Seminar Archive - 2000
April 18, 2000 - 6:00 PM
Speaker: Bob O'Donnell, Display Research Manager, IDC
Title: The PC Monitor and Projector Markets: Where Are We Now & Where Are We Going?
Abstract: IDC's PC Display Research Manager Bob O'Donnell will provide an overview of the important shifts in the computer monitor market as well as a look at the dramatic changes now impacting the projector market. In the world of monitors, the shift from CRT to LCD is finally in full force and the move from VGA to DVI connections is just starting. As a result of these and other developments, monitors are evolving into an increasingly important role in overall PC systems.
O'Donnell will present his view of the market, complete with forecast information. With products continuing to get smaller, lighter, cheaper and better, projectors have entered a phase of impressive growth that IDC believes will continue for several years in the future. Instead of functioning as expensive, specialty items, projectors are morphing into notebook peripherals--a development that will have major impacts on future product designs as well as the channels through which projectors are sold. O'Donnell will offer his analysis on the projector market as well as the results of a recently completed forecast.
Speaker Background: Bob O'Donnell, is IDC's Research Manager for PC Displays and is the leader of IDC's display research program, where he tracks both the sales and technology trends affecting the worldwide market for computer displays, projectors and related technologies. Other current activities include authoring "Personal Computer Secrets", hosting "O'Donnell on Computers," the #1-rated computer call-in talk show in Silicon Valley; founding and managing the www.everythingcomputers.com website; and frequently speaking at industry tradeshows.
O'Donnell began his work in the high-tech industry at Music Technology magazine and as the Electronic Musician magazine editor. Bob then moved on as Executive Editor/Reviews at MacWeek, where he helped create MacWeek's lab facilities and was involved in the development of the MacBench benchmark. His writing has appeared in magazines all over the world. Bob has also done extensive radio and television shows. O'Donnell is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, with a B.A. in the Program of Liberal Studies, an interdisciplinary humanities program based on the Great Books.
The seminar is free. Please join our speaker for dinner ($10-20) afterwards. Directions to the restaurant will be handed out at the seminar.
Location: SEMI Technology Building, 815 E. Middlefield Road, Mountain View, CA
March 23, 2000 - 6:00 PM
Speaker: Andrew Wolfe, Ph.D., Chief Technology Officer, S3 Incorporated
Title: Internet Appliances for the Post-PC Era
Abstract: The Digital Age has changed the way we create, store, and access information. Digital technology has reduced cost, improved reliability, and increased quality, but for the most part, the average consumers use information in much the same way they did 20 years ago. They read newspapers; they watch television; and they pop physical music storage media into the dashboards of their cars. Improvements in some key digital technologies are just now fundamentally changing the way we access and use information. Cheap, very-high density storage allows us to aggregate digital content in our homes and replicate digital content in a variety of devices. Ubiquitous networking, bringing high-speed internet connectivity into the home, distributing data throughout the home on high-speed home networks, and providing mobile access via wireless networking, allows seamless access to content in all of the places where we traditionally have used physical distribution of content.
A new class of information appliances is evolving to change the way we use information. Diamond Multimedia, an S3 company, introduced the first mass-market information appliance about a year ago. Last year, over 500,000 consumers used the Diamond Rio portable music player to change the way they access music. They obtained new music over the internet, stored it in their homes on a hard disk, and downloaded it as needed to an information appliance optimized for portable music listening. In the upcoming year, there will be an explosion of new opportunities to change the way we access information. Digital music will flow freely into the home, through the home, into the car, and into personal music players. Streaming video will be available on handheld devices that can be carried into the back yard or used on the train to read the morning news. A movie stored on a digital video recorder in an upstairs bedroom can be viewed in the family room until it is interrupted by an application on your PC which has detected unusual movement from the video camera in the baby's room.
This presentation will introduce some of the emerging technologies that enable a new class of internet-connected devices and will describe some of the kinds of products that will bring these technologies into the home.
