 August
28, 2008 — DivX Press Release
“A key defining trend of advanced television services is the
convergence of video content from numerous sources,” said Kurt Scherf,
Vice President and Principal Analyst with Parks Associates. “The ability
of set-top box manufacturers to support high-quality video solutions –
including DivX – will be a critical factor in their ability to offer
flexible and unique viewing experience to television subscribers. The
new DivX capable set-top box from Vestel is a good example of the type
of integration we should expect in the future.”
From the industry press release, "Vestel First to Announce DivX
STB for European Market"
 August
28, 2008 — WirelessHD Press Release
"WirelessHD shows good potential for wireless transmission of HD
audio and video optimal for applications such as gaming and Blu-ray
DVD," said Kurt Scherf, Vice President and Principal Analyst with Parks
Associates. "With the availability of WirelessHD 1.0, companies can take
advantage of the promise of high-bandwidth wireless video transmission.
This is a catalyst for placing wireless high-definition solutions in the
spotlight of connected home applications."
From the industry press release, "WirelessHD's Industry Leadership
and Award-Winning Solutions Fuel Consortium Expansion and Standards
Harmonization"
 August
26, 2008 — Storage Appliance Corp. Press Release
"The market for backup products has been largely dominated by
complicated devices requiring a fairly sophisticated understanding of
technology," said Scherf,
vice president, Parks Associates. "That's why the vast majority
of consumers have chosen to take their chances and do nothing to
safeguard their data. Eliminating the fear factor by making the process
fully automatic will hopefully encourage more people to backup,
ultimately eliminating the needless heartache that comes from data
loss."From the industry press release, "Storage Appliance
Corp. announces availability of the first truly automatic system that
backs up your PC - right out of the box"
 August
24, 2008 — New York Times
France Télécom has sold six million of its Livebox gateways
through 2007, according to Parks Associates, a research firm in
Dallas.By the end of this year, 370 million homes worldwide will have
broadband Internet, Parks Associates estimates. But only 5
percent, about 17 million, will have residential media gateways.
“What this means for consumers is that some people may bring products home and
discover that they can’t communicate with others on their networks,” said Kurt
Scherf, a senior analyst at Parks Associates. “We are just starting to see the
first networked products roll out and a shakeout in standards is inevitable.”From the article, "A
Home Network Where Your TV Talks to Your Fridge" by
Kevin J. O'Brien
 August
24, 2008 — International Herald Tribune
One way in which they are doing this is by promoting so-called
residential gateways, boxes that combine an Internet router with a modem
and software than can wirelessly shuttle and manage video and audio
among devices in a home. France Télécom has been the leader among
European telecommunications companies, selling six million of its
Livebox gateways through 2007, according to Parks Associates, a
research firm in Dallas.To be sure, while networked devices like
Internet-ready TVs, set-top boxes, residential gateways and game
consoles like Microsoft's Xbox360 or Sony's PlayStation3 are
increasingly common, the truly "networked" wireless home is still a few
years off, industry experts say. By the end of this year, 370 million
homes worldwide will have broadband Internet, Parks Associates
estimates. About 4 in 10, or 150 million, will also have WLAN routers
connecting computers to the Internet. Only 5 percent, about 17 million,
will have residential media gateways.
"What this means for consumers is that some people may bring products
home and discover that they can't communicate with others on their
networks," said Kurt
Scherf, a senior analyst at Parks Associates. "We are just
starting to see the first networked products roll out and a shakeout in
standards is inevitable."
From the article, "Home electronics go wireless" by
Kevin J. O'Brien
 August
22, 2008 — BETA NEWS
In his paper "No Way to Regulate: Mobile TV in Europe," Parks
Associates Director of Research
John Barrett wrote, "Unfortunately, the market and technological
conditions [bear] little resemblance to the GSM scenario regulators
faced in the early eighties. For starters, spectrum availability differs
from country to country. DVB-H is ideally suited for the UHF TV
spectrum, but in some markets (the U.K., France, etc.), TV broadcasters
are still using these frequencies and will not fully vacate them until
around 2012.
"Secondly, the use of DVB-H denies operators the possibility of
leveraging established network infrastructure,"
Barrett continued. "As a counterpoint to DVB-H, DMB (Digital
Multimedia Broadcasting) technology is designed to piggyback on DAB
(Digital Audio Broadcasting) radio networks, which are deployed
extensively in Holland, the U.K., and Germany."
From the article, "European solidarity crumbling on digital
mobile TV" by Tim Conneally
 August
19, 2008 — LinuxInsider
The one-two punch of news is generating plenty of buzz within the mobile
industry, and one thing's for sure: All eyes are now on Google to see if it will
revolutionize the cell phone, or just fall flat.
"For the consumer, at the end of the day, what really
matters is what can I do with the phone," Parks Associates
Director of Research
John Barrett told LinuxInsider. "If Android allows you to do things
you can't do otherwise and it's better, then consumers will start to
say, 'I know what this is, and I want it.' That's going to be hard to
get to that point," he predicted.
Getting to that point,
Barrett believes, may ultimately boil down to the providers.
"To me, the key variable is really not so much
Android. ... It's your big mobile phone operators that command most of
the market share and how are they going to act and react," he noted.
"I think the idea behind Android is a good one -- the
idea of having an open platform -- but at the same time, phones are
different from computers. Most people don't realize their phone has an
OS on it, much less care about what OS it has,"
Barrett concluded.
From the article, "Google Gives Android Devs a Kit to Tinker
With" by JR Raphael
 August
19, 2008 — Home Media Magazine
The report from Parks Associates said that increased
availability of connected video game consoles, networked TVs and
video-on-demand (VOD) set-top boxes will spearhead the growth in
user-generated revenue.
“Consumption of premium Internet video content to date has been low,”
said Kurt
Scherf, VP, principal analyst of Parks Associates. “Services
have been available only on less-than-optimal screens, [including] PCs
and portable multimedia players.”
The analyst said advances in ad-supported movie streams, targeted
advertising, download-to-burn kiosks and on-demand venues will spur the
Internet video market.
“New connected products that link to premium Internet video services are
emerging at a rapid pace, moving the Web video viewing experience into
the living room,”
Scherf
said. “This shift will help grow revenue considerably.”
From the article, "Report: Web Video to Top $6B by 2013 " by
Erik Gruenwedel
 August
19, 2008 — Canada's Here's How!
A recent study conducted by Parks Associates finds that
some form of networking will be found in 168 million homes across the
world this year. "Broadband growth pushed Europe ahead of North
America in terms of home network adoption," said Kurt
Scherf, Vice President, Principal Analyst at Parks Associates.
"With the network in place, providers will tie in high-demand
entertainment services.”
Scherf
predicts that, by 2012, more than a third of homes will employ home
networking, including entertainment and multimedia, and especially IPTV.
From the article, "168 Million Homes will Adopt Networking
This Year" by Christine Persaud
 August
18, 2008 — Associated Press
The common denominator for the existing services is that they
cost money, limiting their adoption. AT&T and Verizon Wireless charge
$15 per month for 10 channels. Sprint bundles MobiTV with some high-end
plans and charges $9.99 per month as standalone service.
