Gesture recognition, smart home services, energy management solutions, and multiscreen video services among top trends from 2011 CES

Parks Associates anticipates 2011 will mark the resurgence of the Smart Home concept following a series of CES announcements as well as research showing U.S. consumers value energy management as a lifestyle choice as well as a cost-saving measure.

CES 2011 featured several significant announcements for connected home systems and services, smart appliances, and broadband-enabled home monitoring services, including Verizon’s Home Monitoring Control offering, which featured applications for a web camera, lighting control, outlet modules, and a communicating thermostat. Consumers are starting to see energy-efficient products and services as a means to improve their home and personal comfort as well as for cost savings, which opens the market for a variety of solutions from utilities, service providers, and manufacturers.

Parks Associates will further explore the opportunities and implications of residential energy management at the upcoming Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer, January 24-26, in Austin, Texas.

CES 2011 also featured a variety of sophisticated gesture-recognition and multiplatform connectivity solutions.

Other key CES 2011 innovations center on solutions that link mobile and portable CE such as smartphones and tablet computers to the television so consumers can move seamlessly between platforms and even "flick" video from an iPad to an Internet-connectable TV. The use of complementary video viewing devices has significant implications on how interactive television and TV Everywhere concepts will evolve.

Soundbites from Analysts at CES

Some of the Parks Associates' analysts were captured highlighting the significant new products at CES 2011.

Featured analysts include:
Stuart Sikes, President
Farhan Abid, Research Analyst
Bill Ablondi, Director, Home Systems Research
Laura Allen Phillips, Research Analyst
Brett Sappington, Senior Analyst
Harry Wang, Director, Health & Mobile Product Research

The connected home (including refrigerators), the smart grid and personalized video were among topics mentioned by these industry experts.

To view these sound bites, visit: http://www.viodi.tv/2011/01/10/ces2011-analysts-views/

Analysts open '11 CES by addressing content and security issues facing manufacturers and developers in Internet-connectable CE

Parks Associates wrapped up the fifth-annual CONNECTIONS™ Summit at CES, the first day of 2011 International CES, by addressing the key issues facing CE manufacturers and solutions developers in 2011. The first session, "Analyst Roundtable: The Connected Home Is Here," which broke all previous attendee records, examined key trends and areas of concern, including how Internet-connectable TV devices can avoid the same underwhelming reception that plagued 3DTV after its big splash at CES 2010.

Parks Associates’ recent research finds that – the apps vs. open-browser debate notwithstanding – connected TV manufacturers will find market success with specific content application offerings, particularly premium video-on-demand (movies and TV shows), photo-viewing, social network feeds, streaming music service, customizable widgets, and gaming applications.

With sales of Microsoft Kinects exceeding the company's expectations, and multiple gesture-recognition products debuting at CES, how consumers interact with the television will also be radically changing starting in 2011.

Although online video and applications are major drivers for the rise of connected devices, other areas of focus for CE and service providers in 2011 will be backup, content protection and redundancy, and a greater emphasis on device security. This sets the stage for appliance- and cloud-based storage as well as device security and related features:

• According to Parks Associates, about one-third of U.S. broadband households (32%) are backing up content on at least a monthly basis.

• The firm's recent survey Consumer Demand for Technical Support Services found 20% of consumers are “highly concerned” about losing documents and other digital content because of technical issues, theft, or other catastrophic issues.

• Security concerns are moving into the mobile realm, where U.S. consumers are showing increasing demand for remote protection services for mobile and portable devices. This finding indicates 2011 will be a good year for companies such as Lookout, which provides location and lockdown services for smartphones.

Parks Associates Invites Media to 5th Annual CONNECTIONS at CES

Parks Associates invites media to attend the 5th Annual CONNECTIONS™ Summit and Networking Reception at CES from 9:45 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. on January 6, 2011, in Rooms S206-207, South Hall, Las Vegas Convention Center.

Analysts will begin the CONNECTIONS™ Summit with a roundtable discussion of the latest consumer research and market trends for the connected lifestyle. Sessions will feature executives from over 25 technology companies speaking on topics such as operator strategies for value-added services, connected CE, smart grid and residential energy management, and video services for multiple platforms. Agenda available at http://www.parksassociates.com/events/connections/summit/2011/agenda/agenda.html .

President Stuart Sikes will also be participating at the CES Digital Health Summit on January 8, and Senior Analyst Brett Sappington will moderate a next-gen video session at Broadband Unlimited @CES on January 5.

