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Parks Associates posts

Analyst: Nearly half of broadband households are interested in Internet TV

by Richard Lawler, posted Mar 5th 2009 at 9:21AM


We guess it just depends how you ask the question. Parks Associates new white paper From Boob Tube to YouTube: Consumers and TVs breaks down consumer interest in all the new features popping up in televisions of late, like VOD access and various widget services, finding almost 50% are interested in "premium web content" like TVs and movies delivered through a set-top box, and 33% showing interest in widgets. VP of Parks Associates Kurt Scherf sees this as just the beginning, with customers making hardware purchasing decisions and subscription choices based on the availability advanced video services. So far so good, but we guess the real test comes when these new TVs hit the shelves later this year.

[Via Hometoys]

Economy, HD adoption to blame for higher stay-at-home entertainment numbers

by Darren Murph, posted Dec 19th 2008 at 6:50AM


We've already waded through a number of research reports that found individuals more likely to stay at home and get their entertainment during rough economic times, but an insightful piece from Parks Associates takes a more deliberate approach to analyzing what's really going on. When looking at just how many people are viewing video-on-demand content now versus two years ago (it's way up, by the way), it's easy to attribute that -- along with the downturn at the box office -- to a flagging economy. However, the report also notes that HD adoption in general has boomed over the past two years, giving citizens access to more high-quality at-home entertainment than ever before. As Kurt Scherf, principal analyst at Parks, so satisfactorily put it: "As we're seeing high-definition TV penetration reach 50% of households and home theater penetration well over 20%, we're seeing consumers want to enjoy those investments as much as possible." Nice thinking outside of the box there, Kurt.

[Via VideoBusiness]

Analysts forecast 10-percent growth in universal remote market

by Steven Kim, posted Jul 23rd 2008 at 3:55PM

Parks Associates forecasts 10-percent growth in universal remotes
Research firm Parks Associates is calling for double digit (just) compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in the universal remote category between now and 2013. Knowing how the average consumer is more willing to live with a basket of remotes than plunking down money on a universal model, the 10-percent CAGR is nothing to sneeze at. We're a little troubled by the trend of increasing system complexity called out in the report, however. While we're resigned to ever-increasing complexity in AV systems, average consumers would really like to see things head in the other direction. Hiding the complexity in the remote also tends to make remote set-up complex, which will definitely threaten that growth rate. Also, the report doesn't cal out technologies like HDMI-CEC, which we'd really like to see take off. These gripes aside, though, we're hoping that remote makers take the findings as an incentive to innovate.

"Custom" installs becoming less so

by Steven Kim, posted Feb 24th 2008 at 6:58PM

Parks Associates chart
According to research firm Parks Associates, revenues from home theater and distributed audio systems will almost double over the next five years and reach $11-billion. If the current housing slump has you thinking that you'll be in your current abode forever and miss out on your share of that whole-home pie, take heart -- the firm expects to see growth in the retrofit market as well. As wireless networking equipment makes it cheaper and easier to saturate your home with entertainment bits, getting a whole-home system won't require new construction or major renovation. Receivers with multiple zone support are common these days, but EHD readers know that all the necessary pieces for whole-home entertainment (audio and video, please) are showing up in the market; what's really needed is some integration and streamlining. So bring it on, manufacturers; pulling cables through walls is no fun!


[Image courtesy CEPro]




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