.
By 2006 there have been more than 220 manufacturers of television sets, and the list is growing just as the types of technology for displays is expanding. Other display technologies include Vacuum Flourescent Display (VFD), Light Emitting Diode (LED), Field Emission Display (FED), not to be confused with K-FED, and Liquid Crystal on Silicon (SED). As the ability to generate and provide high definition broadcast on demand continues to develop, the demand for improved quality and larger displays will continue to increase proportionally. The technology to watch for the next significant leap in high definition and quality image reproduction will be the Surface Conduction Electronic Emitter Display (SED).
So where will the high definition images come from? This pace of technology and battle for formats is racing even faster than the development of the display devices.
Ampex introduced the first commercial Video Cassette Recorder in 1956, with a price tag of US$50,000. The worlds first Video Cassette Recorder for home use was introduced by Philips in 1972. By 1975, SONY introduced Betamax. The first VHS VCR arrived to market in 1977, JVC's HR-3300, creating a format war that raged for market share during the 19080's. By the 1990's the battle for dominance between VHS and Beta was replaced by a new battle between the MultiMedia Compact Disc from SONY and Philips, versus the Super Density Disc supported by Time Warner, Matsushita, Hitachi, Mitsubishi, Pioneer, Toshiba and Thomson. Amazingly enough, it was Lou Gerstner, president of IBM, who stepped forward and acted as matchmaker to convince the rival camps to collaborate and combine the best of both technologies into a single standard. The result of which became the DVD Consortium, later became known as the DVD Forum. The competing technologies collaborated on standards for manufacturing DVD products with common format until the battle for supremacy was revived in 2006 between HD DVD and Blu-Ray high definition video.
It took 20 years to migrate from a $50,000 commercial device to a Video Cassette Recorder for the home. It was almost a 20 year battle in the format war between VHS and Beta, until rival camps under the guiding hand of Lou Gerstner collaborated on a common DVD format. The common DVD format lasted for a mere ten years until the competing technologies once again took the field of battle to claim dominance in the high definition video market, as HD DVD and Blu-Ray fight for supremacy, movie titles, profit and the bragging rights to define the next standard in the evolution of video. At this pace of technology evolution, advancement occurs twice as fast or in half the time of the proceeding era. At this rate we can anticipate the announcement of the next significant advancement in technology and another format within the next five years. Will the next format combine the best technologies of HD DVD and Blu-Ray? Will the next step in evolution be based on utilization of more colors from the spectrum to create even greater definition? Will the format war for storage medium like VHS tapes and Blu-Ray discs become obsolete as the new medium transforms to wireless video streaming on demand? One thing is for sure, it will not take long to find out. Hold on to your VHS movies, compact discs and DVD's, as these will be collector's items and museum pieces before a child born today will graduate from college.
Are you concerned about having the latest technology when you make your next purchase in consumer electronics? Are you worried about selecting the right format, so your library of movies and collection of media will last longer than your pile of LP records and eight track tapes? Choose a display that supports Digital High Definition, learn about the types of INPUTS for your display device or television, and then pick the one that fits your budget. The types of INPUT and connections are important for being able to take advantage of the best display possible from your television or display device. As for recorded media, take your chances on the media that has the most selection of titles and is compatible with your other entertainment devices. There is a good chance that the state-of-the-art technology you purchase today will be obsolete before your extended warranty expires, so sit back and enjoy the evolution.
Words of Wisdom
"The theory of evolution by cumulative natural selection is the only theory we know of that is in principle capable of explaining the existence of organized complexity." - Richard Dawkins
"Television is the first truly democratic culture - the first culture available to everybody and entirely governed by what the people want. The most terrifying thing is what people do want." - Clive Barnes
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." - Arthur C. Clarke
bout the Author: John Mehrmann is a freelance writer and President of Executive Blueprints Inc., an organization devoted to improving business practices and developing human capital. http://www.ExecutiveBlueprints.com provides resource materials for trainers, sample Case Studies, educational articles and references to local affiliates for consulting and executive coaching. http://www.InstituteforAdvancedLeadership.com provides self-paced tutorials for personal development and tools for trainers. Presentation materials, reference guides and exercises are available for continuous development.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Mehrmann
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