Friday, January 22, 2010

Trailer Park Becomes First Entertainment Development Partner for

ActiveVideo Networks™, the global leader in cloud-based interactive television, and Trailer Park, the industry's largest entertainment marketing agency, today announced that Trailer Park’s recently formed Advanced Content Group (TPAC) has become the first major content developer to officially embrace the power of the ActiveVideo® CloudTV™ platform currently in close to 5 million homes.

Trailer Park will leverage the widely distributed CloudTV platform in tandem with its industry-leading creative capabilities to deliver interactive entertainment to interactive TV audiences. ActiveVideo anticipates that it will be in 10 million homes by the end of 2010.

ActiveVideo immerses viewers in an engaging experience that combines Web video, Web 2.0 functionality and traditional television. With ActiveVideo, viewers can navigate a completely interactive environment of both linear and broadband programming, including rich interfaces and graphics optimized for TV and remote control navigation; social networking; personal media; niche content; and targeted, actionable advertising. ActiveVideo uses intelligent MPEG streaming to deliver the Web 2.0 experience to a worldwide television audience through both legacy and next-generation digital set-top boxes and broadband-connected devices.

For the full press release, click here.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Parks Associates announces CONNECTIONS™ Europe Summit Series for 2010

International research firm Parks Associates will host two CONNECTIONS™ Europe Summits in 2010. The first CONNECTIONS™ Europe of 2010 will be April 27 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. This executive summit will focus on connected consumer electronics and digital media, including analysis of new monetization models and the impact of technologies such as 3D TV and smartphones.

The second CONNECTIONS™ Europe of 2010 will take place in November in Paris, France. Both events will feature Parks Associates’ expert consumer and industry research, with the company’s analysts presenting data from consumer research projects including All Eyes on Video, Consumer Decision Process, Residential Energy Management, and Digital Media Evolution.

Early sponsors for CONNECTIONS™ Europe, also members of Parks Associates’ Premier Program, include ActiveVideo Networks and PacketVideo. Visit www.parkspremier.com for more information on the Premier Program.

Parks Associates will start accepting speaker submissions for the April 2010 Summit on January 18, 2010.

Rovi Corporation Sponsors CONNECTIONS 2010

Parks Associates welcomes the Rovi Corporation as a silver CONNECTIONS sponsor.

Rovi Corporation is focused on revolutionizing the digital entertainment landscape by delivering solutions that enable consumers to intuitively connect to new entertainment from many sources and locations. The company also provides extensive entertainment discovery solutions for television, movies, music and photos to its customers in the consumer electronics, cable and satellite, entertainment and online distribution markets. These solutions, complemented by industry leading entertainment data, create the connections between people and technology, and enable them to discover and manage entertainment in an enjoyable form.

Rovi holds over 4,200 issued or pending patents and patent applications worldwide and is headquartered in Santa Clara, California, with numerous offices across the United States and around the world including Japan, Hong Kong, Luxembourg, and the United Kingdom.

For more information, visit http://www.rovicorp.com/.

Monday, January 11, 2010

D-Link Announces the World's Smallest 11n Wi-Fi Adapter

D-Link, today announced the new D-Link® Compact Wireless N USB Adapter (DWA-121), the world's smallest wireless USB adapter. About the size of a dime, the DWA-121 adapter connects a laptop or desktop computer to a Wi-Fi network at up to six times the speed and three times the coverage of a wireless G connection*. D-Link's Compact Wireless N USB Adapter uses 802.11n wireless technology to maximize the speed and range of the wireless signal to significantly outperform previous-generation Wireless G devices, with speeds up to 150Mbps uplink/downlink data rate. It is compatible with Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 operating systems.

The D-Link Compact Wireless N USB Adapter provides an easy and cost-effective way to upgrade the wireless network performance of a desktop or notebook computer. As a result, network users can access high-speed Internet services, transfer files and stream media from virtually anywhere in their home or office.

The Compact Wireless N USB Adapter's Quick Setup Wizard provides an easy way to set up the USB adapter and the included Wireless Manager helps to keep track of recently accessed networks.

For the full article, please click here.

Motorola Strengthens IP Video Portfolio with Strategic Acquisition

Motorola Inc. today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the assets of SecureM, LLC and its wholly owned subsidiaries, together operating as SecureMedia®, a developer of software-based digital rights management (DRM) and security systems for IP video distribution and management. The acquisition, which is subject to customary closing conditions, is expected to close in Q1 2010. SecureMedia will now become part of Motorola's Home & Networks Mobility business.

SecureMedia develops and markets software systems for securing the distribution of digital entertainment over multiple platforms to multiple devices, including set-top boxes, wireless handsets, PCs and portable entertainment devices. SecureMedia's Encryptonite ONE™ system supplies proven end-to-end security for content in managed IP, mobile, over-the-top (OTT) and hybrid environments, enabling new business from the consumption of high-value content any time and any place. With this acquisition, Motorola will be offering both stand-alone and integrated software security solutions to IP video customers.

Motorola's Home & Networks Mobility business delivers fully integrated and customizable media solutions to their subscribers. As a global video leader in digital entertainment devices, digital and IP video headends and digital video processing, Motorola brings its video expertise to bear as operators seek to evolve their networks for the future.

For the full article, please click here.

Icron Debuts PC-On-TV Technology

Icron Technologies launched its ExtremeLink PC-on-TV technology at International CES.

Icron's ExtremeLink PC-on-TV is a hardware-based solution that transmits PC desktop video and USB control wirelessly to a TV, extending the TV's functionality to include full online and interactive browser capabilities as well as access to all PC applications and content.

No software drivers are needed, and there are no restrictions on the content or applications that can be delivered to the TV.