Sessions include:
9:45-10:45 - "Analyst Roundtable: "The Connected Home is Here!"
11:00-12:00 - "Operator Strategies: Video, Services, and Support"
12:15-1:15 - "Monetizing Connected Consumer Electronics"
1:30-2:30 - "Executive Roundtable: The Smart Grid & the Home Area Network"
2:45-3:45 - "Anytime Anywhere Entertainment & Communication – Mobile Apps"
4:00-5:00 - "Video Everywhere: Key Strategies"

Visit Parks Associates at Booth #20554, South Hall 1.

Meet our expert Analysts at CES

Request a briefing with the Parks Associates Analysts or a meeting with our Parks Associates Business Development Team to discuss your research needs while at CES 2011 on January 6th.

Farhan Abid, Research Analyst

INDUSTRY EXPERTISE
Home Systems, Energy Management and Smart Grid Technologies, Entertainment Systems, Home Systems Integration Channel, Home Builders

Bill Ablondi, Director, Home Systems Research

INDUSTRY EXPERTISE
Home Systems, Home Controls, Energy Management and Smart Grid, Home Security, Entertainment Systems, Home Systems Integration Channel, Home Builders and Multifamily Executives

Pietro Macchiarella, Research Analyst

IINDUSTRY EXPERTISE
Gaming Content and Services, Game Consoles, Connected Consumer Electronics, 3D TV Technologies and Services, Consumer Storage Products and Services

Laura Allen Phillips, Research Analyst

INDUSTRY EXPERTISE
Digital Media, Online Video, Digital Music, Social Networking, Consumer Storage and “Cloud Media” Services & Technologies

Brett Sappington, Senior Analyst

INDUSTRY EXPERTISE
Residential Broadband Services, Digital Television Services, Value-added Services, Interactive Technology and Services, TV Everywhere, User Interfaces, Set-top Boxes

Kurt Scherf, Vice President, Principal Analyst

INDUSTRY EXPERTISE
Home Networks & Residential Gateways, Home Networking Media (Wi-Fi, G.hn, HomePlug, MoCA, etc.), Set-top Boxes, Connected Consumer Electronics, Consumer Storage Products and Services, Media Server Hardware and Software, Value-added Services, Online Video, Consumers and Digital Entertainment, Digital Home Technical Support Services

Harry Wang, Director, Health & Mobile Product Research

INDUSTRY EXPERTISE
Digital Health Products and Services, Portable and Mobile Access Platforms and Applications, Digital Imaging Products and Services

Heather Way, Research Analyst

INDUSTRY EXPERTISE
Digital Media, Emerging Advertising Technologies, Digital Video Advertising

Samsung, Others to Show New Tablets at CES

Samsung will show at the Consumer Electronics Show an iPad-sized tablet with a unique style of slide out keyboard, according to The New York Times.

The device will run Windows 7 in landscape mode but will switch to a special interface when in tablet mode (or in portrait mode, without the keyboard). The Samsung tablet will receive a formal introduction during Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer’s keynote address at CES, along with a new tablet from Dell and other suppliers.

Microsoft at CES, hopes to counter the iPad with business-use or work-horse devices for business people who want to both read newspapers and magazines on a tablet and switch over to Excel, Word or PowerPoint.

For the complete article, please click here.

CONNECTIONS Summit at CES to address video strategies as U.S. online video viewers to reach 215 million by 2014

The final session of CONNECTIONS™ Summit at CES, "Video Everywhere: Key Strategies," will examine market implications of TV Everywhere, VOD, and connected TVs, along with the risks of cord cutting, featuring speakers from Rovi, Korea Telecom, DivX, ActiveVideo Networks, and Sigma Designs.

The penetration of connected TVs and Blu-ray players has tripled in the past year, and over one-third of U.S. broadband household report increased time spent watching long-form videos on a PC. Consumer expectations for the video experience are expanding, and service providers and CE manufacturers must meet these demands or risk losing customers to competitors and over-the-top sources.

"Video Everywhere" session speakers:

• Sean Besser, VP, Business Development, Rovi Corp.

• Woo Seung Lee, Team Manager, Media Business Planning Department, Korea Telecom

• Matt Milne, EVP and GM, DivX

• Edgar Villalpando, SVP, Marketing, ActiveVideo Networks

• Michael Weismann, VP Corporate Marketing, Sigma Designs

CONNECTIONS™ Summit at CES provides consumer data and analysis of business and marketing strategies for operators, CE manufacturers, utilities, and communications companies delivering connected devices and advanced services and applications to consumers.