Research director
John Barrett at analysis firm Parks Associates points to the
fees as a problem, and recommends that operators provide free content.
"A free taste would go a long way in making the consumer case for
mobile TV," he wrote in a recent report. "Mobile TV services have taken
off in Japan and South Korea, where service is offered free of charge.
In Italy, where additional fees have been the norm, usage has been
limited."
From the article, "Analog TV shutdown kills free cell-phone
TV" by Peter Svensson
 August
18, 2008 — Mercury News
Parks Associates expects that by 2012, tech-savvy consumers with
broadband connections in their homes will be storing some 900 gigabytes
worth of data — whether that's television shows on their DVR, movies
they've downloaded from the Internet, photos they've taken or digital
songs they've bought.
Parks Associates found that just 10 percent of households
regularly back up their digital files. While Apple has incorporated
backup software into its Mac OS and many external hard drive makers
include the software with their drives, backing up data is still too
complex a task for most consumers, analysts say.
From the article, "Not enough space: The dicey digital game
of storing, backing up files" by Troy Wolverton
 August
18, 2008 — The Daily News
82 Percent of Americans are online, according to a May survey by
the research firm Parks Associates, up from 41.5 percent in 2000.
Should the fact McCain, 71, is Internet illiterate be an issue in
presidential politics? (In July he told the New York Times, "I don't
e-mail" and that he has people surf the Web for him.)
From the article, "Two thirds of corporations pay no income
tax at all" by John Eby
 August
15, 2008 — U.S. News World & Report
"A couple of new studies project similar numbers for the
expected boom in Internet video over the next few years. Parks
Associates says consumer spending on broadband video will grow from
about $1 billion this year to about $6 billion in 2013.
Parks' analyst, Kurt
Scherf, says studios are sold on Internet video. "Hollywood has
discovered that online video distribution provides more upside to their
businesses than risk,"
Scherf
says. If he's right, and the studios open the spigots, the growth
numbers may be conservative."
From the blog posting, "Hollywood Embracing Internet Video,
Analyst Says" by David LaGesse of Dave's Download
 August
15, 2008 — Telecom TV
This one, a study by Parks Associates’ called “Video:
Direct-to-Consumer Services” would have us all believe that “TV-based
Internet video” receivers and web-enabled CE platforms will drive
revenues for premium Internet video services past the US$6 billion mark
over the next 5 years."
The report goes on to say that so-called “transactional” money,
comprising of direct-to-TV videos, account for 75 per cent of these
revenues.
Furthermore, Parks Associates says, "increased ownership of
connected game consoles, networked TVs, and alternative video-on-demand
set-top receivers is generating significant growth in user-paid
revenues.” Kurt
Scherf, Vice President and Principal Analyst at Parks Associates
says, “Consumption of premium Internet video content to date has been
low. Services have been available only on less-than-optimal screens such
as PCs and portable multimedia players.
ABI corroborates the finding of Parks Associates and agrees
that "the PC is destined to become the main multimedia content playback
device and will grow to an installed base of 25 million over the next
five years."
Meanwhile Kurt
Scherf says, “The Internet video market is maturing as portals,
aggregators, broadcasters, and other content creators and publishers
develop go-to-TV approaches and ad-supported premium video services.
Future areas to watch include ad-supported movie streams, new targeted
advertising approaches, and Hollywood’s efforts to offer more
electronically distributed content through download-to-burn kiosks and
other manufacturing-on-demand outlets."
From the article, "Billions of bucks to be spent on web video
" by Andrew Beutmueller
 August
15, 2008 — TechNewsWorld
Buyers of advanced URCs are more likely to have a brand in mind,
but the identification with brand remains somewhat weak. As long as
brand awareness is relatively weak, reliance upon retail as a source of
information will be high. Buyers of URCs cite too much information at
retail, which Parks Associates expects to include confusion from
inconsistent or contradictory information.
Not surprising is the lack of specific share percentage for AMX and
Crestron; these are low-volume, high-priced remote units, acquired by
only the top of the socioeconomic food chain. RTI does show up on this
consumer survey, and this marks the first time Parks Associates
has seen RTI appear outside of installing dealer surveys, showing an
incipient but growing taste among consumers for more capable and robust
models.
From the article, "Universal Remotes: Do Brand Names Turn
Consumers On?" by Tricia Parks
 August
14, 2008 — TIME
"McCain is an example of what, under the Clinton
Administration, used to be called the digital divide. Back then it was
the cause of much gnashing of political teeth; in his 2000 State of the
Union address, Clinton announced a "national crusade" to take the
Internet to those who didn't have it. That year 41.5% of Americans were
online, according to U.S. Census numbers. This past May a survey by the
research firm Parks Associates found that 82% are. The off-line
American has gone from a disenfranchised minority to an endangered
species."From the article, "The Off-Line American" by
Lev Grossman
 August
14, 2008 — money.co.uk: The Money Comparison Experts
"According to Parks Associates, the market could
rise from its current level of £500 million a year to hit a high of £3
billion by 2013 - a six-fold increase. Increasing interest from
broadcasters and major film studios in the web is predicted by the firm
to be a "tipping point" for this new popularity.
The rise of internet video is distinct from the massive recent
popularity of free "viral video" sites such as YouTube and Dailymotion -
which offer content at a far lower quality than premium providers.
Another difference is that web TV is often screened directly to TV sets,
which the quality on offer from the free services makes impossible.
Kurt
Scherf, vice president and principal analyst for Parks Associates,
said: "Consumption of premium internet video content to date has been
low. Services have been available only on less-than-optimal screens -
PCs and portable multimedia players."
"But new connected products that link to premium internet video
services are emerging at a rapid pace, moving the internet video viewing
experience into the living room. This shift will help grow revenues
considerably."
Parks Associates conducted its research for the US market. "
From the article, "Internet TV 'To Increase in Popularity'"
by Jayne Davison
 August
13, 2008 — CE Pro
"Consumers in the United States will spend more than $6 billion
on Internet video services by 2013, according to a study from Parks
Associates.""Internet Video: Direct-to-Consumer Services" says
direct-to-TV videos will account for 75 percent of the revenue.
"The study is attributing the growth to more people owning connected
gaming consoles, networked TVs and alternative video-on-demand settop
boxes."
"Consumption of premium Internet video content to date has been low,"
says Parks Associates VP and principal analyst Kurt
Scherf.
"Services have been available only on less-than-optimal screens - PCs
and portable multimedia players. But new connected products that link to
premium Internet video services are emerging at a rapid pace, moving the
Internet video viewing experience into the living room. "
From the article, "Consumers to Spend $6 Billion on Internet
Video Services by 2013" by Steve Crowe
 August
12, 2008 — 2Wire Press Release
"From the beginning, it seems that 2Wire correctly anticipated
and timed the growth we are currently witnessing in the broadband
market," said Kurt Scherf, vice president and principal analyst with
Parks Associates. "The company continues to lead the market to this day,
with innovations in residential gateways, storage solutions, and
convergent video and digital entertainment offerings. By the end of this
year, 27 million households worldwide will have residential gateways,
growing to more than 70 million by the end of 2012. With its expanding
portfolio of products and services, 2Wire is very well positioned to
continue capitalizing on this growth."