The TV-connected unit provides a remote USB hub for keyboard, mouse and other USB devices. Pricing for ExtremeLink PC-on-TV is expected to be about $299.

For the full article, click here.

The HD-PLC Alliance booth at 2010 International CES

In its efforts to promote global adaptation of High-speed Power Line Communication (HD-PLC) technology, as well as further develop compatibility standards for HD-PLC-equipped products, the HD-PLC Alliance will had a booth at the 2010 International CES, the world's largest consumer electronics show.

This featured HD-PLC modules and dedicated chipsets, as well as their development environment, which can be integrated into various electronic devices to enable high-speed power line communication. Also, through the cooperation of HD-PLC Alliance member companies and companies using HD-PLC, over 50 PLC-equipped and feature-added PLC-compatible products such as PLC adapters, PLC routers, hubs and various PLC-equipped products.

This year's exhibition included advances in the ease of setup and connection of an HD-PLC network, and, as part of the HD-PLC Alliance's ongoing global warming initiative "Green Ubiquitous," an introduction to future technologies for household smart energy and smart grids. A series of demonstrations will reveal the convenience and future potential HD-PLC has to offer in an accessible format.

Friday, January 8, 2010

ActiveVideo Networks Continues CloudTV Growth:

ActiveVideo Networks™, the global leader in cloud-based interactive television solutions, has expanded its relationship with TAG Networks to extend enhanced-gaming experiences to broadband-connected CE devices.

The CE integration builds on the existing cable partnership between TAG Networks and ActiveVideo, as well as on recent milestones by both companies: TAG Networks recently announced that it established an industry record for streaming games density and scalability by supporting 2,000 concurrent MPEG game streams at 1.25Mbps with a single off-the-shelf 1RU dual quad-core server, while ActiveVideo successfully demonstrated the integration of the ActiveVideo client with Blu-ray Disc middleware developed by Videon Central, Inc. at the Intel Developer Forum.

As the market leader for games-on-demand to the cable television and IPTV industries, TAG is specifically designed to meet operational concerns, including limitations of headend space, power, air conditioning and bandwidth; while reducing environmental impact and running costs with mass reach and ease of deployment to all digital cable/IPTV households.

The agreement is the second to be announced at CES by ActiveVideo, which currently is in nearly 5 million homes with leading cable and IPTV providers. Additional deployments and trials are slated over the next 12 months.

ActiveVideo immerses viewers in an engaging experience that combines Web video, Web 2.0 functionality and traditional television. ActiveVideo uses intelligent MPEG streaming to deliver the Web 2.0 experience to a worldwide television audience through both legacy and next-generation digital set-top boxes and broadband-connected devices.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

CONNECTIONS @ CES Panel Sessions with Technology Executives from Sony, Yahoo, IBM, TiVo

International research firm Parks Associates will host the fourth-annual CONNECTIONS™ Summit at CES, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 7, 2010 in Room S225 in the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center. Parks Associates will then host a networking reception from 6:00-8:00 p.m.

CONNECTIONS™ Summit: Monetizing Connectivity in the Home will include interactive panels featuring research presentations from Parks Associates analysts and more than 20 industry executives. Session topics include new trends in CE, video advertising, home systems/energy management, and mobile services and convergence.

CONNECTIONS™ Summit sessions:

9:00 a.m. – Service Provider Strategies for the Connected Home
Joly Benoit, Director, Connected Home Applications, Thomson
John Callahan, CTO, ActiveVideo Networks
Tom Carroux, Director, Sales and Market Development, Irdeto
Jaime Fink, CTO, 2Wire
Ted May, VP, Strategy & Business Affairs, Synacor
David Sandford, VP, Marketing & Product Management, TiVo

9:45 a.m. – The Connected TV – Displays and Beyond
Bruce Anderson, GM, Global Electronics Industry, IBM
Mike Harris, Senior VP and GM, Connected Devices, DivX
Arlo Rose, Senior Director, Product Design, Connected TV, Yahoo!
Mitch Singer, President, Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem; CTO, Sony Pictures Entertainment
Scott Smyers, Chairman, Board of Directors, Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA); SVP, Sony

11:00 a.m. – Consumer Electronics Purchases: Are Consumers Back in the Buying Mood?
Parks Associates Analysts

12:15 p.m. – The Mobile Aspect of Unified Infotainment: Opportunities and Challenges
Timo Bauer, SVP & GM Americas, NewBay Software
Lauren Thorpe, Senior Director, Developer Relations, Qualcomm
Jean-Pierre Bienaimé, Chairman, UMTS Forum, Orange
Rick Schwartz, Senior Product Manager, PacketVideo

1:30 p.m. – Advances in Television Advertising
Chris Allen, VP, Director of Video Innovation, Starcom USA
Brian Chamberlin, Manager, Interactive Projects, NDS
Scott Rosenberg, VP of Advanced Advertising, Rovi Corporation
Paul Woidke, SVP and GM, Advanced Advertising, OpenTV

2:45 p.m. – Bringing the Smart Grid to the Smart Home
Susan Cashen, Vice President, Control4 Energy Systems
Steve Cashman, Chief Strategy Officer, Exceptional Innovation
Joe Dada, President and CEO, SmartLabs
Chris Deutschen, Senior Manager, Innovation and Business Development, Direct Energy

4:00 p.m. – 3D: Adding New Dimensions to Entertainment
Hope Fulgham, CEO/CMO, Piazza Advertising
Peter Lude, SVP, Engineering, Sony
Howard Postley, CTO/COO, 3ality Digital
Peter Smyth, Founder & CEO, RedMere
Simon Tidnam, VP, Sales & Marketing, HDlogix

The full agenda is available at http://www.parksassociates.com/ces10/agenda.