For information about CONNECTIONS™ Conferences, visit www.connectionsconference.com.

CONNECTIONS Summit at CES to feature analyst roundtable, 3DTV, smartphones, connected home services, and consumer buying habits

Parks Associates will open CONNECTIONS™ Summit at CES on January 6 with the session "Analyst Roundtable: The Connected Home is Here!" at 10:00 a.m., featuring expert analysis on the expansion of enhanced connectivity in the home.

Sales of Internet-capable consumer electronics will exceed 200 million worldwide in 2011. Mainstream adoption of digital technologies is reaching all corners of the home. Multiple players, including content owners, CE companies, retailers, broadband and communications providers, and energy utilities, will seek to enhance their consumer relationships through new applications, services, and features that fit with these new market demands.

• In 2011, 36% of new flat-panel TVs sold worldwide will be Internet-capable, growing to 76% of all units in 2015.

• Smartphones and Internet-capable CE remain popular purchases despite CE purchase intentions plunging from almost 50% in 2009 to 38% in 2010.

• In 2011, U.S. sales of smartphones will reach nearly 60 million, and Internet tablets, including Apple iPads , will exceed 13 million.

• By 2014, 80% of new flat-panel TVs sold in the U.S. and Western Europe will have 3D capabilities.

The analyst roundtable will feature data from recent consumer projects, including Consumer Decision Process, Residential Energy Management, Consumer Demand for Technical Support Services, and Digital Video: Three Screens and Beyond.

CONNECTIONS™ Summit at CES is on the first day of 2011 International CES in the South Hall Convention Center, Rooms S206-207. Summit sessions:

Analyst Roundtable: The Connected Home is Here!
Operator Strategies: Video, Services, and Support
Monetizing Connected Consumer Electronics
Executive Roundtable: The Smart Grid and the Home Area Network
Anytime Anywhere Entertainment & Communication – Mobile Applications
Video Everywhere: Key Strategies

CONNECTIONS™ Summit at CES includes support from CONNECTIONS™ Europe sponsors Accedo Broadband, ActiveVideo Networks, ADB, Gigle Networks, Latens, PacketVideo, ProVision Communications, Radialpoint, Ralink Technology Corporation, Virgin Media, and Zeitera. CONNECTIONS™ 2011 sponsors include Association Sponsor CEA and Affinegy, Allegro, HCL, iTOK, Rovi, and Roxio.

Intel, Rovi, Best Buy, and other industry leaders participating at executive summit at CES 2011

Parks Associates announced the sessions and preliminary list of speakers for its upcoming CONNECTIONS™ Summit at CES, January 6 at 2011 International CES in Las Vegas. This event provides consumer data and analysis of business and marketing strategies for operators, CE manufacturers, utilities, and communications companies delivering connected devices and advanced services and applications to consumers.

At CONNECTIONS™ Summit at CES, we will look beyond the headlines and announcements to see what consumers will be doing with these devices and how they will change their video, entertainment, and communication habits.”

Parks Associates will host CONNECTIONS™ Summit in the South Hall Convention Center, Rooms S206-207, during the first day of CES. Preliminary list of speakers:

Sean Besser, VP, Business Development, Rovi Corp.
Tom Bottorff, Sr. VP-Regulatory Affairs, PG&E
Kris Bowring, Senior Director, Platform Lead, Best Buy
Matt Carinio, Senior Business Analyst, LEVEL Studios
Chris Deutschen, Senior Manager, Direct Energy
Wynn Grubbs, VP, Sales and Marketing, PlumChoice
Dave Habiger, President and CEO, Sonic Solutions
Brian David Johnson, Futurist and Director, Future Casting and Experience Research, Intel Corporation
Shashidhar K, Global Practice Director, HCL Technologies
Chris King, Chief Regulatory Officer, eMeter Corporation
Woo Seung Lee, Team Manager, Media Business Planning Department, Korea Telecom
Scott Levine, VP, General Manager – Mobile, Blockbuster, Inc.
Joel Marshall, EVP, Steelhead Advertising
Steve McKay, CEO, Entone
Andy Melder, VP Business Development, Gigle Networks
Sean Miller, President, iTOK
Steve Oetegenn, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Verimatrix
Lawrence M. Oliva, Director of Tariffs, Programs, and Services, Southern California Edison
Rick Schwartz, Senior Product Manager, Consumer Software, PacketVideo (PV)
Edgar Villalpando, SVP, Marketing, ActiveVideo Networks

For information about CONNECTIONS™ Conferences, visit www.connectionsconference.com.

