Blog articles from 10/2015

Broadband services have become a critical communications utility and a core component in the growth of consumer technology products and services. Broadband has not only provided greater connectivity and interaction for consumers, it also opens the door to disruption across multiple industries, including communications, entertainment, and consumer electronics. Cancellation of broadband is rarer than switching of services, primarily because consumers come to rely on broadband for...

I recently cohosted a webcast with Support.com titled Behind the Scenes – Support Strategies for IoT Success . We discussed current consumer experiences with new connected devices and new models of support that can improve customer experience and drive product adoption in smart home and other IoT industries. The market for smart home devices and systems has been gaining traction over the past few years, due, in part, to a broad range of companies that offer a myriad of products...

Like everyone else who's been keeping an eye on the Windows 10 devices event , I was seriously impressed.  Seamless interoperability, a powerful new 2-in-1 laptop, and a wearable hologram that was like something out of science fiction?  Yes.  But what impressed me the most was the one thing that's seeming to slip past most peoples' notice. What am I talking about?  Well, we've got laptops that are also tablets, and tablets that are also laptops.  But...

TVs and projectors have provided us with the most radical shift in TV watching since the invention of color television standards. With such advancements as High Dynamic Range (HDR), Wide Color Gamut (Rec. 2020), High Frame Rate (HFR), and increased pixel count, television and movie watching will never be the same. Join Parks Associates at CEDIA EXPO 2015 , October 14-16, 2015 in Dallas. Director of Research Barbara Kraus will moderator the panel "Next Generation TVs &...

In recent decades, broadcast revenue (primarily from television) has become a much larger part of the revenue pie for professional sports teams, increasing team valuations and player salaries. The Dallas Cowboys were recently valued at $4 billion by Forbes, making the team the most valuable in U.S. professional sports. NFL teams as a whole were valued 38% higher by Forbes in 2015 than they were in 2014. The best lens to view the impact of player salaries is Major League Baseball, because...

Parks Associates research shows 32% of U.S. broadband households with 3,000 or more square feet owns an average of 2.5 smart home devices, while the average U.S. household owns less than two. Join Parks Associates at the 2015 CEDIA EXPO , taking place October 14-17 in Dallas. Parks Associates President Stuart Sikes will present “The State of the Connected Home” on Thursday, October 15 at 9:00 A.M. in room D167, followed by an interactive panel led by Director of...

I just finished attending AT&T’s annual industry analyst summit. This two-day event provides the analyst community a first-hand, interactive experience with AT&T’s leadership team. As usual, the event not only offered the latest visions from AT&T, but also allowed us to hear and probe AT&T’s reasoning and approaches behind their initiatives. Here are the five things that I believe AT&T has done differently, and better, than its archrival Verizon....