From the press release, "2Wire Turns 10, Ships 20 Millionth
Intelligent Gateway"
August
8, 2008 — CE Pro
Home Networking penetration will grow nearly 50 percent by the
end of 2008, according to a new study from Parks Associates.
The study says home networking will reach 168 million households
worldwide by the end of 2008. Households with networking solutions for
broadband and file sharing totaled 114 million in 2006, according to
Parks Associates. The study says this growth will lay the foundation
for expansion of multimedia services internationally.
"Broadband growth pushed Europe ahead of North America in terms of
home network adoption," says Kurt
Scherf, vice president, principal analyst, Parks Associates.
"With the network in place, providers will tie in high-demand
entertainment services. By 2012, over one-third of networked nodes
worldwide will have entertainment or multimedia functionality, with
particularly strong growth in IPTV services."
Scherf
says European broadband providers are the leaders in deploying home
networking solutions that provide basic broadband-sharing features.
Parks Associates also says the sales of NAS devices will reach
13 million units by 2012, attributing the growth to the ever-growing
desire for digital content.
From the article, "Home Networking to Reach 168 Million
Households in 2008" by Steve Crowe
 August
4, 2008 — MSNBC.com
"In the United States, between 1.5 million and nearly 2
million households have home theater PCs, out of 83 million households
owning at least one PC, according to Parks Associates, which
researches digital lifestyles. Parks defines a home theater PC household
as one with a computer running Microsoft Windows Media Center (a special
edition of the XP operating system, or included with Vista Premium and
Ultimate) that is connected to a TV and used for recording TV
programming."
From the article, "Home theater PCs provide front-row seats
Combine it with a high-definition TV and you've got your own cinema" by
Scott Taves
August 4, 2008 — Home Media
"Over the short-term, I don't expect much impact on
physical home media products," said Kurt
Scherf, VP and principle analyst with Parks Associates. "I
expect that the download-to-burn kiosks are going to be used more by
retailers as a way to phase out those bargain-DVD bins you typically see
near the Walgreen's check-out line. I'd expect that you'll see older
titles more on these kiosks than the latest Hollywood release. "It's
going to take some time for the studios and the kiosk companies to
experiment with the type of content they plan to make available through
the download-to-burn efforts." However, he added, that title count is
Polar Frog's biggest asset, comparing it to the 500 or so rental DVDs
available from Redbox, or the 7,000 to 10,000 DVDs on the shelves at
Blockbuster. "Once the studios get real data back on use, on how
revenues compare to the distribution costs that they're saving, etc., I
think you'll see more come on board, assuming the results are
favorable," he said."
From the article, "Polar Frog Ready to Burn CSS at Kiosks" by
Chris Tribbey
 August
1, 2008 — Forbes.com
Two years ago, casual games were the talk of the town. Before
the Wii-fication of videogames, it was these easy to play, relatively
inexpensive downloadable PC games that even got grandmas hooked. The
boom, brought on by the success of developers like PopCap selling some
$80 million worth of games through Web portals, rocked headlines.
Everybody wanted in on the growing audience--and dollars--for casual
games.
But all of a sudden, the downloadable casual game gold rush appears
to be over.
"Even though the Web-based casual games industry hit an
estimated $1 billion in revenues in 2007, according to Parks
Associates, game developers are finding it increasingly difficult to
do business as more and more games flood the market. "
From the article, "Casual Gold Bust " by Mary Jane Irwin
August
1, 2008 — TechNewsWorld
"The market for solutions aimed at data backup and
safekeeping and content sharing will be growing robustly over the next
few years, write Parks Associates analysts
Jane Shields and Kurt
Scherf. There are many different types of storage options open to
buyers, and vendors have an opportunity for positioning brand names in
the consumers' minds."
From the article, "Expanding Consumers' Digital Closet Space"
by Jane Shields and Kurt Scherf
 July 31, 2008 — MarketingVOX
For the last several months, Google has quietly been testing an
"AdSense for Games" platform, reports VentureBeat. Sources say the
technology enables advertisers to place video ads in games. In some
demos, a character from the game even introduces the ad with a preface
like, "And now, a word from our sponsor." And in addition to online
games, Google in-game ads can reportedly be added to console games,
disc-based games and mobile games.
"Parks Associates is even more optimistic, forecasting ad
spend of $2.1 billion in 2012."
But Massive may be the most zealous company of all. In 2006, it
suggested in-game advertising would hit $2 billion by 2010.
From the article, "Google Preps Joystick for In-Game Ad
Invasion"
 July
30, 2008 — TMCnet.com
"Current file storage solutions are not equipped to handle
consumers' ever-growing libraries of digital photos, music, and video,"
said
Jane Shields, research analyst, Parks Associates, in a
statement. "Soon the average broadband household will need close to a
terabyte of storage for their media collections on PCs, portable
devices, and DVRs. However, the industry will need to pay attention to
additional features beyond storage capacity as these devices approach
the mass market."From the article, "Network-Attached Storage
Device Sales to Reach 13 Million by 2012" by Jayashree Adkoli
July
29, 2008 — TechNewsWorld
"Anything that can make casual photographers feel like they're
approaching art with their shots of kids and vacations is helpful,
John Barrett, director of research at Parks Associates , told
TechNewsWorld. "Photography is one of the digital activities that is
really pervasive, along with music and video," he said. "It's something
that you see old and young, males and females taking part in. ... A very
broad demographic base engages in digital photography, and to that end
any tool that can give casual users some interim steps so that you don't
have to choose professional photography, I think that's smart."
From the article, "Adobe Flips Switch on Lightroom 2" by Renay San
Miguel
July
27, 2008 — NY TIMES
"Despite such momentum, utilities can't just change direction
the way many Internet companies do, cautions
Bill Ablondi, director of home systems at Parks Associates, a
market consultant based in Dallas.
Mr. Ablondi doubts regulators and utilities will rapidly adopt smart
grid technologies. "The technology is here, but I think we're looking at
more like a 10-year horizon," he says. "
From the article, "Finding and Fixing a Home's Power Hogs " by
MICHAEL FITZGERALD
July
25, 2008 — Forbes.com
"That's the tantalizing promise of the casual games industry,
which hit revenues of $1 billion in 2007, according to research firm
Parks Associates."
From the article, "Blowing Up Bloons" by Mary Jane Irwin
 July
24, 2008 — Wallstreet Journal
Netflix Inc. and Vudu Inc. both use set-top boxes to stream
movies over the Internet to a subscribers' television, but the titles
are restricted to the companies' movie databases. This month, Netflix
and Microsoft Corp. inked a deal where owners of the Xbox 360 can use
the videogame console to stream movies and other programming from the
Internet to their TVs."Research still indicates that the idea of connecting a PC to
the TV seems a daunting and cumbersome task for most consumers.
