Stellar line-up of speakers at CONNECTIONS Summit at CES

Parks Associates is looking forward to CES next week. The CONNECTIONS Summit will be hosted on January 8 and 9 in the back of the South Hall - rooms 106/107. For more information , view the entire agenda online.

Speakers and sessions include:

Thurday, January 8

9:30 AM - 10:45 AM Wireless Networking
David Borison, Senior Director, Marketing, TZero Technologies
Noam Geri, Co-founder, Vice President, Marketing & Business Development, AMIMON
John Marshall, Chairman, WirelessHD LLC
Professor Andrew Nix, Co-Founder & Director, ProVision Communications

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Advanced Video Services: The Next Big Thing?
Charles Cerino, VP, Comcast Center Technology, Comcast; President, MoCA
Ed Forman, EVP, Products and Services, ActiveVideo Networks
Jean-Marc Harion, Vice President, Business Development, North America, Orange – France Telecom NA
John Reister, Chief IPTV Architect, BigBand Networks
Marty Roberts, VP Marketing, thePlatform

12:30 PM - 1:45 PM Digital Home Customer Support: From Troubleshooting to Upselling?
Fred King, VP, Sales & Marketing, PlumChoice, Inc.
Art Lancaster, CTO, Affinegy
Anthony Rodio, Chief Operating Officer, support.com
Singu Srinivas, Vice President, Premium Support, Radialpoint
Bill Stanley, Director, Operations Solutions, Telcordia

2:00 PM - 3:15 PM The Five Ws of Social Media
Scott Brown, Director, Marketing, Cisco
Rick Clancy, SVP of Corporate Communications, Sony Electronics
Rajat Paharia, Founder & CEO, Bunchball
Michael Papish, CEO, MediaUnbound
Ron Richards, Director of Marketing & Product Management, Revision3

3:30 PM - 3:45 PM The Changing CE Purchase Decision
Research Presentation by Tricia Parks, Founder and CEO, Parks Associates

3:45 PM - 5:00 PM Never Lost Plus Much More Fun — Navigating Through the Booming GPS Market
Fazal Ali, Senior Director, Product Management, Qualcomm CDMA Technologies
Luke D’Arcy, VP, Advanced Technology Marketing, CSR
H.P. Jin, President, CEO and Co-Founder, TeleNav
Darren Koenig, Director, Wireless and Internet Markets, Tele Atlas

Friday, January 9

9:30 AM - 10:45 AM Connected Consumer Electronics: Linking Premium Applications and Content across Devices
Richard Bullwinkle, Chief Evangelist, Macrovision
Chenyi Chiu, Strategic Program Manager, HD-PLC Alliance
Robert Eisses, President and CEO, Icron
Kazuhiro Kitagawa, Vice-Chairman, PUCC
Loren Shade, VP Marketing, Allegro Software Development Corporation

11:00 AM - 11:15 AM The Changing CE Purchase Decision
Research Presentation by Tricia Parks, Founder and CEO, Parks Associates

11:15 AM - 12:30 PM The Future of Digital Photo Frames: A Display or Platform?
Stephen Joe, President/CEO, D-Link Systems, Inc.
David Snook, Product Marketing Manager, Digital Frames, Kodak
Mark Vena, Vice President, PC Business Unit, Synaptics, Inc.
Mike Wodopian, VP, GM Media Processor Solutions, RMI Corp.
Richard Yeh, Marketing Director, Samsung Semiconductor, Inc.

12:45 PM - 2:00 PM Connected Game Consoles: King of the Digital Home
Glenn Broderick, Executive Director, Gaming, AT&T
Ben Huang, Director of Product Management and Marketing, TV Business, Microsoft Corporation
Jeremy Lockhorn, Director of Emerging Media, Avenue A| Razorfish
Susan Panico, Senior Director of PlayStation Network, Sony Computer Entertainment America
Randy Stude, Director, Intel

2:15 PM - 3:30 PM TV 2.0 – The Future of the Set-Top Box
David Foote, CTO, Hitachi USA
Doug Jones, Chief Architect, Cable, BigBand Networks
Aslam Khader, Chief Product Officer, Ensequence
Joe Seidel, Director, Global Business Development, Connected TV Devices Business, Microsoft Corporation
Steve Tranter, VP, Interactive and Broadband, NDS