CONNECTIONS at CES addresses Operator Strategies, Connected CE, Smart Grid, Video Everywhere

Parks Associates announced the Call For Papers for the upcoming CONNECTIONS™ Summit at CES, taking place January 6 at 2011 International CES in Las Vegas. This event provides consumer data and analysis of business and marketing strategies for operators, CE manufacturers, utilities, and communications companies delivering connected devices and advanced services and applications to consumers.

During the first day of CES, Parks Associates analysts will moderate interactive panel sessions featuring leading industry executives on the following topics:

-- Operator Strategies: Video, Services, and Support
-- Monetizing Connected Consumer Electronics
-- Energy Utility Executive Roundtable: The Smart Grid & Home Area Network
-- Anytime Anywhere Entertainment & Communication
--Video Everywhere: Key Strategies

CONNECTIONS™ Summit begins with a roundtable discussion featuring Parks Associates analysts. This session will highlight key consumer and technology trends on core areas of research:

-- CE buying patterns in the recession
-- Broadband value-added services
-- Key trends in video services
-- Maturation of home networking technologies and applications
-- Consumer demand and the business case for connected CE
-- Mobile communications, broadband, and device trends
-- The new era of 3DTV
-- Trends in advertising
-- Consumer support services
-- Home systems
-- Health, energy, and home monitoring

Technicolor mp3HD format adopted by Samsung

Technicolor today announced that its mp3HD format, introduced in 2009, is featured in the Samsung “IceTouch,” the company’s first mp3HD portable player, which was recently unveiled at CES 2010.

The mp3HD format offers lossless audio compression as well as compatibility with the widely-used mp3 standard. mp3HD enables content creators, the music industry and consumers to benefit from the ultimate audio quality experience with the same ease of use as the mp3 format.

For the full press release, 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.

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.

Eyecon Demonstrates User-Experience Application Platform at CES

Eyecon, a sponsor of Parks Associates Connections events, will be demonstrating its user-experience application platform for networked media players at CES.

As internet enabled televisions, broadband set-tops, networked audio systems and digital picture frames proliferate in the connected home, consumers require a common and portable interface to manage their media and player options. Discovery and navigation of multiple content sources including over-the-top content, music libraries, user-generated and premium video sites also poses a significant challenge not only for consumers but CE manufacturers, service providers, and content publishers as well.

EyeconTroller for the iPhone meets these challenges by providing a personalized, mobile interface enabling users to search, preview and queue content from multiple sources and control its play-out to multiple entertainment devices.

EyeconTroller works with EyeconManager, a free software download for the consumers networked PC or Mac. EyeconManager creates a virtual library of all the users authorized content – video, music and photographs, no matter where it resides, locally or on the web. It also discovers both DLNA and other popular connected players in the home.

You can see Eyecon’s user-experience application in several locations at CES including Intel’s invitation only Residential Gateway and Media Phone suites, Western Digital’s TV Live HD Media Player demo, Syabas’s Popcorn Hour suite, Marvells SheevaPlug Partner Pavilion, and CopperGates Home Connectivity Solution suite.

You can also contact molly@eyecontechnologies.com to schedule a demo at Eyecon’s demonstration suite in the Venetian.

Eyecon Demonstrates User-Experience Application Platform at CES

Eyecon, a sponsor of Parks Associates Connections events, will be demonstrating its user-experience application platform for networked media players at CES.

As internet enabled televisions, broadband set-tops, networked audio systems and digital picture frames proliferate in the connected home, consumers require a common and portable interface to manage their media and player options. Discovery and navigation of multiple content sources including over-the-top content, music libraries, user-generated and premium video sites also poses a significant challenge not only for consumers but CE manufacturers, service providers, and content publishers as well.

EyeconTroller for the iPhone meets these challenges by providing a personalized, mobile interface enabling users to search, preview and queue content from multiple sources and control its play-out to multiple entertainment devices.

EyeconTroller works with EyeconManager, a free software download for the consumers networked PC or Mac. EyeconManager creates a virtual library of all the users authorized content – video, music and photographs, no matter where it resides, locally or on the web. It also discovers both DLNA and other popular connected players in the home.