According to a 2007 study of 2000 U.S. homes conducted by Parks
Associates, a market researcher, just 2.5% had a PC connected to a
TV in the living room."
That's one of the reasons television manufacturers are making the
sets themselves Internet accessible. Companies such as Panasonic Corp.
of North America, Sony Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co. in recent months
have added Web content to their Internet-connected TVs. Panasonic
launched a series of flat-panel TVs in May that can access YouTube.
Since the start of the year, Sony has added YouTube and CBS to its list
of Internet offerings for TV owners.
From the article, "Feeding Your TV With Video From the Computer or
Web" by CHRISTOPHER LAWTON
July
21, 2008 — San Jose Mercury News
Already, women comprise more than half the players of the
"casual" card and puzzle-type games available online for PCs. Many of
those games are free for a limited amount of time, but typically cost
$20 or so if users want to keep on playing them. Among those players who
end up purchasing online casual games, almost three-quarters are women.
But women aren't just playing solitaire or "Diner Dash" on their
computers.
"About 52 percent of the active users of Nintendo's Wii are women,
according to Parks Associates."
And more women may soon be coming to gaming. According to Nintendo,
just 28 percent of the owners of its DS handheld system are women. But
48 percent of women of all ages in this country either own one - or have
requested one as a gift, the company says.
From the blog posting, "Gaming isn't just a boys club now" by
Troy Wolverton
 July 21, 2008 — THOMSON Press Release
Thomson (Euronext 18453; NYSE: TMS), the worldwide leader in
video solutions, has announced shipments of BT Home Hub wireless
gateways have passed the three million mark in fewer than two years
since the devices were deployed by BT in the United Kingdom. This
milestone also underscores the remarkable success of the service, with a
rapid increase in subscribers opting for the higher value broadband
packages in which the BT Home Hub was included.
"Illustrating the growth potential of the residential gateway
market, recent projections by industry analysts Parks Associates,
estimate that by year-end 2012, 40 million European homes will have
residential gateway solutions."
From the press release, "BT Home Hub Passes the Three Million
Shipment Mark"
 July 17, 2008 — AT&T Press Release
Starting today, gamers searching for their own personal universe
need not wait any longer as the intergalactic Spore™ Origins from
Electronic Arts Inc. (ERTS: Electronic Arts Inc T 31.70, -0.05, -0.2%)
today announced that its gaming organization has reached an agreement
with EA and EA Mobile to bring exclusive Spore game content to AT&T
wireless customers and to AT&T High Speed Internet customers.
"According to Parks Associates, roughly 150 million people are
playing connected games -- 41 million of which play on wireless devices
-- making them a key growth driver for both the gaming industry and for
AT&T. "
From the press release, "AT&T and EA Bring Spore to a New Universe
Of Gamers: New Agreement to Deliver Exclusive Gaming Content to AT&T
Customers, Premiering First on Mobile Devices"
 July 11, 2008 — RadioandMusic.com
"A Parks Associates survey has found that a majority of US and
Canadian citizens use the PC and Television to listen to music."
"In a new report by Digital Media Habits II, MP3 players ranked equal
to TVs, with one-third of households using these platforms for music.
Digital Media Habits II is a study of media trends in the US and Canada.
"
"Parks Associates Director of Research
John Barrett said, "iPods are sexy, but not everybody has one. TVs
are ubiquitous and increasingly capable of delivering a range of
content, especially with new features like digital music delivery and
place-shifting services. This is just the tip of the iceberg for TV
applications."
"According to the report, Parks Associates analysts recommend
that developers and service providers account for these standard
platforms while designing new digital entertainment services."
From the article, "PC, TV are new platforms for music in US, says
survey"
 July 11, 2008 — CIO Today
"Michael Cai,
a video-game analyst at Parks Associates, said the price cut
could lead to a summer sales boost. Microsoft, he said, needed to
stimulate gamer interest in the console, and now is the right time for a
price cut. ""GTA IV didn't help much and there isn't a killer game on
the horizon -- no pun intended,"
Cai quipped. Parks Associates' study of 2,000 U.S. Internet
gamers, Electronic Gaming in the Digital Home II, reports that consumers
interested in buying a console are more interested in Nintendo's Wii and
Sony's PlayStation 3 than the Xbox 360. Among those who intend to
purchase a console, 38 percent ranked Wii as their No. 1 choice,
followed by PS3 at 31 percent, and Xbox 360 at 19 percent.
From the article, "Microsoft Likely To Cut $50 Off U.S. Price of
Xbox 360" by Jennifer LeClaire
 July 10, 2008 — Market News Gadget Talk
"I'm not surprised at the results of a new Parks Associates
survey that discovered that one-third of U.S. and Canadian broadband
households use their TVs to listen to music."
"iPods are sexy, but not everybody has one," explained
John Barrett, Director of Research at Parks Associates. "TVs
are ubiquitous and increasingly capable of delivering a range of
content, especially with new features like digital music delivery and
place-shifting services. This is just the tip of the iceberg for TV
applications." "
From the blog, "People Using TVs to Listen to Music" by
Christine Persaud
 July 10, 2008 — Belkin Press Release
"In a 2007 study by Parks Associates, researchers found
that 49% of respondents wanted to mount their flat-panel TVs; however,
only 28% were successful in doing so."From the press release, "New
Belkin FlyWire™ Delivers HD Video and Audio Wirelessly to Any HDTV,
Anywhere in Your Home"
 July 7, 2008 — CableTechTalk
"This correlates nicely with the a Parks Associates Study
last year that found very few people refused to get connected due to
cost considerations."From the
article, "Despite Good News About Broadband Adoption, Vint Cerf
Calls for Nationalization (sort of, maybe, a little bit)"
July
1, 2008 — Tech News World
"Only 7 percent of Internet gamers ages 13 and older visit a
virtual world on a weekly basis, compared with 37 percent who visit
social networking sites and 41 percent who watch short videos online
with the same frequency, according to a recent Parks Associates
survey."From the
article, "Virtual Worlds: And the Children Shall Lead" by Michael
Cai
 June
27, 2008 — Advertising Age
"What they're trying to do to differentiate from Wii and Xbox
requires collaboration across Sony [properties and content]," said Michael
Cai, an analyst with Parks Associates. "That's not easy and
it takes time. Maybe finally all the pieces are coming together." From the
article, "At Last, PlayStation 3 Outdoes XBox in Unit Sales" by
Beth Snyder Bulik
 June
26, 2008 — Press Democrat
The U.S. market for home automation systems is expected to grow
from $3.5 billion in 2007 to $6 billion by 2012, according to Parks
Associates, a Texas-based consulting firm that focuses on home
networking.From the article, "The connected home" by
STEVE HART
June
25, 2008 — TMCnet
"'GPS technology is ready to shine,' said
Harry Wang, senior analyst with Parks Associates. "“Device
makers, application developers, and operators are looking beyond the
basic GPS routing function to innovative, location-based content and
services. The next few years will see a steady flow of value-added
content and services coming to market, and business model development
will be the key challenge for vendors to figure out,” explained
Wang.
