Dallas, Texas June 17, 2008 - Parks Associates` leading analysts will explore the implications of high-speed connections and the exponential growth of digital devices in homes as a kickoff to CONNECTIONS™: The Digital Living Conference and Showcase.
The session Analyst Roundtable: Top Trends to Watch, Tuesday, June 24, will feature analysis of the digital living industry and focus on trends in broadband and access services, video delivery, online content services, advertising, digital health, and home systems. The session will feature Kurt Scherf, Vice President, Principal Analyst; Bill Ablondi, Director, Home Systems Research; John Barrett, Director, Research; Yuanzhe (Michael) Cai, Director, Broadband & Gaming; and Harry Wang, Senior Analyst.
"The percentage of U.S. households with broadband exceeded 50% in 2007," Scherf said. "By 2012, over 33 million U.S. households will have connections of 10 Mbps or more. As households add bandwidth, there is greater capacity for more devices and services, adding to the rich but complicated equation for digital living." Consumer habits in entertainment are changing in accordance with this surfeit of new devices and services. As of 2007, 50% of U.S. Internet households were watching short video clips online, and 25% were downloading short video files. DVR household penetration reached over 40% of the U.S. online population in 2007, further increasing the place-shifting aspect of video consumption.
"No product is sold in isolation anymore," Scherf said. "A device connects to a network, which brings content and applications to the consumer both in and outside the home. This arrangement puts pressure on providers for customer support, which they should see as a new business opportunity. Technical support services for the digital home will be a $1 billion market by 2011."
Parks Associates designed Analyst Roundtable: Top Trends to Watch to offer a complete and coherent presentation of these digital markets as well as the perfect primer for CONNECTIONS™. CONNECTIONS™ will be held June 24-26, 2008, at the Santa Clara Convention Center.
For more information, visit www.connectionsconference.com
About CONNECTIONS™
CONNECTIONS™: The Digital Living Conference and Showcase, hosted by leading research firm Parks Associates in partnership with the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA®), is the premier executive event focused on the market developments and growth factors for advanced digital lifestyle solutions. CONNECTIONS™ sessions provide high-level research, knowledge, and analysis to over 1,000 executives from the converging industries developing products and services for consumers. Topics include IPTV and "TV 2.0," bundled services, consumer storage, mobile applications and content, social and digital media, and home and lifestyle management. For twelve years, the following industries have participated at CONNECTIONS™: new media, digital entertainment and gaming, home networks, Internet and television services, software and middleware, digital health, mobile applications and services, consumer electronics, and home control systems and security.