You can see Eyecon’s user-experience application in several locations at CES including Intel’s invitation only Residential Gateway and Media Phone suites, Western Digital’s TV Live HD Media Player demo, Syabas’s Popcorn Hour suite, Marvells SheevaPlug Partner Pavilion, and CopperGates Home Connectivity Solution suite.

You can also contact, molly@eyecontechnologies.com to schedule a demo at Eyecon’s demonstration suite in the Venetian.

Parks Associates at CES: Connected devices, 3D content, storage, and support services will provide new opportunities for industry growth in 2010

Parks Associates market analysts will present new research and provide insight and commentary about new business strategies, new technologies, and consumer demand for connected CE and services at multiple speaking events during the 2010 International CES (Consumer Electronics Show).

Parks Associates will host the fourth-annual CONNECTIONS™ Summit: Monetizing Connectivity in the Home on January 7, the first day of CES. The analysts will also participate at Digital Media Insider, Digital Health Summit, and Digital Hollywood on January 8 and 9.

CONNECTIONS™ Summit will kick off CES on Thursday, January 7. The Summit will feature interactive panels with over 20 leading technology companies including IBM, Yahoo!, and Sony. Executives will discuss business strategies for service providers, status of energy management deployment and adoption, and the changing CE purchase patterns for consumers.

Parks Associates will also participate in the following CES events:

- Kurt Scherf, VP & Principal Analyst, will speak at an Analyst and Press Roundtable “What’s the Scoop at CES?” at Digital Media Insider @ CES on Friday, January 8, 3:15-3:55 P.M. at The Venetian, Las Vegas, Ballrooms 3204-05/3304-05.

- Harry Wang, Director, Health & Mobile Product Research, will participate on the panel “Consumers Driving Healthcare: Capitalizing on the Opportunities” at Digital Health Summit at CES on Saturday, January 9, 9:00-9:45 A.M. in LVCC, North Hall, Ballroom N253.

- Heather Way, Research Analyst, will moderate the panel “Internet Video, Advertising & Marketing: The Next Generation of Consumer Reach” at Digital Hollywood @ CES on Saturday, January 9, 10:30-11:30 A.M. in the LVCC, North Hall N261.

Smartphones, Mobile Services, 3D TV, and Smart Grid are key topics at CONNECTIONS™ SUMMIT at CES

Parks Associates announced the speakers for the CONNECTIONS™ Summit at CES in Las Vegas, January 7, on the first day of the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

Over thirty speakers will participate in sessions moderated by Parks Associates analysts and featuring consumer and industry research on smartphones, mobile services, 3D TV, and smart grid technologies. Session topics also include business strategies for service providers, status of energy management deployment and adoption, and the changing CE purchase patterns for consumers, featuring research from Parks Associates’ Consumer Decision Process (CDP) service.

CONNECTIONS™ Summit will feature the current CDP findings, which support the latest Black Friday numbers - purchase intentions are up slightly from last year, although consumers are still cautious. Certain product categories will have a better 2010 than others. Intentions to purchase a game console have plunged since 2008, while mobile phones and digital camcorders have surged, benefiting from new models like smartphones and the Flip Video camcorder.

Summit Sessions:

- Consumer Electronics Purchases: Are Consumers Back in the Buying Mood?
- The Connected TV – Displays and Beyond
- Service Provider Strategies for the Connected Home
- The Mobile Aspect of Unified Infotainment: Opportunities and Challenges
- Advances in Television Advertising
- Bringing the Smart Grid to the Smart Home
- 3D: Adding New Dimensions to Entertainment

Speakers:
- Timo Bauer, SVP & GM Americas, NewBay Software
- Jean-Pierre Bienaimé, Chairman, UMTS Forum, Orange
- Tom Carroux, Director, Sales and Market Development, Irdeto
- Susan Cashen, VP, Control4 Energy Systems
- Steve Cashman, CSO, Exceptional Innovation
- Brian Chamberlin, Manager, Interactive Projects, NDS
- Chris Deutschen, Senior Mgr, Innovation & Sales, Direct Energy
- Jaime Fink, CTO, 2Wire
- Hope Fulgham, CEO/CMO, Piazza Advertising
- Benoit Joly , Director, Connected Home Applications, Thomson
- Ted May, VP, Strategy & Business Affairs, Synacor
- Arlo Rose, Senior Dir., Product Design, Connected TV, Yahoo!
- Scott Rosenberg, VP, Advanced Advertising, Rovi Advertising
- David Sandford, VP, Marketing & Product Management, TiVo
- Rick Schwartz, Senior Product Manager, PacketVideo
- Simon Tidnam, VP, Sales & Marketing, HDlogix
- Paul Woidke, SVP and GM, Advanced Advertising, OpenTV

