The Wall Street Journal

Technological advances, including faster processors, are fueling hopes that TVs and set-top boxes can do much more. For starters, Nvidia's Mr. Huang and others say, they can help bring gaming to a broader audience by eliminating the need for dedicated gaming consoles.

Google's Android TV app store lists big-screen versions of games found on mobile devices, including Electronic Arts Inc.'s "NBA Jams" and Telltale Inc.'s "Game of Thrones."

Nvidia, known for chips used to r ...read more

Still, an Apple-branded television has been one of the most persistent rumors floating around the consumer-electronics industry, as well as the investment community. The most glaring example came Monday when activist Carl Icahn published a 3,200-word report on Apple that predicted it would sell 10 million units of an ultrahigh definition set in fiscal 2016. He also said these would have an average selling price of $1,500, which is more than double the current average for a flat- ...read more

Though some big names like Apple and Google aren’t exhibiting at CES, hundreds of smart-home hardware makers are.

Examples include Blossom, a startup offering a new smart sprinkler controller to save on water bills. SkyBell, another startup, plans to show its video doorbell, which has a camera and motion sensor that tells smartphone users who is at their door. Lynx Grills Inc. is delivering on earlier plans for a smartphone-connected outdoor grill that can send users a messa ...read more

Google’s Chromecast stick has overtaken Apple's Apple TV set-top box as one of the most popular Internet video streaming devices in the U.S., according to results of a survey released Tuesday.

A survey of 10,000 U.S. homes with a broadband Internet connection by research firm Parks Associates found that 10% purchased either a streaming media player or stick in the first 10 months of 2014. Roku led with 29% of sales, but Chromecast was second, grabbing 20% and supplanting the ...read more

There is no "killer app" for the connected home yet, so established players in home security, such as Alarm.com, may have an advantage because they can explain how new features and devices may be useful to existing customers, said Tom Kerber, director of home controls and energy research at Parks Associates.

But Mr. Kerber says less than a third of U.S. households have a professionally monitored security service, leaving an opening for new entrants like Nest, Apple and Wink. ...read more

But supporters argue that a 4K television set, given its ability to improve current HD picture quality, among other reasons, is a better purchase even at today's prices than a large-screen HDTV, which threatens to lock viewers into an increasingly inferior standard for years to come.

It's better to wait, says Brett Sappington, director of research at Dallas-based Parks Associates. Jack Wetherill, senior market analyst at British-based Futuresource Consulting, says 4K is a go ...read more

Cellphone bills are subject to sharp increases as households trade up to smartphones and rack up expensive data charges. Young adults, of course, want it all: the latest phones and a full-service plan. But while a survey earlier this year found that 18- to 34-year-olds spent more on average on their smartphones than their elders, they paid somewhat less last year for their monthly plans, according to Parks Associates, a Dallas research firm.

One way to do that is to reduc ...read more

While prepaid looks attractive, switching isn't always easy because, in part, people often have multiple users on their account. Carriers have made group plans more attractive—AT&T has said that 90% of their customers are either on a family, shared-data or business plan.

There are further drawbacks to prepaid. Harry Wang, director of mobile research at Parks Associates, says that customers tend to get what they pay for, and service quality can be a factor when it comes to pr ...read more