I remember when, in the eighties, in the word processing software market there were multiple players. WordPerfect had great technology and good market share. He had displaced Wordstar, who was still in the fight, and among other players, Microsoft Word and even Volkswriter appeared. The invention of "office suites " and the migration to the Windows platform changed the rules of the game. Today, if anything StarOffice aims to gain some share, but the market dominated by Microsoft is quite boring.
I hope this doesn't happen in the non-linear editing software market. The competition between Avid, Apple, Pinnacle, Adobe, in-Sync, Canopus, Incite, in professional markets, and Thomson, Sony, Leitch and others, in broadcast markets, has favored the development of very complete products and increasingly accessible to the bulk of the industry.
Something similar happens in the fields of video servers and cameras. The global recession that hit TV and video equipment manufacturers hard did not significantly affect market competitiveness, although some fell by the wayside and others merged to weather the storm. The truth is that the consolidation of companies in competitive markets is a natural and healthy process, as long as it does not lead to monopolies.
The field of batteries and energy sources for ENG and EFP applications – as we reviewed in this edition – is perhaps one of the most consolidated. However, the dominance of the two main manufacturers is challenged not by a new competitor that imitates them, but – as is often the case – by a paradigm shift made possible by the emergence of new technologies. This is the case with fuel cells. If the brand accepts this proposal, the doors are opened to dozens of companies that research and develop viable alternatives to traditional batteries.
How will established players react to the new rules of the game? History shows us successful cases as well as resounding failures. On the ability of these companies to understand the changes and the timing they have to undertake them, their survival depends.
The television and video industry is facing multiple technological changes or the consolidation of recent innovations. The next few years will be one of paradigm shifts that will affect the way we perform our profession. Stay with us and you will see that this will be easier.
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