Entrants Flood Race to Rival iPad .

A race to respond to Apple Inc.'s hit iPad gadget enters a new phase next week, as a host of companies use a Las Vegas trade show to talk up a broad array of tablet-style devices.

Companies expected to introduce touchscreen tablets at the Consumer Electronics Show include big names such as Motorola Inc., Dell Inc. and Acer Inc., as well as smaller manufacturers. Trying to stand apart, the devices will offer displays of various sizes and different operating systems. Some will have two built-in cameras; others none.

The stakes are high for many players—particularly Microsoft Corp. and Intel Corp., kingpins of PC technology that have so far struggled to match the momentum in tablets of Google Inc.'s Android software and chip designs from ARM Holdings PLC.

A number of firms, including ViewSonic, Dell, Acer and Asustek Computer Inc., are hedging bets on Android with additional Windows-based models. Still others plan to emulate Apple by using their own software.

For example, BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd. has said it will use the QNX operating system for its seven-inch PlayBook, which the company unveiled in October and plans to sell for less than $500. RIM, which bought QNX Software Systems in April, plans to show off the PlayBook again at CES.

For the complete article, please click here.

Motorola enters the connected home market through the acquisition of 4Home

Connected home platform developer 4Home was acquired by Motorola today (12/01/10). 4Home will now become a part of Motorola’s Mobility division; terms of the deal have not yet been announced.

4Home’s solutions include energy management, healthcare monitoring, home security monitoring and entertainment management. 4Home, a Sunnyvale, CA based company, was founded in 2005 and has been a regular participant at Parks Associates’ CONNECTIONS conference. To date the company has raised over $9 million in venture capital funding from Pond Ventures, Parker Price and Verizon Ventures.

Motorola is one of the leading Set-Top-Box (STB) brands and we predict that 4Home’s platform will be embedded on their (Motorola’s) STBs enhancing the company’s offering. We expect more details on the deal to be available soon.

In our opinion this is another great example of a market mover, such as Motorola, building the foundation for the connected home systems and services market to blossom. We have repeatedly stated that there are multiple paths to the connected home. 4Home developed a robust platform and Motorola is well-positioned to deploy it. Other recent examples of companies with market clout getting behind the connected home solutions include cable MSOs Comcast and Rogers, both deploying services based on the iControl/uControl (a recent merger) platform(s).

The bottom line for industry participants is that these firms, and others we expect to hear from shortly, will build awareness of the capabilities monitoring and control technologies can add to consumers’ lifestyles. 2011 is shaping up to be an exciting year for the connected home systems and services market. So much so, that we are formulating a new market intelligence program aimed at characterizing and quantifying opportunities in this arena for manufacturers, service providers, utilities, retailers and a host of technology enablers. Stay tuned

Residential gateway announcements - Technicolor, Motorola, Broadcom, Marvell, and Jungo

Here are several residential gateway-related news releases in the past week or so:

• Technicolor will provide its TG587nv2 to O2 UK Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Telefónica;
• Motorola's 7600 Series of ultra-broadband VDSL2 gateways will be deployed by Swisscom to provide high definition (HD) video, high-speed data and voice-over-IP (VoIP) to its subscribers.;
• Broadcom announced the availability of its BCM6818 Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON)-based residential gateway system-on-a-chip (SoC) solution. Broadcom notes that this SoC represents one of the first and most complete hardware and software solutions currently available for enabling advanced GPON-based residential gateway services that include Wi-Fi, voice over IP (VoIP), Ethernet switching and IPTV.
• Marvell and Jungo announced the integration Jungo's OpenRG™ residential gateway software and Marvell's AVANTA™ Application Gateway - on-a-Chip (GoC). With the new residential gateway reference platform, service providers and network operators will have easier access to always-on home services and value-added applications while increasing average revenue per user.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Parks Associates Analyst Participating in Converged TV: Building the Social, Dynamic Video Platform Webcast

Kurt Scherf, VP, Principal Analyst, Parks Associates will be participating on the webcast, "Converged TV: Building the Social, Dynamic Video Platform" hosted by Multichannel News and sponsored by Motorola on Wednesday, October 27th at 2:00 PM EDT.