3:45 PM - 5:00 PM Breakout Year? New Paths for Home Systems
Michelle Leyden Li, GM of Home Control, Zilog
Kevin Meagher, CEO, Intamac Systems
Eric Smith, Chief Technology Officer, Control4
Matt Theall, Technology Strategist, Intel Corporation; President, HomeGrid Forum
Evan Tree, Chief Products Officer, Logitech

Monitoring Energy Use with Agilewaves System

Interested in savings? Of course you are...who isn't? Wouldn't you like to monitor your energy consumption (including electric, gas, water, wind, solar panels, etc.)? An Angilewaves System could be your answer!

With a usage readout including details with by hour, day, month or year, you can monitor your energy consumption and review any savings from alternative energy systems (solar, wind and/or geothermal heating). You can even go back several years to view savings if you change appliances. Can't wait to see those pie charts!

How is it done? "Agilewaves uses sensors at the gas and water mains and electrical panel to measure your energy use. This data is sent over Ethernet cabling to an Agilewaves Data Acquisition System, a small web server the size of Mac Mini and that draws under 20 watts of power. The computations are done there, based on local utility rates, and sent a computer or control system."

What about installation? "A home installation can run anywhere from $5,000 to $85,000, depending on the size and scope and the number of sensors." In addition to the installation, the basic system begins at $5k which includes sensors at the gas main, water main, five individual electrical circuits, and all software and all hardware. Additional sensors can also be added to individual electrical outlets.

Source: www.agilewaves.com/ and Steven Castle's article "Agilewaves Monitors Your Energy Use" posted on Electric House.

Northwest Technology Companies Showcase New Products at the 2009 International CES

55+ technology companies from the NW United States will showcase their latest consumer electronics (CE) products at the 2009 International CES ' the world's largest consumer technology tradeshow. These exhibitors represent more than 30 consumer technology categories.

The 2009 International CES runs January 8-11 in Las Vegas, Nevada, and will feature 2,700 exhibitors, including more than 300 companies exhibiting for the first time. These companies will unveil their latest CE products on more than 1.7 million net square feet of exhibit space.

In addition, the CONNECTIONS Summit at CES is being held from January 8th-9th featuring over 50 speakers addressing the topics of Wireless Networking, Advanced Video Services, Gaming, Social Media, Consumer Electronics, Customer Support, Home Systems, TV 2.0, GPS, and Photo Frame.

For more information regarding the CONNECTIONS Summit at CES, click here.

U.S. consumer interest in home networking migrates to mobile and portable devices

Parks Associates survey identifies features driving demand for new digital cameras and mobile phones...

A new study from international research firm Parks Associates finds consumer demand for networking features will drive the next wave of consumer electronics purchasing, particularly for imaging and mobile devices such as digital cameras, photo frames, and mobile phones. Digital Media Evolution, a new survey from Parks Associates, finds nearly 50% of U.S. broadband households want a digital camera with networking capabilities, with nearly 40% similarly interested in a networked digital photo frame.

Digital Media Evolution is a nationwide survey of U.S. consumers in broadband households and focuses on 2008 consumer electronics purchases, including planned and completed holiday purchases. It also examines consumer interest in networked consumer electronics and willingness to pay a premium for connected devices.

Parks Associates will present research from this and other projects at CONNECTIONS™ Summit at CES, January 8-9, 2009. Visit http://www.connectionssummit.com/ for information. During CES, visit Parks Associates at Booth #25556, South Hall 2, Ground Floor.

Roku Upgrades Hardware to Support HD Content

Roku, maker of the player that lets Netflix (NSDQ: NFLX) subscribers stream online movies to a digital TV, said Monday it has upgraded the hardware to support high-definition content.

Roku plans to roll out over the next few weeks at no additional charge software that adds advanced compression technology to the $100 player. The application, which will be sent over the Web as an automatic update, makes it possible to stream HD movies over an average consumer broadband connection, according to Roku.

More info

Macrovision, Allen Shapiro & One Equity Partners Announce Agreement for Sale of TV Guide Network

Digital entertainment technology leader, Macrovision announced it reached an agreement for the sale of its TV Guide Network property to Allen Shapiro & One Equity Partners. This $255+ million transaction is expected to close before April 1, 2009.

