TFCinfo’s Latest Research Reveals The Most Preferred Video Display Brands In American Churches As Usage of Projectors, Flat Panel Displays, and Video Walls Continue To Grow In One of The Most Important Markets

Palm Coast, FLORIDA 2018 – Flat panel display use in the house of worship market has continued to grow rapidly according to TFCinfo’s recent research report entitled, “The Use of Video Displays in American Churches 2018.” Of the AV-focused churches that TFCinfo surveyed (churches that have made a strategic and financial commitment to integrate audio visual equipment in their worship service), 75% state that they own at least one flat panel display 32”+.

For over fourteen years TFCinfo has immersed themselves into the church market to assist manufacturers, dealers and integrators in better understanding this vast market segment, which is very unique and still often misunderstood. TFCinfo in conjunction with Church Production Magazine and Church.Design Magazine recently surveyed 778 respondents, all of whom are responsible for the AV equipment at their place of worship, for this extensive end-user research study that explores the use of video displays in American churches.

“Flat panel display use is not only increasing dramatically at the large church level, churches of all sizes are embracing flat panel displays,” states Tanya Lippke, TFCinfo Director of Survey Market research. “61% of the churches surveyed with 0-300 seats currently use a flat panel display, 81% of churches with 301-1,000 seats and 91% of churches with 1,000+ seats also state that they have incorporated flat panel displays into their facilities.”

These bright displays are a very appealing and affordable option for churches. This is especially true as churches are increasingly turning to display technologies to improve communications with attendees and churches are adopting more ways in which they can use video to connect. Churches are using video displays in classrooms, in their secondary meeting spaces, smaller auditoriums, as well as foyers and lobbies that are now becoming more of a gathering area for many where digital signage is important.

 
This report analyzes each of the video display types separately (projectors, stand alone flat panel displays, and LED panels used as components of LED video walls) and also in comparison to each other. “It is extremely interesting to see the contrast between projectors and flat panels when it comes to churches and how they use them. In some aspects it is as if one display is compensating for the perceived pitfalls of the other. Regardless, churches are finding locations and uses for both display types” states Lippke. “This may change, so our research includes areas of questioning that deal with future replacement for each technology. Will projectors be considered to replace large 60”+ flat panel displays in the future? Are the flat panel displays being purchased today in addition to displays the churches already own, or are they being purchased to replace a projector or previous flat panel? Through this tracking research it’s been fascinating to see firsthand the changes that have taken place and the ones that will likely take place in the future in this market.”

 
Churches, regardless of size, are buying more projectors and displays than ever before in the past, and they are being used for a wider number of purposes as churches become more technically sophisticated.  

   
Not only is it interesting to see video display usage continue to grow in this important market, it is also interesting to see some big business brands fair extremely well in areas of purchase consideration. Epson, Panasonic, Sony, Hitachi, Christie, and Eiki are the projector brands being most considered for purchase in the overall church market. Canon, BenQ, NEC, Optoma, InFocus, and Viewsonic also do well, especially among the smaller churches. For flat panel displays Samsung, LG, Sony, Vizio, Panasonic, and Sharp are the top brands that are being considered for purchase.
The religious market continues to grow, and churches are still waiting for more manufacturers and dealers to understand their needs and respond with appropriate solutions, support, and guidance.

 
In this report TFCinfo analyzes the church market as a whole and also breaks the sample by church size (seats). This allows companies to compare and contrast the preferences and purchasing of churches of varying sizes across the US.

This 275+ page report describes the following areas in detail:
-- Market Trends in American Churches
-- Attendance and Satellite Locations
-- Projector Use, Purchasing, and Preferences
-- Flat Panel Display Use, Purchasing, and Preferences
-- LED Video Wall Use and Purchasing
-- Networked Displays, Future Purchases, and AV Budgets
-- How to Sell and to Whom

For a complete brochure and outline of this study, or for more information on purchasing, please contact Tanya Lippke, Director of Survey Market Research, at tmlippke@tfcinfo.net or (386) 254-6127.

TFCinfo’s Annual Projector Brand Strength Report Highlights Winners And Important Improvements in the Projection Industry

Palm Coast, FLORIDA 2018 – TFCinfo today announced the release of its “Projector Brand Customer Perception and Preference Study 2018.” This report marks the 16th year that this annual projector brand benchmarking study has been conducted. TFCinfo’s report not only measures the strength of multimedia projector brands in the five most important market segments in the AV industry (large corporations, SMB-small and medium business, SOHU-small office/home user, education, and government), but also analyzes important trends in customer perceptions which can have significant influence in their purchase decisions.

 
In this year’s installment Epson is a clear winner in the eyes of experienced projector end users and purchasers. Not only has Epson remained solid in their brand awareness and their image, but they are even continuing to improve upon many of their dominating scores. Other brands such as Sony, NEC, BenQ, Optoma, Panasonic, Hitachi, and InFocus are noted for their strength and improvements in other key areas and market segments.