With the next generation of television services, viewers will become doers. The fusion of TV with Internet and mobile applications, if done right, should greatly enhance engagement and interactivity. It's no longer just one-way TV: These services will enable interaction with friends around video; seamlessly span multiple devices; and deliver contextually relevant content. This webinar will provide an overview of this emerging class of converged media services-and discuss how service providers can use them to gain a competitive edge.

Click here for the list of the other speakers and additional event information.

Motorola introduces keyboard for interactive TV

Maybe Google TV will get everyone thinking about having keyboards in the living room. Motorola certainly thinks this. At IBC,Motorola announced the NYXboard, which combines the traditional remote control form with a full keyboard to create a more intuitive navigational experience for sophisticated interactive TV services as well as traditional linear TV. Able to control both the set-top and television set, the NYXboard has sensors to recognise which side of the remote is being used in order to activate the buttons accordingly. The keyboard function answers the demands of navigating content in the Internet Era of TV, such as searching through larger and more complex on-demand libraries or accessing web content on the TV. NYXboard will be available by the end of 2010

Multimedia content delivery platforms - Ericsson joins Cisco, Motorola, Nokia Siemens, and Alcatel-Lucent

If you're a video service provider, you're obviously looking at how to deliver multiple types of video formats (particularly IP) over multiple networks to numerous devices. And, if you're a video infrastructure player, you want to have a solution that can handle different formats, codecs, encoding, etc. We've known that Cisco and Motorola have been quite active in this space, with Cisco offering its Content Delivery System and Motorola pushing Medios. (By the way, ActiveVideo Networks is demonstrating its CloudTV platform in conjunction with the Cisco CDS architecture at IBC.) Nokia Siemens offers the Ubiquity Multiscreen Platform, and Alcatel-Lucent has the Velocix Digital Media Delivery Platform.

Now, Ericsson has an offering called the Media Delivery Network (MDN). MDN is a media-centric network that supports multi-channel TV, video on demand, and over-the-top video content from the same core infrastructure. It includes solutions for distribution and delivery, caching, storing, streaming, transcoding and the content management system (CMS). It also enables targeted advertising and fast channel changing across any platform to any screen.

Parks' Research VP participates on Motorola's IP Video Webcast

Kurt Scherf, Vice President of Research and Principal Analyst at Parks Associates will present new research and analysis with Motorola during a free webcast, "IP Video: How to prepare for anywhere, anytime, any device" on Thursday, October 15.

Kurt and Buddy Snow of Motorola will talk about the exploding consumer demand for IP video content & services and discuss the state of the market, specifically how operators can plan, implement and future-proof their IP video deployments. The webcast is sponsored by Motorola and hosted by CED.

To register for this webcast featuring Kurt Scherf, click here.

HOMEPNA announces 1st Technology Summit

AT&T, Telefonica, Cisco, Motorola, and TELUS to Present on Leading IPTV Home Networking Standard

The HomePNA Alliance is hosting its first Technology Summit to be held September 30 and October 1, 2009 in Houston Texas. The Summit, which is also being promoted by the FTTH Council, will be co-located with the 2009 FTTH Conference & Expo. The Summit will focus on technical and business insights surrounding HomePNA technology and its role in enabling an advanced digital home experience for end users.

The Summit will feature speakers from among the world's largest service providers, including AT&T, Telefonica, YES, TELUS, Tata Sky and Bell Aliant who will discuss HomePNA's role in creating compelling and competitive home networking and IPTV product portfolios for their respective companies. At the Technology Summit, Cisco, Motorola, CopperGate Communications and other leaders will also give their perspectives on the technology that so many service providers have adopted due to its fast performance and rich features desired by service providers.

Parks Associates is a media sponsor of this event.

For more information, visit www.homepnasummit.com.

Time Warner Cable Using Motorola's Follow Me TV for Multi-room DVR

Time Warner Cable will be using Motorola's tru2way™ software to deploy a multi-room DVR solution. The Follow Me TV solution will enable subscribers to access, share and place shift video recordings throughout the home. Time Warner Cable aims to bring the solution to market later this year, to become the first cable company to deploy a multi-room DVR solution in a tru2way environment.