From the
article, "Research and Markets: GPS Taking Over the Mobile Device
Market" by Michelle Robart
 June
24, 2008 — Home Gateway Initiative (HGI) Press Rlease
"Kurt
Scherf, vice president and principal analyst with Parks
Associates, added: 'The deployment of home gateways is accelerating
hand-in-hand with the rollout of triple play services. Service providers
can benefit from the deployment of managed, QoS-enabled home gateways as
value-added differentiators, for remote diagnostics and troubleshooting
applications, and to dynamically provision new value-added services as
customers see the need.' " From the
press release, "HOME GATEWAY DEPLOYMENT TO HIT 30 MILLION BY 2009"
 June
23, 2008 — San Francisco Chronicle
"But analyst Kurt
Scherf of Parks Associates questioned whether implementing
these moves, especially in an era when telecommuting is being
encouraged, might do more harm than good in the long run for Internet
providers.""It doesn't seem like a friendly approach the industry is
taking right now,"
Scherf
said. "The risk of inducing long-term discontent over what I view as a
short-term situation is not worth it."
From the
article, "Online bandwidth hogs to be cut off at trough?" by Ryan
Kim
 June
22, 2008 — San Diego Union Tribune
"At Dallas-based market research firm Parks Associates,
which has its own forecast of consumer electronics sales, principal
analyst Kurt
Scherf isn't surprised by the conflicting survey results.""Scherf's
survey suggests that a different group of electronics will hold up well
in the slow economy. While the CEA expects HDTVs, video game consoles
and GPS devices to do well,
Scherf sees those products as vulnerable to consumer cutbacks. He
sees MP3 players, home theaters and digital cameras as
recession-resistant."
From the
article, "Consumers keep shopping for gadgets despite tough
economic times, but will it last?" by Jonathan Sidener
 June
17, 2008 — Fox Business
"In a Parks Associates survey of home Internet users,
Bell was ranked among the top five Canadian ISPs offering security
protection. The ranking, which is based on customer service, as well as
the ability to communicate new security threats and recommend actions to
resolve these threats, was included in the recent research report, North
American Broadband Market Update 2008."From the
article, "Radialpoint Renews Key Contracts With Top Internet
Service Providers"
 June
11, 2008 — TWICE
"By 2012, smartphones, cellular phones, PDAs and portable media
players (PMPs) combined will overtake PNDs in GPS sales, according to
Parks Associates. Currently there are 3 to 4 million regular users
of GPS via smartphones, cellular phones, PDAs and (PMPs) in North
America but these will surpass the 28 million mark by 2012, overtaking
PND annual sales at that time, said senior analyst
Harry Wang."From the
article, "iPhone 3G Adds Potential To Compete With PNDs" by Amy
Gilroy
 June
6, 2008 — BusinessWeek
"That depends in part on how large a purchase households
want to make, says
John Barrett, director of research at market research firm Parks
Associates. Consumers are holding off on certain big-ticket items
such as computers and flat-screen televisions, but may be more inclined
to buy Dad lower-priced items, he says. 'There are certain kinds of
products that are gift products,'
Barrett says. 'GPS devices are one, because price points are low
enough that you could easily go get one.' "From the
article, "Economic Woe May Rain on Dad's Big Day" by Albert Sun
June 5, 2008 — Market News
"Interestingly, and despite what many believe, however, Parks
finds that dedicated, portable GPS units will remain the preferred
choice of navigation over the next three years."
“GPS will come to your mobile handsets as a standard feature, but
mobile carriers are still a couple of years away from turning GPS into a
money-making, mass-market feature,” explained
Harry Wang, Senior Analyst at Parks Associates."
From the
article, "GPS on a Continual Rise" by Christine Persaud
 June 5, 2008 — ADWEEK
"In-game advertising is in a fledgling stage, generating $54
million in sales in 2006, per Parks Associates, Dallas, but could
grow to $800 million by 2012. "
From the
article, "In-Game Ads Head to PlayStation 3" by Matthew Fields,
Brandweek
 June 5, 2008 — Marketing Daily
"A Parks Associates study, "Super Buyers: The Key
Broadband Segment Buying CE Products," released this week reveals that
87% of the 2,500 consumers with broadband Internet access who responded
to the survey had purchased one consumer electronics product within the
past 12 months; nearly 67% had purchased two or more.
"A small minority makes up the bulk of the purchases," says
John Barrett, research director at Parks Associates. "Many of them
are not uber-rich, even if they spend like they are."
"These buyers are part of a community who share information about
gadgets,"
Barrett says. "It's a form of viral marketing, but different than
posts on MySpace because they are focused on finding information
consumer electronics." "
From the
article, "'Super Buyers' Play Critical Role In Adoption Of New
'Toys' " by Laurie Sullivan
June
4, 2008 — Forbes.com
"In-game advertising is still in its early stages, generating a
modest $54 million in sales in 2006, however, technology research firm
Parks Associates estimates it could grow to an $800 million
market by 2012."
"Right now, businesses looking to place ads across different game
platforms are stuck talking to multiple ad agencies, says Parks
Associates analyst
Michael Cai. If you want to place an ad in an Xbox 360 game, you
have to deal exclusively with Microsoft (nasdaq: MSFT - news - people
)-owned Massive. To get into a PlayStation 3 game, you deal with Sony. A
handful of independent agencies, including IGA and Double Fusion, have
sprung up to handle ads in PC games and for specific game publishers.
Sony opening up its platform "is going to make [IGA and Double Fusion's]
portfolios more attractive to advertisers" because it decreases market
fragmentation,
Cai predicts."
From the
article, "Sony Set To Open Up To In-Game Advertisers" by Mary Jane
Irwin
 June 4, 2008 — Virtual Worlds News
"Michael
Cai of Parks Associates published some results of a recent
survey of Internet gamers ages 13 and older about online habits,
including virtual worlds. "
From the
article, "Parks Associates: Only 7% of Teen-and-Up Internet Gamers
Visit Virtual Worlds Weekly"
June
3, 2008 — Wall Street Journal
"Kurt
Scherf, an analyst with Parks Associates, a market-research
firm, says that one of its surveys of U.S. households with Internet
connections found that 35% of the 1,090 households where members
originally planned to buy a high-definition TV set this year would be
delaying the purchase, with the economy getting the blame. That's one
reason Sony Corp. recently said it would introduce more "entry-level" TV
sets this year that cost between $500 and $1,200 -- that's about $200
less than Sony's premium line of TV sets. And Samsung just cut the
prices on part of a new line of flat panels by $200."
"Retailers are also pushing the price down on Blu-ray DVD players,
which sell for $550 on average, according to Parks Associates."
"Mr.