 
Awareness, Image and Intent are three main elements of brand strength that continuously need to be monitored. In this research, TFCinfo shows how individual brands perform on each of these important measures and in comparison to other brands. This allows readers to form a complete picture of where their brand is, and where their brand needs to go to stay competitive.

Awareness
Epson, Sony, NEC, BenQ, and InFocus are the top five most recognized (aided awareness) projector brands in the industry overall. Epson has solidified their position and has a solid lead of at least 10% above the next highest ranked brand in every segment surveyed. While other brands may not have ranked among the top five overall, they post some of the strongest improvements and ranked among the top five in certain market segments. BenQ and Optoma are important to note on this measure as these brands have each increased their awareness as a projector brand greatly over the past few years. Optoma places among the top five for aided brand awareness among those in SMB and SOHU, while BenQ places among the top five among those in education, government, and large corporations. Unaided free recall is another measurement this research analyzes and is extremely important to monitor to ensure that your brand comes to mind to be included in the important pre-purchase research.

Awareness for some brands, while still considered low in comparison to their position in total projector sales and current market share, have continued to show great improvement.

Image
A clear picture is forming with regard to some of the most important projector purchasing factors and the brands that are being associated with them. Some of the most important factors to look at when purchasing a projector are overall image quality, reliability/build quality, and price. Experienced projector users and purchasers name Epson, Sony, Panasonic, NEC, and Hitachi as the top brands they associate most with having an excellent image quality.

These same brands are also named as brands that represent projectors that offer superior reliability and build quality. Respondents name BenQ, InFocus, Optoma, Dell, and Epson as the brands that offer the best price (value), while on the polar end Epson, Panasonic, Sony, NEC, and Hitachi are named as offering a better investment (higher price/higher quality). This leaves Epson in a phenomenal position as end users are viewing the brand as both a great value and a high quality investment.
“Measuring brand strength and tracking your position in relation to your competitors is crucial in today’s projector market. Understanding customer perceptions, preferences and the factors that are driving their purchase decisions is critical to the brand management process, and therefore to the growth and profitability of your brand,” states Tanya Lippke, TFCinfo director of survey market research. “These customer perceptions can have significant influence in their purchase decisions.”

Intent
Epson, Sony, NEC, BenQ, and Optoma are the top five brands being considered for purchase most overall, although some of these brands are being pushed by their dominance in particular market segments. Panasonic, InFocus, Viewsonic, Hitachi, and Eiki hold their own on this measure posting some important consideration gains in certain market segments this year.

While Hitachi may not be one of the most considered brands for purchase, Hitachi has posted an increase in purchase consideration each year for the past six years now, and is high relative to their overall brand awareness. BenQ and Optoma are also brands where their momentum cannot be ignored. Both brands have done a great job with their awareness and image in this category and it shows. This yearly tracking study reveals that BenQ and Optoma have improved their numbers, gaining more than 25% in consideration each since 2013.

“Many brands post great scores this year, even some of the lesser known brands,” states Tanya Lippke, “In order for brands to turn this consideration into an actual purchase, consumers must have a clear understanding as to what your brand offers in correlation to the purchasing factors that are most important to them. This report reveals what messages the major brands are delivering and how these perceptions are affecting them in the market-place.”
Many brands were researched in-depth and each show significant strengths and weaknesses in certain areas. Brands that are analyzed in depth in this report include: BenQ, Dell, Dukane, Eiki, Epson, Hitachi, InFocus, NEC, Optoma, Panasonic, Runco, Sony and Viewsonic.

This extensive 340+ page report reveals detailed customer insights and analysis that will help manufacturers to build and sustain an advantage in the marketplace.
This report analyzes:
• Unaided brand awareness
• Aided brand awareness
• Brands used
• Brand consideration set (Is your brand among a select group of brands considered for purchase?)
• Superior brands (Is your brand always considered? Most desired?)
• Inferior Brands (Is your brand never considered?)
• Buying criteria
• Importance rating of buying criteria
• Brand affinity (How strong is your brand strength on key purchasing attributes?)
• Brand associations (What type of projector use is your brand most associated with? Mobile projection? Home entertainment?)
• Brand image index (How strong is your brand compared to the average and your competitors on important purchasing factors and affinity attributes?)
• Plus: Projector use and purchasing (How are projectors used in each market segment, what benefits are realized from using a projector, what are the downsides, how many hours are projectors being used, where are consumers getting information about projectors and brands, where are they buying most, who are the gatekeepers of purchase, does your brand measure up on the most important purchasing factors?)
• This report also includes market trend graphs for each market segment that tracks the movement of top brands from 2008-2018 in important areas such as: unaided and aided awareness and brand consideration.
For a complete brochure and outline of this study, or for more information on purchasing, please contact Tanya Lippke, Director of Survey Market Research, at (386) 264-6127 or tmlippke@tfcinfo.net.

