Providing market intelligence for more than 35 years

In The News

Technology On Brink Of Explosive Growth

TwiceBy 2003, networking standards such as HomePNA, HomePlug, HomeRF, or 802.11b will be able to support speeds fast enough to allow distributed digital MPEG4 (a next-generation compression standard for digital video) over home networks.

Parks Associates, Dallas, recently completed a consumer study in which 69 percent of respondents said they would be interested in a DSS solution that would let them watch programming on a second TV without the separate receiver (usually costing $100 to $200).

"Another driver will be the idea of having a home server that will store content, from music to videos and games," said Parks home networks analyst Kurt Scherf. "We've already seen the popularity of the TiVo Replay devices. There are a lot of folks who think that something like that will be the centerpiece of the home network. Napster [or other MP3 websites] could be on the server, and the kids could stream [MP3] to any stereo in the home. Forty five percent of consumers said they were interested in audio networking."

HomePlug, however, has the advantage of myriad wall-jack outlets throughout the house, although some industry members say older homes with older wiring may not be able to support a network. In addition, power-line networks may be subject to interference.

"Nothing will really happen with power-line in 2000 because there's no HomePlug spec yet," said Parks' Scherf. "If they make a first-quarter 2001 deadline, they'd be doing pretty well. Ethernet and phone-line will still dominate this year, and RF is finally picking up.

"Power-line will probably capture more than the 15 percent market share we had originally predicted by the end of 2004. It will probably cut into phone-line's share."

Scherf's original forecasts for 2004 called for a total 29-30 million network nodes (networked items such as PCs) in the United States, with phone-line taking a 55 percent share, HomeRF or 802.11b at 25-30 percent, and power-line at 15 percent.

From the article, "Technology On Brink Of Explosive Growth," by Amy Gilroy.

Previously In The News

The Smart Money: Partnership Possibilities in the Connected Home

Parks Associates will be presenting this data and more at CONNECTIONS: The Premier Connected Home Conference, May 13-15 at the Renaissance Dallas at Plano Legacy (www.connectionsus.com). The event wil...

Smarter Energy at Home: How Consumers Are Taking Control with Smart Home Tech

GearBrain has long covered the smart home space and frequently sources Parks Associates' research for our reporting, including this article. Parks’ recent findings and the expert insights shared at CE...

More than 278 million viewers will watch subscription ad-supported streaming services by 2029 – Parks Associates

Parks Associates' new white paper, Interactive & Shoppable TV: Next Wave of CTV Revenues, released in partnership with Adeia, focuses on the service provider opportunity to advance the consumer experi...

Streaming paradox: More options, less clarity in business models

Recent data from Parks Associates noted the extent of this shift: 59% of subscriptions across the eight leading streaming video-on-demand services in the third quarter of 2024 were basic-tier subscrip...