The 19th most distributed network, TV Guide Network is available in 83 million homes and with over 15 million monthly is one of the fastest-growing online entertainment destinations unique visitors.

Macrovision retains the key strategic on-line elements currently utilized through this site, namely its B2B grid syndications business, whereby the company licenses its online guide to other portals, and functionality that enhances its embedded guidance product offering, such as integration from embedded guides with online or mobile guides that allow for remote record.

Macrovision’s solution portfolio, which includes industry-leading IPGs and program metadata, associated patent portfolio, music and video metadata, media recognition, as well as networking and security technologies, position the company firmly at the center of the shift to digital entertainment. Macrovision continues to invest in and develop new guide technologies that ultimately enhance the consumers total entertainment experience, including new offerings for CE device makers, system operators, service providers and content providers of virtually all forms of entertainment.

After removing the TV Guide Online business from the estimates and adjusting for lower than expected sale proceeds, Macrovision's 2009 revenue is now expected to range between $435 million and $475 million and adjusted pro forma earnings per share is expected to range between $1.15 and $1.45.

For more information regarding this recent news, click here.

Internet Movie Service Expands to Web Videos

The Internet movie service, Vudu, uses a set-top box to deliver on-demand movies and TV shows to TV sets, is now expanding to include free videos available on the Web.

Vudu RIA (Rich Internet Application), new software which allows users to search and view free Web videos from sites such as YouTube. Currently, the applications under Vudu RIA are only available through the Vudu set-top.

Vudu plans to release a software kit in early '09 to enable outside developers to create third-party applications for this service.

Will Vudu benefit more from selling a retail box for $299 or creating partnerships to be included with cable set-top boxes and televisions?

To view more information, please visit Glen Dickson's article on Broadcasting & Cable.

Vudu is a past speaker of the CONNECTIONS Conference. Last Summer, Patrick Cosson, VP of Marketing spoke on the "BROADBAND VIDEO: Millions Watch but Nobody Pays?" panel at CONNECTIONS 2008 in Santa Clara, California, USA.

HGI SWITCHES ON TO EUROPEAN ENERGY SAVING REGULATIONS

The European Commission (EC) has included recommendations from the Home Gateway Initiative (HGI) for version three of the Code of Conduct on energy consumption of broadband equipment. The latest version of the Code of Conduct was published on November 24th 2008.

The HGI is the leading industry voice in defining home gateways, and has been a major contributor to the Code of Conduct in this area. The work has involved defining the operation states of Customer Premises Equipment, as well as providing targets for the power consumption values of each functional component of the home gateway.

In line with the recommendations made, the HGI is now working on specifying low power mechanisms that allow the home gateway to consume the minimum power corresponding to its current level of activity, by looking at the individual subcomponents and assessing the existing power modes, and evaluating the implementation of additional low power modes. The work of the HGI on energy efficiency also extends deeper into the home network, involving the home gateway’s unique role as an always on device, orchestrating home automation.

The HGI was founded and launched by nine telecom operators (Belgacom, BT, Deutsche Telekom, France Telecom, KPN, TeliaSonera, NTT, Telefonica and Telecom Italia) in 2004, and now has members from five continents, representing the entire spectrum of actors in the broadband home arena. The main tasks of the HGI are to establish home gateway-related technical and interoperability specifications and provide input to standardisation bodies.

For further information, please visit www.homegatewayinitiative.org.

Radialpoint Internet Security Suite Receives ICSA Labs’ Anti-Virus Desktop Certification

Radialpoint, a leading provider of managed Internet security and care services to the world’s largest Internet Service Providers (ISPs), is pleased to announce that Radialpoint Security Services (RPS) version 7 has been tested and certified in Anti-Virus Desktop/Server Detection by ICSA Labs, an independent division of Verizon Business. RPS monitors files and scans email messages and attachments, automatically detecting and removing viruses to protect the user.

To earn the coveted ICSA Labs certification, a product must detect all malware in the test environment without any false positives. ICSA Labs analysts found RPS to meet all criteria and technical requirements for the Anti-Virus Desktop/Server Detection Certification, achieving ICSA Lab’s high standards set for anti-virus protection by detecting and preventing the replication of viruses.

