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In an August report, the NPD Group estimates that roughly a third of smart TVs in the U.S. weren't actually connected to the Internet. That's down from about half two years earlier, but still not good. Researchers at Parks Associates found that even as more Americans are using smart TV functions, streaming device usage has grown even faster.

"If you're a streaming media box (maker), you've got much more ability to push new features out into the market at an affordable price, ...read more

A 2010 survey by Parks Associates, a Dallas market research and consulting company for emerging consumer technologies, showed that half of Americans with Internet service looked equally to their broadband provider or the retailer where they bought a gadget to solve home computer-related issues. Most people also said they'd prefer to receive their technical support from a single vendor, Bowling said.

What usually happens, said Kurt Scherf, author of the survey, is that a pers ...read more