Speaker Background: Andrew Wolfe, Ph.D. is Chief Technology Officer at S3 Incorporated. He is responsible for technology acquisition, corporate-level business development, and introduction of emerging technologies into the S3 and Diamond Multimedia product lines. Dr. Wolfe is also a Consulting Assistant Professor in the ECE Department at Stanford University. From 1991 through 1997, he served on the faculty of Princeton University. Prior to that he founded The Graphics Technology Company, a manufacturer of interactive computer peripherals. Dr. Wolfe holds a B.S.E.E. from The Johns Hopkins University and a Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University
The seminar is free. Please join our speaker for dinner ($10-20) afterwards. Directions to the restaurant will be handed out at the seminar.
Location: SEMI Technology Building, 815 E. Middlefield Road, Mountain View, CA
February 22, 2000 - 6:00 PM
Speaker: Mark Holler, Intel Microprocessor Research Lab
Title: Digital Cubicle: Maximizing Visual Interaction within an Office Cubicle
Abstract: Business office productivity has reached a plateau with the current 2D windows interface and single monitor display. Limited display requires substantial time for non-value adding manipulation of windows. 3D graphical user interfaces have not been able to provide a net productivity improvement due to additional complexity in navigating and the same problems associated with limited display area. Advances in projection technology and support for multiple displays in today's operating systems provide an opportunity to address the basic problem of limited display area. Projected displays also enable new physical configurations which invite multi-modal interaction. This talk presents one such configuration of 3 projectors in a standard office cubicle which we refer to as the Digital Cubicle. Relative to a conventional 20" monitor It provides double the number of pixels and more than twice the field of view at a more comfortable viewing distance of18-48". In the Digital Cubicle we have the ability to capture and display human faces at full scale at distances typical of interpersonal interactions. The front projected displays allow a miniature camera to be placed behind a hole in the screen to capture frontal face images with apparent eye contact. The 90 degree format of the screens provides a collaborative space where gaze can be used by both participants to focus attention on shared objects. Results of initial experiences using 2D and 3D user interfaces in and arm pointing gesture tracking in this space for general business tasks and two person collaborations will be described.
Speaker Background: Mark Holler leads the Visual Interactivity group within Intel's Microprocessor Research Lab in Santa Clara, Ca. Since 1996 his technical focus has been on computer vision for human computer interaction. The group develops components for face, hand, and body gesture recognition and tracking which are being distributed in Intel's Computer Vision Library. In the last year Mark's research interests have expanded to include complete multimodal systems where computer vision components can showcase their ability to improve productivity. Prior to his work in computer vision he managed implementation of optimized Image Processing, Signal Processing and Pattern Recognition Libraries for the Pentium Processor with MMX(TM) technology. Mark was also responsible for Intel's Neural Network program which produced the 80170NX and NI1000 Neural Network chips and associated tools
The seminar is free. Please join our speaker for dinner ($10-20) afterwards. Directions to the restaurant will be handed out at the seminar.
Location: SEMI Technology Building, 815 E. Middlefield Road, Mountain View, CA
February 1, 2000 - 6:00 PM
**New Location** San Jose Convention Center, San Jose, California
Moderator: David Mentley, Stanford Resources, Inc.
Panelists:
Doug Bartow, Analog Devices
Alain d'Hautecourt, Viewsonic
Victor Da Costa, Silicon Image
Tom Paterniti, Princeton Graphics
Andy Morrish, National Semiconductor
Title: Digital Interface Choices
Topic: "Digital Interface Choices" will be addressed by a panel of leading interface designers and customers. The panelists will each be given 5 minutes to provide their forecast on the longevity of the analog display interface, given the penetration of the digital interface in both CRTs and flat panel displays. These presentations will be followed by an open forum for airing and exploring the panelists and attendees views on a variety of other related topics such as the benefits of digital CRT interfaces given the price premium; the continuation of the connector nightmare; and whether or not DVI is the missing interface for HDTV. A promising evening of contrast and comparison.
The seminar is free. Please join our speaker for dinner ($10-20) afterwards. Directions to the restaurant will be handed out at the seminar.
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