Parks Associates Moderators:
- Bill Ablondi, Director, Home Systems Research
- Jayant Dasari, Analyst
- Tricia Parks, CEO
- Kurt Scherf, VP, Principal Analyst
- Stuart Sikes, President, Parks Associates
- Harry Wang, Director, Health & Mobile Product Research
- Heather Way, Analyst

Parks Associates will host a Networking Reception following the Summit. Event sponsors include Irdeto, Eyecon Technologies, and Premier Sponsors ActiveVideo Networks, PacketVideo, and RedMere. For information, visit www.connectionssummit.com or register at www.cesweb.org.

International research firm addresses key market issues for the digital home at CONNECTIONS™ events, Smart Energy Summit, monthly Webcasts

Parks Associates announced the Premier Sponsorship Program and the 2010 event schedule, which includes CONNECTIONS™, the inaugural Smart Energy Summit, CONNECTIONS™ Summits in Europe and at CES, and monthly research Webcasts. The Premier Sponsorship Program offers opportunities for companies to participate at multiple events and receive customized benefits and additional recognition throughout the year.

Our conferences focus on core areas of growth and opportunity in energy management, entertainment platforms and services, home controls, mobile services, and advertising. Our events feature networking with key executives and the latest findings from our consumer and industry research. We developed the Premier Program so our sponsors have multiple opportunities to connect with our audiences and achieve maximum exposure as leaders in the digital living space.

Companies join the Premier Sponsorship Program by sponsoring different events throughout the year:

CONNECTIONS™: The Digital Living Conference and Showcase, June 8-10, Santa Clara, is the premier executive event focused on market developments and growth factors for advanced digital lifestyle solutions.

CONNECTIONS™ Europe Summit, March 2010, Amsterdam, focuses on international and European consumer research, with sessions examining new digital platforms, consumer buying habits, and new business models and opportunities for TV operators, content developers, advertisers, and CE companies.

CONNECTIONS™ Summit at CES, January 7, Las Vegas, is the perfect start for CES, with sessions on trends, emerging business models and technologies, and growth opportunities for companies developing products and services for the digital home.

Smart Energy Summit, January 25-27, Austin, Tex., offers a unique combination of market research and real-world expertise in examining residential energy management and smart grid technologies.

Parks Associates’ monthly research Webcasts, hosted by the company’s leading analysts, feature the last data and insight on key digital living categories, including set-tops and connected CE, smartphones and mobile convergence, 3D TV and advanced video services, and future advertising strategies.

Current Premier Sponsor includes RedMere.

For more information about the Premier Sponsorship Program, visit www.parkspremier.com.

CONNECTIONS SUMMIT Speakers Announced

The CONNECTIONS SUMMIT will be held January 7, 2010, in Room S225 in the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center. The one-day event features commentary, insight, and debate on successful market strategies and deployment for “digital living” products and services.

Bill Ablondi, Dir., Home Systems Research, Parks Associates
Timo Bauer, SVP & GM Americas, NewBay Software
Joly Benoit, Dir., Connected Home Applications, Thomson
Tom Carroux, Director, Sales & Market Development, Irdeto
Susan Cashen, VP, Control4 Energy Systems
Steve Cashman, Chief Strategy Officer, Exceptional Innovation
Brian Chamberlin, Manager, Interactive Projects, NDS
Jayant Dasari, Research Analyst, Parks Associates
Chris Deutschen, Sr. Mgr, Innovation & Bus. Development, Direct Energy
Jaime Fink, CTO, 2Wire
Hope Fulgham, CEO/CMO, Piazza Advertising
Ted May, VP, Strategy & Business Affairs, Synacor
David Sandford, VP, Marketing & Product Management, TiVo
Kurt Scherf, VP, Principal Analyst, Parks Associates
Stuart Sikes, President, Parks Associates
Simon Tidnam, VP, Sales & Marketing, Hdlogix
Harry Wang, Dir., Health & Mobile Product Research, Parks Associates
Heather Way, Research Analyst, Parks Associates
Paul Woidke, SVP and GM, Advanced Advertising, OpenTV

More info at:
http://www.parksassociates.com/events/connections/summit/2010/agenda/agenda.html