In order to provide an ongoing read on the protective quality of any certified products, ICSA Labs continuously tests and retests for compliance with its rigorous criteria. Subsequent releases and upgrades for any certified product must be re-tested to meet the same criteria.

Radialpoint's Singu Srinivas will be speaking on the panel, "Digital Home Customer Support: From Troubleshooting to Upselling?" at the CONNECTIONS Summit at CES on January 8th at 12:30 PM. Other confirmed speakers on this panel include: Fred King, VP, Sales & Marketing, PlumChoice, Inc.; Art Lancaster, CTO, Affinegy; Anthony Rodio, Chief Operating Officer, support.com; and Bill Stanley, Director, Operations Solutions, Telcordia.

BBC, ITV and BT working on technical standards for on-demand tv over broadband

The trio announced proposals today that to build a "standards based open environment for broadband connected digital television receivers". They invited other public service broadcasters (Channel 4 and Five), device firms and other ISPs to back the initiative.

The initiative, currently described only in the vaguest terms, will seek to extend the reach of the BBC iPlayer and the ITV player to mainstream living rooms.

Public broadcasters will be offered use of the iPlayer back end, the BBC said. It also seems likely the involvement of BT and other ISPs indicates plans for a shared content delivery network, to soften the impact on bandwidth charges.

No timescale was provided, but the announcement said plans for high definition on demand would be included. Like all new services, the BBC's involvment in the intiative is subject to approval by the BBC Trust. On demand via a new generation of Freeview boxes would carry no subscription fee.

BBC director-general Mark Thompson said: "We are building on a history of collaborating with and supporting the industry in research and development which includes NICAM stereo, Teletext and Freeview."

More info at The Register

How to Deliver Household Wide Wireless HDTV: ProVision Joins Parks Associates’ Signature CES Debate

According to Professor Andrew Nix, the next generation Wi-Fi technology, 802.11n, “is the only standard capable of cost-effectively transmitting interactive wireless HD video across all rooms within a home.”

The co-founder of ProVision Communications will argue this as part of the signature panel debate on wireless networking by analyst firm, Parks Associates, at January’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

ProVision, the Bristol, UK based specialists in video over wireless technology, will join Pulse~LINK, SiBEAM and AMIMON, backing the HDMI, Wireless HD and WHDI standards respectively.

In November, ProVision announced a new division to commercialise the company’s vast expertise in wireless video. The company will also be demonstrating its technology to key audiences at CES.

ProVision’s CEO, David Sykes commented that the inclusion in Parks Associates’ signature CES panel was testament to the strength of ProVision’s wireless expertise. He also stated that getting wireless HDTV right is more than just choosing a standard and connecting products together, “ProVision has expertise across all aspects of wireless video and it is this that will ensure success in the market. With the right standards adopted wireless HDTV products will rapidly become commonplace in people’s homes.”

Research indicates expansion of entertainment-at-home services despite poor economic conditions

Parks Associates announced that almost 66% of U.S. consumers have altered their spending habits in the 2008 as a result of the country’s deteriorating economic conditions. These changes have the greatest impact on entertainment spending outside of the home, according to Digital Media Evolution, a new consumer survey, but also open new areas for growth in customer support services.

Parks Associates finds that as consumers cut spending on outside sources, this trend creates greater dependence on at-home entertainment services, creating new opportunities for broadband, communications, and entertainment providers in offering customer support, self-diagnostic, and troubleshooting solutions.

In 2008, U.S. consumers are most likely to cut their spending on dining out, travel, and out-of-home entertainment. Additionally, nearly 50% indicate that they will be spending less on consumer electronics because of economic conditions.

Parks Associates advises providers to take back-to-the-basics approaches to revenue growth and cost savings. Service provider costs for supporting home networks alone could total hundreds of millions of dollars annually. By implementing self-diagnostic and troubleshooting solutions and building remote support capabilities, service providers can turn customer support from a liability into an opportunity, reducing OPEX costs initially and growing revenue-generating customer support businesses in the long term.

Blockbuster tests new store in Nev.

Blockbuser has made the Reno area the first major test market for its new look and expanded offerings. To reach the rentals, you’ll have to get past the game center with an array of Wii and Xbox accessories, high-definition TVs and mobile media devices, interactive games ready for play in leather chairs, and expanded snack racks with a cafe kiosk offering eats and drinks.