Video Display Usage and Purchasing in Education Highlighted in TFCinfo's Most Recent Report: Projectors Still Dominating, However Interactivity Places New Demands

TFCinfo recently announced the completion of their latest report entitled "The Use of Projection and Interactive Whiteboards in Education." TFCinfo's report examines and provides detailed information on the use of projectors and interactive whiteboards in educational settings, along with AV video display buying trends in both K-12 and higher education. The need to improve the learning process and enhance the educational experience has been driving AV purchases in educational institutions for years. With the trend of downward pricing, investing in more AV technology is finally a possibility for more and more schools.

This research shows that interactivity continues to be increasingly important to the educational initiatives in K-12 and interactive applications are in demand for all educators who want to involve their students and use learning with technology as a tool. "Interactivity has progressed greatly, despite its additional cost. K-12 has made the most use of interactivity and thus gives a significantly higher priority to interactive features of video displays," states Tanya Lippke, TFCinfo Director of Survey Market Research. "70% of those in K-12 state that on screen interaction is extremely/very important to them, compared to 49% in higher education."

The interactivity that is desired in school settings can be reached in all three technologies [projectors, whiteboards, and flat panels], and this research has revealed some very interesting insights into the competitive interaction of the different display technologies.

While projectors are still the display technology that is most widely used in K-12, it is interactive whiteboards that are highly desired by educators in K-12. K-12's strong interest and figures for interactive whiteboards in this research is actually quite interesting. This suggests that K-12 is continuing to look towards interactive whiteboards for their needs and are perhaps are still not fully aware of the emergence of lower priced interactive projectors as a cheaper alternative.

Since interactive whiteboards are still not available in very large numbers in schools, the lower priced interactive projectors and flat panels could have a major impact on the market position of interactive whiteboards in K-12. With the downward trend in pricing, the rate of adoption of interactive displays in the education market could also be affected with more awareness for different technologies at an end user level.

Projectors perform very well in comparison to other display devices, especially among those in higher education. Projectors currently dominate in higher education due to image size, although many of the most important characteristics of a video display (as rated by end users in each educational sub-segment) are being delivered and met by projectors. Projectors offer the largest display, at an affordable price, without taking up precious classroom space.

This report also revealed a large intent to purchase flat panels in the future for higher education. This is potentially disturbing for projectors; however these are likely for digital signage and entertainment applications, rather than classroom use.

Some major differences are seen in this research between the two groups as to what information sources are most influential, who has the decision making power, how often and how many video displays are being purchased, and how the purchase process works.

This 260+ page report provides readers with the answers needed to more fully understand this market segment, and will enable them to approach this market in a more informed manner. Along with research conclusions of the overall education segment and usage of the displays, some important topics covered include: the install base for video displays, brand usage, future purchasing and important product characteristics, the purchase process (influencers, decision makers, frequency, and training), and much more.

HIGHLY ANTICIPATED APPLE iTV WILL HAVE DRAMATIC IMPACT ON ENTERTAINMENT LANDSCAPE

Consumers Striving to Connect Internet-Enabled TVs With Other Connected Devices

Apple’s highly anticipated Apple connected television platform (iTV) is likely to have a significant and disruptive impact on the consumer electronics and entertainment landscape once it’s introduced, according to a new study by Quixel Research and TFCinfo.

The nationwide survey of 1,169 current and potential flat-screen TV owners, which was conducted this June, provides a comprehensive view into the preferences and predispositions towards connected devices, content and services, as well as the emerging attitudes toward Apple products and the hotly debated iTV concept.

According to the study, while intent to purchase an iTV is understandably high among Apple owners (88 percent), a remarkable 80 percent of all current flat-panel TV owners also indicated they would be either extremely, very or somewhat interested in purchasing one of the new Apple televisions, assuming that it includes the company’s traditional attributes (advanced design, innovative features, simple interface, convenient usability and easy connectivity to other Apple devices).

The implications of all of this is clear: Increasingly, consumers are looking to seamlessly connect their home entertainment products with their mobile devices and a variety of content and services, while realizing more capability from their televisions as well, according to Quixel’s “The Projected Impact of Apple iTV and Other Connected Devices on Consumer Entertainment” study.

“Our research shows that there’s a major disconnect between current “smart” or Internet-enabled TVs and consumers,” said Tamaryn Pratt, president of Quixel Research. “Despite thousands of available apps, digital content is only being streamed by 50 percent of these owners, on a daily or weekly basis, and more than 80 percent said that this content was being used just for playing movies”.

“However, our research also shows that this scenario would dramatically change if Apple introduces its anticipated iTV. In fact, it could ultimately disrupt the home entertainment industry in the same way the company forever changed the computer, music, mobile phone, tablet, publishing and retail industries.”  Continue reading