The overall projector market has grown significantly in SA, with total industry sales of 8 500 units in the first quarter of 2005, says Mark Harris, InFocus manager for Europe, Middle East and Asia.
Projected sales of data video projectors for 2005 are expected to be in excess of 40 000 units for all brands, he adds.
He anticipates strong growth over the next five years, estimating total market sales to exceed 45 000 in 2006, 54 000 in 2007 and more than 120 000 units in 2010.
Harris is in SA to launch the InFocus X3, a wireless-based projector suited to the corporate, SME and educational markets.
"In essence, we are looking at a threefold increase in projector sales over the next six years locally," he says.
Europe and other parts of the world are not experiencing this level of growth, he says, attributing local growth to an "increasing demand in the educational, public sector and healthcare markets".
The use of projection technology in SA is on a par with the rest of the world, Harris says. "SA is, in some respects, ahead of Europe. For example, the technology required to install a 'smart` boardroom is highly sophisticated. It requires the integration of wireless-based equipment such as video conferencing, the company network, DVD player, video recorder, lighting, sound, projector, projection screen and audio conferencing. All these elements then need to be controlled from a single handheld remote."
The next step in projector technology is the delivery of video via satellite to projectors and other display devices scattered geographically across different cities, says Harris. He adds that InFocus has invested in two content-delivery companies for the purposes of harnessing satellite technology.
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