The key is convenience, selling not just the movie or video game but the means to watch it, Blockbuster CEO Jim Keyes said last week at a store in Reno.

And especially with the economic downturn, he said, the more his stores can offer, the better chance it has of getting an edge on the competition.

“We’re selling convenience,” Keyes said after giving Reno Mayor Bob Cashell and other business leaders a tour of the store.

“Why send someone to Wal-Mart when you can bring it in here where they’re already getting the movies,” Keyes said. “There’s so much talk now about ‘community’ in business. This is community here, the ultimate community.”

More info

CONNECTIONS™ Europe Summit, hosted in Nice, France, addresses new features and services for digital media and connected consumer electronics

International research firm Parks Associates announced the preliminary agenda for CONNECTIONS™ Europe Summit, taking place March 31, 2009, in Nice, France.

This executive event focuses on the roles of service and technology providers, media companies, and manufacturers in creating new entertainment, communications, and lifestyle applications for consumers.

According to Entertainment 2.0 in Europe, Parks Associates’ multinational research project, the French market is a microcosm of the overall European market for advanced entertainment services. In France, 28% of broadband users watch online TV on a regular basis, and 16% of pay-TV subscribers watch movies-on-demand at least monthly. Parks Associates forecasts that IPTV and cable video-on-demand revenues in major European countries will grow from €1.1 billion in 2008 to €5.4 billion by 2013. At the same time, online video revenues will grow from €350 million in 2008 to €3.2 billion by 2013.

Summit topics include Value-added Access Services, Video Services, Digital Media Content and Delivery, Connected Consumer Electronics, and Customer Support.

Roger Pitton, Program Director, TV Business, Microsoft Corporation, will deliver the Keynote address “IPTV and the keys to keeping customers.” Confirmed speakers represent the companies Affinegy, Enure Networks, HomePlug Powerline Alliance, Icron, IO-Homecontrol, Macrovision, moreTV Broadcasting GmbH, SPiDCOM Technologies, Telcordia, and Tilgin.

CONNECTIONS Sponsor, ProVision Communications unveils in-home wireless video division

ProVision Communications, the Bristol, UK based specialists in video over wireless technology, has announced the establishment of its new division focused on consumer products delivering HD video over wireless throughout the home. To support the division, Ian Walsh has been appointed as VP of business development.

ProVision Communications, a wireless and HD video company, have been delivering innovative products to leading broadcast operators and set top box manufacturers including Thomson, Pace, the BBC, and BSkyB since 2001. Recent developments have included real time video transmission over Wi-Fi to portable devices at outside broadcasting events, along with HD and wireless innovations for set top boxes and media home gateways.

ProVision’s expertise lies in its end-to-end understanding of wireless networks and video systems: this includes MPEG4/H.264 Advanced Video Codecs, radio propagation, antenna design, wireless networking, and reliable interoperation between HD video and wireless standards. ProVision is now strongly placed to deliver its world-leading HD video networking products and technologies to cable and satellite TV operators.

To read more about this news, click here.

Pace develops +Le Cube, next generation satellite / IP hybrid set-top box

Leading independent developer of digital TV technologies for the global payTV industry, Pace develops Europe’s first Satellite / IP hybrid set-top box to use the Ethernet port for VOD services, +Le Cube for the French leading pay-TV operator CANAL+ Group.

+Le Cube’s hard disk has been optimised by Pace Engineering for very low audibility, to be less intrusive for the user. This is also the first HD PVR for CANAL+ Group with an internal hard disk drive, with a 320 GB capacity providing the ability to record up to 100 hours of HD programming.

In addition to Ethernet port, this product supports USB and HDMI and has Dolby Digital audio outputs. The IP connection allows progressive download of VOD whereby content is buffered onto the HDD. +Le Cube has a striking new black and white rectangular design which can be placed horizontally or vertically to allow maximum versatility for the consumer.

+Le Cube has been designed to support and enable new services to CANAL+ and CANALSAT subscribers, including access to the latest US series, in high definition, less than one week after they have been shown to US audiences. Further features are catch up services, broadband access for interactive services and a recommendation service for viewers.

To read more about this new development, click here.

For more information on Pace, please visit http://www.pace.com/.