Digital Trends

Research released yesterday by Parks Associates projects that 4K televisions will trace a popularity/price trajectory similar to that of HDTVs over the last 15-year period. However, the data also points to a quicker rate of progression for 4K TVs: the new technology is predicted to reach the HDTV’s level of affordability and ubiquity — which took 15 years to fully blossom — in a leaner 10-12 years.

The study, “4K Today: Bringing Ultra HD to Market“ delves into a handful of a ...read more

The California-based company is known for its trademark set-top boxes that share its namesake — digital media players exalted by many for their streaming capabilities, which allow users to easily stream content via services such as Netflix and Amazon on their TVs. The Roku has become one of the symbolic devices at the forefront of the cord cutter movement, and it’s certainly arguable that such a move into the public realm might not be a bad idea for the company. After all, the R ...read more

Chromecast has been able to stay viable, however, thanks in part to a simple workaround. The device is capable of mirroring content from a PC or Mac web browser (as long as that web browser is Google’s own Chrome service) allowing users to utilize Hulu, as well as the vast collection of other omitted apps by simply punching them up from their home computer. In fact, research by Parks Associates indicates that 34 percent of Chromecast owners have been streaming video content from ...read more

Parks Associates conducted a survey that found four out of five smart TV owners use apps regularly. According to the report, 43 percent of usage is for watching video on a smartphone or tablet, and 45 percent is to play games on those devices. Perhaps the more telling stat is that 79 percent of smart TV owners, overall, are regular app users.

The findings lend credence to manufacturers’ desire to focus more on getting apps onto connected-TVs, except development has been slow ...read more

Reports, like this one from Parks Associates, show a steady increase in online content consumption. They focus on the growing smart TV trend and show that 56 percent of smart TV owners are now connecting to the Internet and 75 percent of them watch on-demand movies at least monthly. Those figures will grow as more and more smart TVs ship.

From the article, "Will Web broadcasters like Netflix degrade the quality of TV?" by Simon Hill.

According to the study Choosing Content: Viewing Video, carried out by Parks Associates with 2,500 households responding to the survey questions, 17 percent of premium cable channel customers and 16 percent of video-on-demand pay-per-view customers would consider using an online subscription service such as Netflix Watch Instantly instead of their current viewing choice, with Netflix’s online streaming option being rated higher in terms of customer satisfaction than premium broa ...read more

Retail sales in January have been steadily dropping; with hardware sales down by 8 percent in January 2011 compared to the previous year, and total retail sales in January 2010 declining by 13 percent when compared to January 2009. Pachter points out that sales are below the level from 2004. This seems to buck the idea the US is turning into a gaming nation, according to Parks Associates analysis of gaming trends between 2008 and 2011. However, 80 percent of the Parks US gamers ...read more

Brett Sappington, an analyst with Parks Associates, who conducted the survey, said “As the number of connected devices in the home increases, consumers want more flexibility when viewing quality video content – movies and TV shows. Operators have noted these trends and are rolling out new multiscreen services to capitalize on their growing popularity.”

From the article, "Europeans crave live TV more than just the living room"