One-third of U.S. broadband households interested in connected set-top

Parks Associates special session at Cable Show presents best strategies for service providers --

Connected set-top boxes are growing in popularity, with 33% of all U.S. broadband households interested in this platform, according to Parks Associates. The international research firm notes this news is good for service providers, which have this device at the core of their current service strategies.

Parks Associates is hosting a special lunch session, Engaging the Consumer: Opportunities and Challenges in the Evolution of Television, sponsored by Macrovision, on Thursday, April 2, at the Cable Show in Washington, DC.

Session Speakers:
> Bob Benya, SVP, Video Product Strategy, Time Warner Cable
> Jeff Bonin, VP & GM, Alticast
> Richard Bullwinkle, Chief Evangelist, Macrovision
> David Grubb, VP Consumer Strategies, Motorola
> Steve Necessary, VP Video Strategy, Cox Communications

Panelists will address challenges in building ARPU and best strategies in developing innovative television services that will interest consumers and lower churn.

“The cable providers have a unique challenge – continuing to innovate at the pace that consumers are adopting new forms of entertainment technologies that may not currently be available through their provider,” said Richard Bullwinkle, chief evangelist for Macrovision. “Many of the new technologies out in the market now have generated great interest, but for these emerging technologies to be a viable solution for the end consumer, they need to be deployed to the mass market – cable can provide this.”

“Up to 7% of broadband households are willing to pay $3-$6 more per month for a connected STB,” said Jayant Dasari, analyst with Parks Associates and session moderator. “They want to stream music, view photos, and watch Web video through their television, and carriers can capture that consumer interest by leveraging the set-top to deploy these services.”

For more information on the session, and to request an invitation, go to http://www.parksassociates.com/cableshow

Parks Associates hosts special lunch session at The Cable Show, April 2

Parks Associates is supporting the Cable Show '09 from April 1-3, 2009 in Washington D.C.

Parks Associates Research Analyst, Jayant Dasari will be moderating a special lunch session Engaging the Consumer: Opportunities and Challenges in the Evolution of Television on April 2nd from 12:45 PM - 2:00 PM.

This special lunch session, sponsored by Macrovision, discusses the challenges for operators as they develop and deploy innovative services and business models. In addition, the participants will address the impact of open standards such as tru2way, both in the short term on operators’ ability to develop interactive applications and their long-term influence on the evolution of the TV viewing experience.

Confirmed speakers include:

>> Bob Benya, Senior VP, Video Product Strategy, Time Warner Cable
>> Richard Bullwinkle, Chief Evangelist, Macrovision
>> David Grubb, VP Business Development, Motorola
>> Jeff Bonin, Vice President & GM, Alticast
>> Steve Necessary, VP Video Strategy, Cox Communications

For more information about this special lunch session, click here.
Request invitation by clicking here.

The Cable Show '09 is the built-for-business event that brings together leaders spanning the wide-ranging telecommunications, digital media and television sectors. Whether you've got a cool WiMAX app, a smart idea for a VOD channel or a better way to manage IP bandwidth, the people you'll do business with are at The Cable Show. Join over 12,000 cable professionals on April 1-3, 2009 in Washington, DC for unparalleled opportunities.

Visit thecableshow.com for more information.

LG and Samsung Phones Lead in Advanced Mobile Entertainment Features

LG and Samsung are the top mobile-phone brands in the U.S. for advanced entertainment features, leading competitors Motorola and Nokia in adoption of phones with support for mobile TV, music, and games, according to Parks Associates recent research.

Among owners of LG and Samsung phones, 12% and 11% reported having mobile TV features, respectively, compared with 8% of Motorola owners and 0% for Nokia owners. Among the four leading brands, Motorola ranks third overall, and Nokia lags significantly in advanced entertainment features. Only 6% of Nokia phones support purchase of music tracks, compared with 22% and 20% of LG and Samsung phones, respectively.