Scherf of Parks says Father's Day will be another test of
consumers' threshold for electronics prices, but he adds that analysts
and industry executives will be watching what happens later in the fall
as the holidays approach. "If gas prices remain the way they are and the
economy continues to sputter along, I would be very worried come October
or November," he says. "
From the
article, "Gadgets Priced For Frugal Times" by Christopher Lawton
 May
27, 2008 — Los Angeles Times
""In the last stages of Adelphia's existence, they were bleeding
money," said analyst
Kurt Scherf at Parks Associates, a consulting and research
firm. "They were putting very little into infrastructure upgrades.""
From the
article, "Area HDTV owners with cable service have limited choices"
by Alana Semuels
May
23, 2008 — CE Pro
"Roughly 25 percent of households spent $2,000 or more on CE
products in the past year, accounting for 80 percent of all CE
purchases, new Parks Associates research says."
""The Super Buyers enjoy using these devices and see them as an
extension of their identity," says Parks Associates director of
research
John Barrett."
From the
article, "Parks Associates Identifies “Super Buying” Group" by
Steve Crowe
 May
22, 2008 — Biz Report
"Email and Internet access are both important in the daily lives
of many of us, but a new report from Parks Associates reveals
that many U.S. citizens don’t even have Internet access."
"The Parks Associates data revealed that age and education
play a big part in whether the Internet is a part of an individual’s
daily life. Half of those that have never used email are over the age of
65 and 56% had no education beyond high school."
“Internet connections have slowly increased in U.S. households, but
getting the disconnected minority online will continue to be difficult,”
said
John Barrett, director research at Park Associates. “Age and
economics are important factors, but the heart of the challenge is
deeper. Many people just don’t see a reason to use computers and do not
associate technology with the needs and demands of their daily lives.”
From the
article, "Almost one-fifth of U.S. population disconnected" by
Helen Leggatt
May
19, 2008 — BUSINESSWEEK
"One fifth of Americans have never used e-mail, according to a
recent survey by consultancy Parks Associates. Of 1,088 people
surveyed, 21% have never done a search on the Internet or looked up a
Web site. This is startling — and troubling. "
From the
article, "One Fifth of Americans Have Never Used E-Mail" by Olga
Kharif
 May
18, 2008 — Mashable Social Networking News
"In a similar vein, Steven Musil of CNET points out a study
conducted by Parks Associates that found that 30% of people have
never written or sent an email. Mind you, Parks discloses that over half
of these people polled were over the age of 65, and of those, 56% had no
formal education, which speaks more to the digital age divide than
anything else. "
From the
article, "Pew Internet Finds Web Has Little Effect On Purchasing"
by Sean P. Aune
 May
15, 2008 — CNN.com
"Think about the how much more responsive the content
offerings can be if an obscure movie, for example, becomes really
popular -- like the 'Napoleon Dynamite' phenomenon from a few years ago,
notes Kurt Scherf,
principal analyst at Parks Associates."
From the
article, "Can the USB go from computer dork to Hollywood player?" by
Steve Mollman
 May
14, 2008 — DallasNews.com Technology Blog (Dallas Morning News)
"On the other hand, Dallas-based Parks Associates
reports that 20 million U.S. households -- or about 18 percent -- have
no Internet access at home."
"Parks does note that the percentage of households without
Internet access has dropped from 29 percent at the end of 2006, so the
Internet curmudgeons are slowly venturing online, while the federal
report says the percentage of cell-only users is climbing."
From the blog, "Some households using cell phones only, others
have never connected to the Internet" by Victor Godinez
 May 7, 2008 — Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. Press Release
"According to a recent Parks Associates study, the
custom installation market is expected to grow to 226,000 installations
by 2012 - an increase of 60% within five years - with more than $23,000
spent on average per installation."
From the press release,
"Pioneer Broadens 2008 Elite KURO Line of Displays with New Signature
Series of Monitors"
 May 6, 2008 — HealthImaging.com
"Yet, vendors can overcome payor resistance by providing
verifiable trial results and further education regarding the benefits of
home health monitoring technologies, according to a new study by
Parks Associates."
“With U.S. market potential of $2.5 billion in device and service
revenues by 2012, the home health monitoring industry has every
incentive to convince private insurers, along with other potential
payers, of the technology’s value and feasibility,” said
Harry Wang, senior analyst at Parks Associates, a market
research firm. The study outlines ten recommendations for vendors to
strengthen home health monitoring technologies’ visibility and value
proposition, including providing independently verifiable trial results,
gaining recognition from the medical community, and presenting a
practical plan that will prevent over-utilization of the technology.
“While meeting private payors’ requirements—like providing a
drilled-down explanation about the operational details on how the
technology is used by consumers and caregivers—is important, the
technology industry must also rally support from consumers, caregivers
and employers—many self-insured—to influence private insurers’
perception and the technology review process,” said
Wang, who believes efforts from industry organizations like Continua
Health Alliance, American Telemedicine Association, the Patient-Centered
Primary Care Collaborative and Technology CEO Council, are significant
starts."
From the article, "Home health monitoring adoption to rise,
despite payor resistance"
May
5, 2008 — BusinessWeek
"Marketing can be expensive: According to a 2007 estimate
by Parks Associates, companies spent $15 million advertising in
virtual worlds in the U.S. in 2006 and the figure is expected to rise
tenfold by 2012."From the article, "The [Virtual] Global Office"
by Rachael King
 May 5, 2008 — Telegraph-Journal, Canada
"Kurt
Scherf, vice-president of Parks Associates, a Dallas-based IT
market research firm, says while many telecommunications firms are
offering remote troubleshooting support, no one providing the breadth of
support services Bell Aliant is delivering.""The closest thing to it
is what British Telecom has been doing for a year-and-a-half now with a
service the call Home IT Advisor," he says. "Part of it is the remote IT
support, either by phone or by web chat, they also do have a service
that they will send a technician to the home, but my understanding is
the scope is limited to more of the broadband or home computing
aspects."
"Scherf
estimated the U.S. market for digital home support service, which can
include everything from remote technical support to in-home computer
set-up as well as troubleshooting and assistance in setting up consumer
electronics such as televisions and digital cameras, could grow to a
US$2 billion industry over the next five years. "
From the article, "Consumers Saving Rebate Checks" by DAVID
SHIPLEY
 May
1, 2008 — TV Week
"With the impending digital transition, the consumer shift
to on-demand viewing, high definition, Internet video and other
disruptions, now is the time for a true [TV] alternative to emerge,”
Parks Associates vice president and principal analyst Kurt Scherf
said in a release. “From what I’ve seen, Sezmi’s differentiated
approach, leadership and industry relationships makes it a strong
contender to fill this void."
