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Most users will likely go ahead and do the upgrade, Pietro Macchiarella, research analyst with Parks Associates, told LinuxInsider "The problem is, if you don't do it, your console is kind of frozen in time," Macchiarella explained. That's particularly true for anyone who use...

Instead, consumer choice will be among providers, and carriers will compete for each subscriber, motivated by the promise of new and expanding revenue streams. Parks Associates' consumer research reveals interest in the concept of connected consumer electronics is high, definitely high enough to justify up-front deployment costs...

Don't expect the webcam screens to go dark anytime soon. A 2009 Parks Associates survey asked webcam buyers if they were using their cameras for video chat. More than 70 percent answered yes. "I think that the use of webcams is really going to transform personal communications to the point where I think that a generation or so from now, video communications will be the rule rather than the exception," Parks Associates analyst Kurt Scherf told TechNewsWorld...

On the other hand, Pietro Macchiarella, a research analyst at Parks Associates, thinks the two devices will not compete directly. "The PlayStation Move and the Wii target two different markets," Macchiarella told TechNewsWorld. Hard-core gamers will find the accurate movement...

Indeed, service providers are "struggling to develop a solution that's quite as intuitive as TiVo has turned out to be," Kurt Scherf, vice president and principal analyst with Parks Associates, told the E-Commerce Times 'Lots of Room' for IP Licensing...

It's not the first major retailer to try this: Best Buy and Blockbuster have also attempted their own movie-streaming services, to varying degrees of success. Parks Associates Kurt Scherf says he wouldn't be surprised if Target is the next one to try something similar However,...

"It will be a defining service for Walmart," Kurt Scherf, vice president and principal analyst at Parks Associates, told the E-Commerce Times. "Walmart wants to go beyond selling products, like DVDs, and start providing incremental revenue." Target Next?...

"I think it may be a smart approach, actually -- acknowledgment that in order to make money but to keep the risks relatively low, they're targeting distinct niches of consumers that may be smaller in number but more willing to pay money," Parks Associates Digital Media Analyst Kurt Scherf told the E-Commerce Times. "The producers of the independent stuff may be much more anxious to find high-quality distribution partners. So I think that's first, and then you build out your catalog for the Hollywood blockbuster stuff."

Amazon is trying to "make sure it's ahead of the curve before Apple gets involved," agreed Kurt Scherf, vice president and principal analyst with Parks Associates This move "brings them more smaller publishers" and is likely an attempt to "lock in the 'long tail' of the conten...

The recent lull in smart meter deployments and smart grid projects has come to an end with an announcement from the Obama administration last month. The Department of Energy (DOE) announced over US$3 billion in funding for smart grid projects, which will be matched by private-sector funding to push the total amount of investment in smart grid project over $8 billion...

"I have three browsers, and I don't think I'm alone," John Barrett, director of research with Parks Associates, told LinuxInsider. "I suspect there's a lot of people who have multiple browsers." 'A Very Nice Upgrade'...

"The connected home" is a term used frequently but often defined ambiguously. For Parks Associates, the connected home is comprised of the following elements: access services, including broadband, television, landline communications, and mobile services...

From Parks Associates' view, the presence of a versatile gateway, once deployed, allows operators to enable multiple services without having to invest incremental capital expenditure in additional devices. In addition, by retaining the RG within their domain, operators can manage the install and activation processes in a manner that minimizes later support costs...

The question is whether consumers are ready to adopt a more video-centric social networking experience. Current demand, as measured in Parks Associates' consumer surveys, is low, which is to be expected given the relative newness and novelty of this field. However, at the same time, consumers are simply not interested in a replication of Facebook or MySpace on a separate television channel. Such an offering is not compelling.

Blockbuster and Samsung recently announced that Blockbuster OnDemand will be available on select connected HDTVs, Blu-ray players, and home theater systems starting in the fall of 2009. Samsung will offer connected Blu-ray players and home theater systems with both the Netflix and Blockbuster online services; however, announcements from Blockbuster indicate that Blockbuster OnDemand will have "preferred positioning" on the Blu-ray devices...

These circumstances will change, though, as more dealers will seek out knowledge about these solutions and then communicate the benefits to their customers, which will ultimately push up the number of wireless- and powerline-enabled installations. For example, Parks Associates forecasts the number of wireless-enabled control installations for energy applications will grow by 14 times from 2008 to 2012, from a little more than 100,000 to over 1.6 million...

Indeed, there is a sense that game developers have pulled back on releases this year, with few if any delivering the blockbusters that are so important to goosing sales, Kurt Scherf, principal analyst with Parks Associates, told the E-Commerce Times Improving the 2009 Environm...

The proliferation of smartphones, alongside the growth in number of subscribers of 3G network data plans (or newer wireless services), is having a ripple effect on multiple markets, from mobile apps to hardware enhancements. As media becomes increasingly fragmented, advertisers are focused on multiplatform media strategies in order to capture and retain consumer attention...

Games did very well during the holiday season last year, Kurt Scherf, principal analyst at Parks Associates, told the E-Commerce Times. "Games as a gifting purchase ranked very highly among electronic products," he said The industry needs a miracle to match or exceed last year...

To answer these questions, Parks Associates conducted a five-country study of European video habits entitled "Entertainment 2.0 in Europe." The study surveyed over 5,000 consumers on their use of DVRs, VoD, DVDs, cinemas and online video, as well as their interest in interactive TV features. The results reveal the current status and future direction of the market...