Taking Technology from Gaming to DS

Version imprimable

DS EUROPE caught up with Christian Eder, who recently took on the position of Sales Manager EMEA for congatec, as well as continuing to act as their Marketing Manager.
 
DS EUROPE: So, what gaming applications did you have on show at the International Gaming Expo?
 
CHRISTIAN EDER: Although we primarily showed gaming applications – such as the modular M-Box embedded computer by our partner ed networXX which integrates our COM Express modules conga-B945 and conga-B915 – they are solutions which are also very relevant for the kiosk and digital signage markets, which also require good performance in terms of graphics rendering.
 
DSE: How important is gaming as a market for congatec?
 
CE: Gaming accounts for around 20% of our sales and, as we have some large customers in this area, companies have confidence in our products for this market. Over the years, congatec have diversified from industrial automation applications into markets like gaming, kiosk and digital signage. We have 20% sales in medical, and then about the same again in industrial automation.
 
DSE: Are a lot of your solutions for gaming transferable to the DS and kiosk markets, due to the prevalence of touch technology in both areas?
 
CE: Absolutely. Touch technology is almost standard for gaming solutions. Quite often, though, a touch screen will be installed with a non-touch screen placed above it as a digital signage solution to attract customers to the smaller screen, which they can interact with below.
 
The next generation of gaming applications almost all upgrade to touch technology, as touch is so well-accepted nowadays. We’re quite fortunate really, in that Apple have done a lot of our marketing for touch applications!
 
There is another parallel between gaming and kiosk applications in terms of security. The TPM (Trusted Platform Module) hardware option is often used in the gaming industry to ensure that machines are manipulation-proof. The TPM function – a small physical chip which enables a highly secure encryption – is an option for all of our modules, and is a very good solution for this. Security is a problem for gaming and kiosk applications, as they both often run over a central server and information is sent through a public network.
 
DSE: Because all of your products are built on open standards, do you have a problem with other companies copying your products?
 
CE: Our products and modules are built on open standards because the modules need to be replaceable and exchangeable. There are copies, or almost identical products, on the market, but we differentiate with higher levels of technical customer support and with best product quality.
 
DSE: What are congatec’s goals, in terms of technology, at the moment?
 
CE: We have two main aims that drive our technology development: increasing the processor speed and pushing down power consumption. Lots of our applications run 24/7, so how much energy savings can be made becomes very significant. The Intel Atom has a lower power consumption, which helps the environment and means cost savings in terms of energy expenditure. The Intel Atom has the lowest energy usage, but its computing performance is comparable to some high-end Intel platforms of five years ago.
 
DSE: So how much energy can be saved?
 
CE: Customers can save up to €100 a year by updating older computer platforms to Intel Atom technology. This really helps to pay off the investment in our technology more quickly.
 
One of our latest products is the new COM Express module conga-BM57, a very high-end product for powerful graphics performance using the Intel Core i7 processor and Intel integrated graphics for 3D performance. It has a lot more performance capabilities, but does not require additional power consumption.
 
The Intel Turbo Boost Technology provides an on-demand boost in the clock speed for one processor core, if the other core is less in demand. This new feature improves the computing performance for single core software applications by up to 25%. In order to keep the power consumption on the same level as the previous generation, the Intel Core i7 processor supports new power management states. The C6 state saves the architectural state to a dedicated SRAM, and the cores can be switched off to reduce the current to almost zero. The independence of the C6 states for each core also ensures further power savings.
 
DSE: Is this a product that is particularly relevant for the digital signage market then?
 
CE: Yes, but also for gaming, kiosk and medical applications where high-end graphics are required. Digital signage has some of its own particularly demanding applications, like cameras which record viewing information for advertisers, and providing feedback, such as how many views an advertisement has had or even what gender the viewers were. Audience measurement systems which also respond to this information, and then display different content relevant to that audience, require more powerful computing performance.
 
DSE: What do you offer for less demanding applications, then?
 
CE: Last November we launched an APIX starter kit for the development of robust and inexpensive control units. The APIX Design Kit consists of a PCI Express add-on card, including the appropriate operating system drivers, and a remote display unit with integrated touch screen.
 
Congatec offers the whole spectrum of embedded computer modules from low-end to high-end, designing and configuring all the components. One product can be put to different uses, because the application itself is determined on the carrier board.
 
DSE: Do you see a lot of potential growth for congatec in the digital signage market?
 
CE: Yes, we have more and more customers in this market. Digital signage at the moment makes up 3-5% of our sales, but we expect this to increase. Intel, who we partner with, is also now pushing even further into the digital signage marketplace.
 
 
 
Christian Eder is one of the 13 former Jumptec employees who founded congatec in 2005. Since then, he has been responsible for congatec’s worldwide marketing. He started his professional career as Product Manager with Kontron. His main focus in the sales area of congatec will be the development of congatec’s successful multi-channel sales strategy, which includes partner and direct sales.
 
Gerhard Edi, CEO of congatec, commented, “In 2010 we will, above all, be concentrating on new, expanding markets. Our extensive range of computer modules enables a considerable amount of new application possibilities, for instance in the medical, digital signage and gaming sectors. Supported by congatec’s experienced sales team, this year we will be consolidating and expanding our market position.
 
“I am delighted that Christian is prepared to take on responsibility for sales in the EMEA sector, on top of his marketing duties. Few people know the company and the market as thoroughly as Christian, and I am certain that he will fulfil his new task just as successfully as he mastered the marketing challenges.”
 
Congatec celebrated its fifth anniversary at the start of 2010.
 
New COM Express Small Form Factor
 
Congatec started the year by announcing an extension to its COM Express product family, the highest performance module conga-BM57. This features the latest Intel Core i7-620M processor with a core speed of 2.66 GHz, with 4 MByte L2 cache and up to 8 GByte fast (1066 MT/s) dual channel DDR3 memory.
 
The conga-BM57 is a two chip solution which utilises the Mobile Intel QM57 Express Chipset. The integrated graphics controller also supports the Intel Flexible Display Interface to allow for two independent video channels on VGA, LVDS, HDMI, DisplayPort or SDVO interfaces. Five PCI Express lanes, eight USB 2.0 ports, three SATA, one EIDE and a Gigabit Ethernet interface enable fast and flexible system extensions.