"home network" articles
NETGEAR has unveiled new products in the ReadyNAS family - the ReadyNAS® Ultra family of 2-Bay, 4-Bay and 6-Bay network storage systems. They incorporate some features that are very media server-centric, particularly the place-shifting capabilities with Orb Networks,compatibility with TiVo PVRs to stream HD programming content, and Skifta media-shifting capabilities so users can access their media from any DLNA certified device
Three applications will drive adoption of control systems over the next five years: energy management, entertainment systems and content control, and remote home self-monitoring. Consumers see the value in these areas, which, once established, can serve as the base for expanded control systems in the home.
Parks Associates new report Home Systems: Home Controls – Analysis and Forecasts finds low consumer awareness and a shortage of affordable installation services currently...
If you want the extended version of the saga regarding trying to play Internet radio through my AV system and through the in-ceiling speakers. Otherwise, the short story is that I hadn't found a way to stream my favorite Internet radio station through the AV receiver to enjoy a whole-house experience. I'd tried different media adapters, the ZVBox, and even a direct laptop-to-receiver connection, but nothing worked. The direct connection came closest, but with a really annoying buzzing...
I had written about some of Verizon's new features through the Media Manager, including access to YouTube. Sunday afternoons during the baseball season are fun for my son and me. If the Cubs win at Wrigley, they play "Go Cubs Go." As they were on the road yesterday (here in Arlington, actually), the Rangers' PA folks weren't gracious enough to crank up the music (even though half the stadium was Cubs fans). So, I found the clip on YouTube, turned on all of the music zones, and...
Home security companies have avoided the worst of the recession due to a stable core of consumers who have kept their monitoring services despite rising fees.
In a recent report Home Systems: Home Security - Analysis and Forecasts, Parks Associates finds the average monitoring fee for a U.S. household increased from $28.60 to $32 between 2008 and 2010. This rise has kept revenues from home security relatively stable, despite declines in overall sales due to weak home sales and...
Each year, Parks Associates surveys installing dealers throughout the U.S. through its ongoing Channel and Consumer Monitor project, and as we launch our 2010 survey this week, we are taking a look at some of the more prominent trends over the past few years and how they are impacting the dealer market and related industries.
One significant trend has been the rising awareness of home networking, specifically no-new-wires networking technologies as valuable solutions for dealers'...
Throughout its 24 years of history, Parks Associates has been grappling with the question of when and how home control systems will become mainstream.
Home systems analyst Bill Ablondi , in Parks Associates’ most recent report, Home Systems: Home Controls-- Analysis and Forecasts flips the question. Ablondi and colleague Farhan Abid say that the current value propositions for consumers to purchase control systems are not sufficient to appeal to mass markets. Either the...
A federal appeals court has determined that the FCC does not have the authority to enforce net neutrality. Who wins and who loses? In theory, the broadband communications service providers are the big winners here – enabling them to adopt tiered pricing such that heavy video or media users will likely pay more for broadband than grandma, who typically uses broadband to check email, perform some light surfing, or occasionally download a few photos. Tiered pricing will cause the big users...
