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HDTV: Double digit growth expected over next 5 years
SINGAPORE: A recent study by US-based IMS Research estimates that by the end of 2010, nearly 87 million households worldwide would be capable of watching HDTV programming.
At a session on the Future of High Definition Television, it was pointed out that HDTV is becoming an important offering for cable and satellite TV providers. IMS research estimated that last year, about 20.6 million HDTV players were shipped worldwide. The double-digit growth expected in the market over the next five years will result in a forecast of nearly 60 million HDTV displays shipped by 2010.
Elaborating on the recent trends, Millette Burgos of Asia Pacific Broadcast said, “Depending on the country and the government, initiatives such as FCC‘s Digital Tuner mandate in the US and the HDTV broadcasting quotas in Australia and South Korea, are often the key drivers for the growth in HDTV sets.”
Countries like Australia and South Korea are proving to be the key drivers for the growth in HDTV sets as they have integrated tuning capacity. While growth in HD monitors will continue in a market where pay TV operators sell or rent the HD set-top box or HD DKR as part of the HDTV service package.
Often HDTV sets would not be enabled for pay-TV platforms, but are capable of receiving only free-to-air programmes. Of course, exceptions will exist in countries like US and S Korea where cable platforms are standardizing on Cablelabs Digital Cable ready standard.
“The good news is that many of the adoption impediments of HDTV are now being eliminated,” said IMS research market analyst Jack Mayo. “As HD content increases in availability, equipment costs drop and compression standards improve so we‘re likely to see more operators implement HDTV.”
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AI Impact Summit ’26: Adobe offers Firefly, Photoshop free to Indian students
Adobe to equip 15,000 schools, 500 colleges with free AI tools
NEW DELHI: Adobe has unveiled a major education-focused investment to expand access to its AI-powered creative and productivity tools for students in India, as the company deepens its alignment with the government’s skilling and creator-economy ambitions.
Announced at the India AI Impact Summit, the initiative will provide applications such as Firefly, Photoshop and Acrobat free of charge to students through accredited higher education institutions across the country. The package includes software access, structured curriculum, training modules and industry-recognised credentials.
The programme supports the government’s ‘Create in India’ vision and the Union Budget 2026 goal of generating two million jobs in the animation, visual effects, gaming and comics (AVGC) sector by 2030.
Working with the government, Adobe said it will make its AI tools and learning resources available at no cost to 15,000 schools and 500 colleges equipped with Content Creator Labs.
Shantanu Narayen, chair and ceo of Adobe, said the move would expand creative opportunity for millions of Indian students while accelerating the prime minister’s vision for a digitally skilled workforce.
Adobe said Firefly integrates creative AI models from partners including Google, OpenAI and Runway, enabling users to generate content using multiple models. Acrobat Pro will support productivity and collaboration tasks such as editing text and images.
Separately, Adobe India has partnered with NASSCOM FutureSkills Prime, a digital skilling initiative backed by the ministry of electronics and information technology, to offer free courses and certifications. The programmes are aimed at preparing students for roles across design, animation, gaming, marketing, media, e-commerce and technology.
