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From 2011 to last year, the sales streaming video media devices had doubled with 14 percent of U.S. homes using them, according to Parks Associates, a market research and consulting company specializing in technology products. Parks Associates analysts predict the number of connected TV devices sold around the world will reach 330 million annually by 2017, almost double the amount sold last year.

From the article "Streaming devices cut cable anchor" by Ryan Cormier.

About 14 percent of smartphone and tablet owners used them to watch television in the past six months, according to a survey by researcher Parks Associates.

People ages 18 to 34 were more open to using mobile apps for entertainment, citing convenience as an attraction, while older consumers had little interest, the Dallas-based researcher found. Overall about 25 percent of survey respondents expressed interest in using apps.

Networks are introducing apps for smartphones ...read more

Consumer interest in higher-tech home music systems is on the rise, as are innovations in wireless technology and higher-resolution digital music files. "There's a convergence of technology that makes this a specific category that will definitely accelerate," says Tom Kerber, director of research, home controls and energy at Parks Associates.

Digital music sales surpassed physical sales of CDs in 2011. At the same time, sales of home audio components are expected to rise sli ...read more

Fewer electronics shoppers, 33 percent down from 41 percent last year, said they wanted smart TV features – apps that connect you to streaming movies, social networks, games, news, weather and even exercise, a recent survey by Parks Associates found. But when asked whether they wanted a set that connected to the Internet and sported 3-D, consumer interest rose to 29 percent, compared with 23 percent last year.

That small increase could be a sign that shoppers aren’t clear wh ...read more

While the number of broadband-capable homes with smart TVs is gaining, the growth is not gangbusters, according to Brett Sappington, research director for Parks Associates. The percentage of broadband-capable homes with smart TVs connected to the Internet has risen from 8 percent in 2010 to 10 percent in 2011.

From the article, "Smart's the new catchword for electronics" by Edward C. Baig