From the article, "Sezmi Tests Next-Gen Set-Top Box " by
Sergio Ibarra
May
1, 2008 — NY TIMES
"In a survey of more than 1,000 U.S. households by Parks
Associates, a Dallas, Tex.-based consulting firm, only 40 percent
said they're planning to spend the rebate checks on consumer
electronics. Forty-two percent said they expected to hang on to their
checks, citing economic uncertainties. "
From the article, "Consumers Saving Rebate Checks" by Laura
Palotie, Inc.com
May
1, 2008 — MercuryNews.com
"It's a tough nut to crack, for sure," said
Kurt Scherf, vice president and principal analyst at Parks
Associates, a Dallas market research and consulting firm."
From the article, "Start-up Sezmi provides new way to deliver TV
content" by Troy Wolverton
 April 29, 2008 — PR Web Press Release
"According to a Parks Associates report, 34% of U.S. Internet
households play online games on a weekly basis, compared with 29% who
watch short online videos and 19% who visit social networking sites with
the same frequency. "
From the press release, "Need Gas, Play
a Game at WinGasCard.com"
 April 29, 2008 — MarketWire Press Release
"More than one-third, or 34 percent of Internet users in the
U.S. play games on the Internet at least once per week, according to
Parks Associates, a research & analysis firm. "From the press
release, "March of Dimes Georgia Launches Online Game for Charity
Tournament"
 April 25, 2008 — Exchange Morning Post
"Some 55 percent of households in the United States now boast a
broadband connection, according to Parks Associates, allowing for
rich media, video, and audio to dominate the Internet.""New
Internet-friendly cell phones such as the iPhone and G-Phone [phones
built on Google's upcoming Android operating system] will lower the
entry barrier for mobile Internet services, improve mobile Internet
experiences, and introduce new business models," says Kurt Scherf,
vice president and principal analyst for Parks Associates. "
"The mobile phone is likely to trump the Internet as the most
versatile media platform,"
Scherf
adds. "The potential of mobile advertising to become an explosively new
ad platform is real and colossal."
From the article, "The 10 Most Disruptive Technology
Combinations," by Dan Tynan
 April 23, 2008 — Consumer Electronics Net Press Release
"A 2007 study by Parks Associates found that nearly half
of all social networkers regularly use more than one site, while one in
six use three or more. "From the press release, "Send
Any Image to Multiple Websites & Upload to Social Networks, Photo
Communities, Personal Blogs, Emails & More."
 April 21, 2008 — IPTV Watch
"Europe accounts for almost 60% of the worldwide growth in IPTV,
which rose to 14 million households in 2007 from 4.7 million users in
2006. The figures have been produced following new research by Parks
Associates, a market research and consulting firm focused on all
product and service segments that are digital or provide connectivity
within the home. "From the article, "Sony to launch online
video service for PlayStation 3," by Dawn C. Chmielewski and Alex
Pham
April
21, 2008 — LA TIMES
"They've got to get a win in the digital, and I'd say on the
electronic delivery side of the business," said
Kurt Scherf, an analyst with Parks Associates who studies
technology in the home. "That's where the future is. They've got to
establish a toehold in that space."
"Nonetheless, market researcher Parks Associates projects that
Internet video will grow more lucrative, reaping about $6.4 billion in
revenue by 2010 from advertising, as well as paid downloads or rentals."
From the article, "Sony to launch online video service for
PlayStation 3," by Dawn C. Chmielewski and Alex Pham
 April 17, 2008 — Reuters
"If Blockbuster spends the bulk of its time trying to execute on
this big, high-profile plan that really isn't mapped to where the market
is going, that only helps players like Netflix who are looking forward,"
said
John Barrett, director of research for Parks Associates.
Barrett and others note both companies face the threat of more
competition as the movie rental market heads towards digital
distribution in the next few years and players like Apple Inc and
Amazon.com Inc enter the sector. "
From the article, "Blockbuster's Circuit City bid deemed
Netflix boon," by Sue Zeidler
 April
12, 2008 — Washington Post
"Kurt Scherf,
an analyst with Parks Associates, a market-research firm in
Dallas, said he expects some people will instead opt to buy a new
digital TV because prices have dropped in recent years. "
From the article, "Rabbit Ears Fears? Converters Clear
Picture.," by Kim Hart
 April 12, 2008 — New Brunswick Business Journal
"According to Parks Associates, a Dallas-based market
research firm, the number of households subscribing to IPTV services
jumped from 4.7 million in 2006 to 14 million in the United States in
2007."
"Kurt Scherf,
vice-president of Parks Associates, says a number of firms are
working on ways to blend Internet content with traditional television
services using IPTV."
From the article, "Saint John IT firm unveiling
groundbreaking software," by David Shipley
 April 6, 2008 — Virtual Goods Insider
"According to the Parks Associates study, 36% of
respondents participate in virtual worlds to play games and 21%
participate to create and manage an avatar. On average, only 19% of
virtual world participants are looking to escape real life. The
motivations of Second Life users are very different. The most popular
reason to participate in Second Life is to escape real life (cited by
50% of users) or to create an avatar (cited by 40% of users)." From the article, "Second
Life is the Industry Anomaly, Not the Standard," by Ravi Mehta
 April 4, 2008 — NeoEdge Press Release
"According to a recent survey by Parks Associates, 34
percent of U.S. Internet users play online games every week -- more than
the number of people who visit social networks or online video-sharing
sites."
From the press release, "Ty Levine Takes Marketing Helm at
NeoEdge"
 April
4, 2008 — Media Post Publications
"In fact, new research from Parks Associates found that
on average, almost 40% of virtual world participants said that their
primary reason for going in-world was to play games."
"'We don't believe that the initial levels of curiosity are
sustainable, and users aren't content to just be in a world and chat
with other people,' said Yuanzhe (Michael) Cai,
director of gaming and broadband at Parks Associates. 'Developers
and advertisers need to organize those kinds of activities that can
engage and sustain interest. That's why we're glad to see more companies
with content joining the industry--like the deal that Paramount
announced to port movie clips into There.com.'
Cai spoke of Paramount Pictures' new partnership with Makena
Technologies' There.com that will allow residents to use clips from
famous movies like Clueless during conversation or to express emotions
in-world."
From the article, "Virtual World Users To Marketers: It's The
Activities, Stupid ," by Tameka Kee
 April 4, 2008 — Mixed Realities Blog
"That feeling attracts people.
Michael Cai, director Broadband and Gaming at Parks Associates,
estimates that the coming 12 months 6 million to 8 million users will
try out a Virtual World and that 2 million to 3 million of those people
will become weekly active users."
From the blog, "Virtual Worlds: so young and tender," by
Roland Legrand
April 3, 2008 — CE Pro
"Parks Associates study reveals what consumers value and
what they think are commodities." "'The Changing Consumer
Electronics Purchase Process' (PDF link) by Parks Associates
offers three very insightful pieces of data that might help you
determine where to concentrate your sales energy. "
From the article, "Remote Features, TV Prices Top Buying
Decisions," by Jason Knott
 April 3, 2008 — Star-Telegram.com
"Americans watch lots of video on their computers. More than 12
million people paid for this kind of content last year, according to a
study by Parks Associates, a research and analyst firm that
studies how people use the Internet." "The result, says
Kurt Scherf, a principal analyst with Parks Associates, is
that Hulu has the kind of setup that allows users to stumble upon shows
that they might not have discovered otherwise."
