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Published on December 26, 2007

In general, the domestic market is very sluggish - a situation expected to continue if there are unclear economic signals and an unstable political situation. In 2008, there will be a slight change in hi-tech gadgets as manufacturers offer alternatives to consumers.

With the arrival of the terrestrial high-definition digital era, high-definition (HD) camcorders are likely to be featured among manufacturers of hi-tech gadgets. Most companies tend to focus on HD display for home video, such as the Full HD 1920 x 1080 LCD panels.

Both Blu-Ray and HD DVD discs have been fighting what seems to be a war of attrition for consumers' minds. The formats are incompatible, so consumers therefore have to choose sides.

For car video, no upgrade of the HD panel is required because the panel is small and there is no need to add more pixels. However, an upgrade could be made in the areas of contrast ratio, brightness and the speed of the sliding panel. The size of the panel can be increased from 7 to 10 inches. Maybe we will see the car video's panel resolution in QVGA (230,400 pixels) and WVGA (1.15 million pixels), specifically geared towards affluent people.

Manufacturers of the display panels focus on image quality by increasing pixels and making the panel a deeper black. They also provide internal flat speakers to reduce reliability on the external audio system.

However, it seems many manufacturers of car audio systems focus development on the physical appearance, making it as a luxurious piece of furniture rather than technology. This is perhaps because of the high-quality LCD panel. Consumers look for versatile products such as touch-screen control and a smart navigation system in order to have more safety on the road.

In general, a head unit with external amplifier will generate superior sound due to the fact that the power amp is an external unit and causes less noise interference. Nevertheless, as part of a trend towards high power, the four-channel head unit is gaining popularity since it has less need for an external amplifier. Smaller digital amplifiers providing superior performance will be a new alternative to the conventional large amplifier.

A head unit with a front-loaded CD or DVD will be a standard player while the CD/DVD changer will become less important. The head unit will have the input for connecting to other audio sources such as a portable MP3 player or iPod.

Loudspeakers are probably the only gadgets that will not change much over the next 12 months. The most common type is still the dynamic speaker.

Upgrades can be made by using more effective materials such as a neodymium magnet for voice coils and ceramic, polypropylene and aluminium for drivers to boost the quality of small speakers.

At the end of the day, decisions mainly involve a trade-off between budget and quality. There are many choices available these days. Where audio is concerned, differences in price usually do indicate differences in quality. Skimping can lower the overall quality of sound you get. Remember: nothing is free in the world.

By Wijit Boonchoo

The Nation

Ultimate in Luxury

The Luxury LS 460 is a wonderfully comfaortable car fitted with all mod cons, althoough not necessarily the most fun vehicle to drive.