Frost report: only $6K for stuff you probably already know

August 5, 2009 by Dave Haynes

I asked for and kindly received the executive summary PowerPoint deck for the new Frost and Sullivan report on this industry.

Called World Digital Signage Systems Market, it offers the following:

Detailed market trend analysis including drivers, and restraints are provided for each geographic region, i.e. North America, Latin America, EMEA and Asia Pacific. Expansive unit shipment and revenue forecasts analysis are presented for each of these geographic segments for digital signage displays, media players and software which facilitate better understanding of the current and future potential of the market. Competitive landscape and market shares of global companies are also provided for each geographic region.  

It is really hard to draw conclusions on the merits of a report from the exec summary, but presumably that summary rolls up what’s fleshed out further along. If so, I can’t imagine many people already in the industry getting much out of this report. The key technology trends addressed are things like the emergence of all-in-one PC/LCDs and the growth of LCD at the expense of plasma.

Really??? 

You can find that out for $6,000, or read a blog now and then and put up with people like me.

That stated, the audience is not so much people in the industry but those companies coming in, like the POS guys. For $6K, a detailed overview is cheaper than a consultant, I suppose. (Disclosure: I wasn’t fishing for a gig, but having now seen what they’ve produced, I did suggest to Frost they engage a writer/analyst working in the industry next time instead of getting someone on staff to dive in and out. Instant experts are rarely experts.)