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LONDON (Dow Jones)--3D software firm DDD Group PLC (DDD.LN) said Monday it is receiving increased interest from a wider range of equipment manufacturers and chip makers after signing a licensing deal with Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) in October, and is taking on new staff to cope with the demand. Chief Executive Chris Yewdall said the firm, which currently has 23 staff, will be looking to increase that figure to around 30 by May. Yewdall told Dow Jones Newswires that the agreement with AMD, under which PC makers use DDD software alongside AMD chips to create 3D content that can be viewed through active shutter 3D glasses, has stimulated increased demand for its products beyond the 3D TV market. "It [the AMD deal] was key for us, because we needed that capability because of the desire to use active glasses [among device manufacturers]," Yewdall said. "We are seeing a very healthy growth in demand," he added. Yewdall said customers such as Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (005930.SE)--whose 3D TVs all use DDD software--are showing increased interest in DDD technology in their PC businesses.
The excitement around 3D has gathered pace in recent weeks with the theatrical success of Avatar, the live-action 3D film that last week became the fastest movie ever to reach $1bn in box office sales, becoming the fourth-highest grossing film in history just 17 days after its release. Avatar will have been many cinema-goers’ first experience of 3D and this exposure should increase the appetite for 3D in the home. There was plenty more 3D news at CES as Sony, Sharp, Toshiba, Panasonic, LG and Samsung all demonstrated 3D products. LG will be first to market in the UK, with a 47 inch 3D TV using passive polarised glasses going on sale in April for around £2000. Samsung and Sony are expected to follow with active shutter based sets due this Summer
England's Six Nations match at home to Wales on 6 February will be Europe's first public live 3D sports broadcast. The match against Wales, and the game against Ireland at Twickenham on 27 February, will be broadcast into 40 Odeon and Cineworld cinemas in the UK. Rugby Football Union operations director Paul Vaughan praised the move as an "exciting new development". "This demonstrates England rugby has a rich history and an even richer future," he added. "I hope rugby fans will pack cinemas across the country to support the team and mark this milestone." The broadcast has been organised by England sponsor O2 and will use polarised 3D cameras at Twickenham.
The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, an annual barometer for the state of the industry, has its arrows pointed towards a fairer outlook for 2010. CES officially opens tomorrow, with the promise of new categories of technological devices to spur consumer spending this year and help countries pull out of the recession. Among the hot topics this year will be 3D. It is moving rapidly from the cinema to the living room, with the introduction of 3D HDTVs from groups such as LG, Samsung and Sony, and content announcements expected. Also expected to come into their own this year are e-readers, with a new generation of larger format devices being unveiled at the show. The new smartbooks category will compete with netbooks for attention, as portable PCs remain the hottest section of the PC industry. CES has been upstaged in the past by announcements from Apple, such as the unveiling of the iPhone at MacWorld in 2007. This year, that event has been moved to February. But Steve Jobs, Apple founder, will still cast a shadow over tablets on display at CES, with Apple's next major product expected to be a tablet launched in three weeks. Google is stealing the initial limelight this year, with the announcement at its Silicon Valley headquarters yesterday that it will sell its first Android phone - the Nexus One. Analysts at UBS said yesterday they expected new smartphone announcements from Acer, Asus, HTC, LG, Palm and Samsung at CES and other upcoming shows as competition increased in the smartphone segment. Chipmakers are taking a central role in the industry and finding new markets, with their processors featuring in e-readers, smartbooks, netbooks and set-top boxes bringing the internet to TVs. The chief executives of chipmakers Intel and Qualcomm are both keynote speakers at the show. The development of the car as a hub for consumer electronics will be reflected in announcements of TV services for vehicles and built-in internet connectivity. Alan Mulally, Ford chief executive, is another keynote speaker. Last year's CES attracted 113,000 attendees, down from an expected 130,000 and Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) officials are cautiously predicting attendance will be flat this year. However, they report a big pick-up in interest in recent months as economies have recovered and absentees from last year, such as Philips, are returning. There are a record number of new exhibitors at the show - more than 330 - and 20,000 products on show from more than 2,500 exhibitors. The CEA has predicted shipment revenues fell 7.7 per cent to $165bn in 2009, the first decline since 2001. Whether its forecast of a meagre 1 per cent growth in 2010 is too pessimistic will be determined by how well the products on display in Las Vegas this week are received in the wider world in the coming months. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2010. You may share using our article tools. Please don't cut articles from FT.
I got in on this not so long ago and it looks like a great one for the future. i know most people that post say that but take a look and see. The evolution of 3D is upon us and i hope i am smiling in a year or so. revenues up 80% through growth and royalty as well as granting licences to samsung, hyuandai IT and wistron. potential take over oppo and looks to have good upside potential. total of 38 patents covering 15 inventions granted in 26 countries.