Blog articles from 08/2013

By: Tricia Parks A rare blogger, being from a generation that shakes at the thought of “off-the-cuff” comments being recorded forever, my delightful experience with Cisco support (a woman named Chris) leaves me nearly euphoric and with a desire to praise Cisco/Linksys.  While experiencing a router issue, I first called my service provider for help….dreading what I envisioned would be long waits and little support.  I was absolutely correct.  It was long and...

Apple’s upcoming annual iPhone event has consumers wondering what new product will be unveiled. One speculation is the creation of a high-end and a low-end iPhone. Typically, when a new iPhone is introduced to the market, the current models move down the scale towards a free-on-contract phone. If Apple introduces an iPhone 5S in September, then the 4S will become the lowest model, and also the only phone in their line up with the old 30-pin port. Therefore, it is believed that...

Parks Associates has released a new industry report entitled, Connected TV: Trends and Innovation . The research report examines the impact of current innovations on connected TV device sales and usage, including smart TVs, gaming consoles, Blu-ray players, and streaming video media devices, such as a Roku or Apple TV. It also looks at disruptive products and technologies on the horizon. Key topics in the report include: consumer purchase and usage patterns for connected TV...

At a time when mounting competition, changing regulations and disruptive new technologies have mid-tier telcos searching for sustainable revenue solutions, attending TelcoVision 2013 will help you position your company for the future. Top 10 reasons you shouldn't miss out on this unique industry event: 1. LEARN from 75+ leading speakers —including our own John Barrett, Director of Consumer Analytics—as they share best practices, insights and winning strategies...

The FCC has granted TiVo the right to sell more digital-only devices. TiVo was granted a waiver of the FCC's analog tuner requirement after TiVo argued that requiring an analog tuner in set-tops increased power consumption and price to little net consumer effect.  TiVo also argued the waiver would help further the FCC's policy of promoting device compatibility since its DVRs are compatible with digital cable service. There is already a TV set analog tuner mandate in...

Tricia Parks , CEO & Founder of Parks Associates , has authored an article entitled "How Dealers Are Protecting Their Home Turf" in Security Sales and Integration (SSI) publication. Parks Associates and SSI regularly survey installing security dealers to look for emerging trends in residential security systems and services.  In the current marketplace, there is continued movement toward professionally monitored security by telcos and cablecos and...

Sony and Panasonic have announced that they will jointly develop a next-generation optical disk standard that could hold at least 300 GB of data. Although evidence suggests consumers are moving away from optical discs, Sony and Panasonic look to move optical discs into the next generation, hoping to achieve this by the end of 2015. The pair cites durability as the main reason we won't see optical discs disappearing anytime soon, saying the optical disc is an ideal medium...

Parks Associates and Dolby have released a complimentary whitepaper by the name of, " Audio Quality's Growing Value for Mobile Entertainment ." The whitepaper will examine the value of audio quality as an emerging differentiator in mobile devices, and it will feature analysis on current market conditions and primary consumer data. Some of the topics covered in this whitepaper include: trends in consumer adoption and usage in mobile entertainment, importance of...