Tuning into Jim

The next time you leave your home, look about you as you travel.  What do you see?  Cameras – lots of cameras –  on traffic lights, at toll booths, at the ATM, in your local gas station and just about everywhere else.  Like it or not, someone is capturing your image several times a day for a variety of reasons, usually associated with security or safety.

Welcome to the Age of Video Surveillance.  The world in which we live, play and work has become a lot less safe than it was just a few years ago and we, willingly or otherwise, are giving up some of our privacy to feel a little more comfortable with our surroundings.  So, what does this mean to the semiconductor industry?  An exploding market offering a wide range of new product opportunities.

Market research firm iSuppi has the hard numbers.  They expect global video surveillance camera revenue to grow from $4.9 billion in 2006 to more than $9 billion in 2011; unit shipments of video surveillance equipment to more than double from 29.8 million in 2006 to 65.7 million in 2011; and the market for surveillance-camera chips should hit $1.25 billion in 2011.

If you are a processor vendor who targets video processing applications, video surveillance should be in your crosshairs.  Likewise for the companies who develop video analytics, sometimes called intelligent video, algorithms – software that surveillance systems use to analyze a scene and flag it if it represents a potential safety or security risk.  CMOS sensor vendors, VCR manufacturers and video camera companies also are potential beneficiaries of the huge growth in video surveillance applications and equipment demand.

Video surveillance may not be the next semiconductor “killer app� but it does represent a very real opportunity for chip vendors and system houses.  And when you’re out and about, make sure your hair is combed, your clothes pressed, and smile – someone is probably looking at you.

I have a confession to make.  I recently returned from a 10-day vacation in the Caribbean and Miami.  You will be amazed to hear that I did not take my laptop and did not access email the whole time – and survived the experience!

 

Yes, for the first time in two years I traveled away from my office without my laptop computer in tow and the world as we know it did not end.  I can hear you think, “I am shocked, shocked that someone would be so irresponsible.� But, it really felt good not to feel obligated to “check in� several times a day to see what was in my In-Box.

 

One cannot do such a thing blindly, of course.  First – make sure that your colleagues are aware of your obligations to clients, customers and so on during your absence and provide them with your contact information “just in case.�  Second – plan for your absence by wrapping up as many loose ends as possible before you leave.  Finally – be prepared for a flood of email messages upon your return.  I had over 3560 “good� emails and more than 600 in my junk folder.

 

The point of this monolog is to show that there is life without 24/7 connectivity (I had my cell phone off most of the time as well).  We Silicon Valley types are trapped into thinking that we must always be available to others anytime, day or night.  This is bad karma and, for the most part, isn’t necessary.

I had a wonderful, relaxed time being isolated from work and recommend the experience to everyone.  A vacation should be just that – leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure – and, darn it, I think we all need to experience it that way.   

Let me know whether or not you agree with me.