From the article, "Welcome to Hulu vision: A new Web site
enables TV fans to watch their favorite shows past and present on one
'network'," by Erin White
 April
3, 2008 — Newsweek
"Casual-gaming developers and Web sites, however, have yet to
fully capitalize on their increasingly dedicated fan base. The industry
is struggling to 'find better ways to monetize its audience,' writes
James Kuai, a research analyst at Parks Associates." From the article, "Game
On: The number of casual videogamers is rising. If only the developers
could find a way to make more money out of them," by Jennifer Ordoñez
April 3, 2008 — TV Week
"About 84% of recent buyers of flat-screen TVs, almost all of
which are HD-capable, said price was a major factor in their purchase
choice, while 53% said features were important and 36% focused on the
brand name, Dallas-based consultant Parks Associates said, citing
a survey of households with broadband Internet service."
“I expected brand name to pop out like it does for laptops, but it
doesn’t. Price does,” said Parks CEO
Tricia Parks. She added that the No. 2 flat-panel brand chosen in
the survey was Vizio, which is sold at big-box stores like Costco and
Sam’s Club. “Here’s a space where there are so many good brands, so when
you look at the TV, you may not see a difference.”
"While the projected softening in the U.S. economy may have little
effect on TV buyers who’ve already made price such an important part of
their decision, the impact on the still-nascent HD DVD player industry
may be more pronounced. Consumers are more likely to forgo paying $400
for an HD disc player than withholding the $1,000 or more needed for a
new television,
Ms. Parks said. With standard DVD player prices starting around $50,
“DVD is considered popcorn,” said
Ms. Parks, who estimated HD disc player unit sales in the U.S. at
about 1.25 million last year. “HD DVD is nowhere near that.”
From the article, "Price Matters Most to Flat-Screen Buyers,"
by Danny King
April
1, 2008 — Tech World News
"Parks Associates estimates that between 22 million and
25 million people were the appropriate target population of this
application in 2007. As demographic trends favor this application and
consumer awareness is on the rise, we expect the total addressable
market to continue expanding over the next five years, reaching between
44 million and 48 million people in 2012."
From the article, "Better Monitoring With Smart Medical
Devices," by Harry Wang
April
1, 2008 — Tech World News
"Whether movies will fly on mobile TV, however, remains an open
question, said
John Barrett, a Parks Associates analyst for mobile TV."
From the article, "Sony Pushes Old Movies to Cell Phone
Screens," by Jim Offner
 March
31, 2008 — The Seattle Times
"Those devices "have the potential to dramatically increase
consumer awareness of the capabilities and convenience that control
systems can provide," according to a 2007 report from Parks
Associates, a Dallas research company. Parks expects
home-control sales will reach $6 billion in 2012, up from $3.8 billion
in 2008. Other components of the automated home are falling in place,
the report said: Among U.S. homes, 42 percent now have programmable
thermostats, 36 percent have home theaters and 10 percent have
lighting-control systems."From the article, "Get ready for home
automation," by Brier Dudley
March
28, 2008 — Tech News World
"This is great news for the Blu-ray market, Parks Associates
Vice President and Principal Analyst
Kurt Scherf told TechNewsWorld. It's also a crucial step because Blu-ray,
which beat Toshiba's HD DVD as the next-generation technology for
digital video, still has to find a mainstream market. "It's simple
economics," he said. "The more products with Blu-ray technology, the
higher the production volume will be and, ultimately, the lower the
costs to the consumer become."
"We've been told that, for Blu-ray to really get out of the gates after
the end of the format war, the overall pricing has to be [lowered],"
Scherf added. "If the drive manufacturers can get those volumes up,
that's a good sign that that is going to happen."From the article, "Dell
Gets Down to Basics With Low-Cost Blu-ray Laptop," by Jim Offner
March
25, 2008 — TMCnet
"Nobody wants to become an identity thief's catch of the day,"
said
Michael Cai, an analyst with Parks Associates and an
outspoken advocate of online fraud protection. "Yet in nearly a third of
all cases, online users open phishing e-mails luring them to fraudulent
sites seeking their banking or other personal information. To date, the
lack of consumer education and ineffective protection tools have been to
blame for the increase in online fraud threats."From the article, "Verizon
Targets Online Schemes, Sluggish Computers," by Tim Gray
 March
24, 2008 — Mytopia Press Release
"'Despite the growing popularity of YouTube, MySpace, and
Facebook, online gaming remains the king of online entertainment, driven
largely by online casual gaming activities,' said
James Kuai, a research
analyst at Parks Associates."
From the press release, "Mytopia Launch Lets Social Network,
Internet Users Get Their Casual Game On"
 March
20, 2008 — CentreDaily.com
"The consumer electronics purchase process can be daunting to
the average consumer not because of an absence of information and
recommendations, but rather the overwhelming, unorganized, and often
contradictory advice that exists in retail channels, on the Internet and
via word-of-mouth," said
Kurt Scherf, vice
president and principal analyst with Parks Associates, an
internationally recognized consumer technology research firm. "Retrevo's
role in organizing and summarizing the key research, opinions and
comparisons of consumer electronics products will grow in importance as
consumers seek the best available information in making a purchasing
decision."
From the article, "Retrevo Secures $8 Million to Give
Consumers Control of Finding, Buying and Using Electronics"
 March
19, 2008 — Where Do You Stand? From Standing Partnership
"Social networking is becoming the traditional
method of networking, and even if the survivors of the space will be
less than 10 (according to
Harry Wang, a senior analyst at Parks Associates), and even
if “advertising standards have not yet been set that could help
determine valuations,” I think the value to a potential buyer will be
based off of the benefits users find in the service; and for Facebook,
at least for the foreseeable future, the benefits are gargantuan."From the
blog, "The Monetary Value of Facebook," by Susan Iskiwitch
March
19, 2008 — SF Gate/San Francisco Chronicle
"Michael
Cai, an analyst with Parks Associates, said banks face plenty
of challenges in trying to become online storage providers. Consumers
are not used to storing their most important documents on the Internet,
he said, and may be concerned about security breaches. And, they may be
reluctant to pay to store digital copies of documents they've kept at
home. However, he said, banks are well suited to the task of changing
people's habits about document storage. "From the article, "Wells to offer virtual safe boxes," by
Ryan Kim
March
18, 2008 — Tech News World
"'The EU made it clear for a long time
that DVB-H was going to be the technology of choice in Europe,'
John Barrett, director of research for
Parks Associates
 ,
told TechNewsWorld."
From the article, "EU Endorses DVB-H as Mobile TV Standard of
Choice," by Jim Offner
 March
18, 2008 — InsuranceNetworking.com
"With U.S. market potential of $2.5 billion in device and
service revenues by 2012, the home health monitoring industry has every
incentive to convince private insurers, along with other potential
payers, of the technology’s value and feasibility,” said
|
