"interoperability" articles

Over the years, groups of smart home companies have come together to develop standards and protocols to help their devices work together. Consumers have wanted a simple, easy way to shop for devices to add to their smart homes. There have been success stories, but none can boast the promise and the lineup of brands supporting the Matter initiative. Because of the history of multiple standards being developed, many are skeptical about the full promise of Matter.  With the release of...

CEDIA Expo 2022 hosted companies in Dallas, Texas last week from the home entertainment industries introducing new products and solutions in smart home/security, connected entertainment/gaming, and video/audio networking. The three-day convention also featured long-anticipated announcements relating to Matter, a new connectivity standard that aims to revolutionize the connected home experience. Parks Associates latest consumer survey work of 10,000 internet households shows that now...

Parks Associates continues its thirteenth-annual Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer with the virtual session, Home Energy Management Solutions: Driving Energy Savings , on Thursday, June, 30 from 11:00 AM to 1:30 PM CT. Advait Katarki, Business Development Manager - Connected Solutions & EV Charging Infrastructure, Eaton will be featured on the interactive panel, Smart Apartments and Energy Platforms , at 11:15 AM CT, addressing the business and consumer value of...

As data security needs for the connected home increase, opportunities exist across the ecosystem to cultivate partnerships with device and system manufacturers, broadband operators, and security solution providers. There is continued demand for new products and services spanning beyond just traditional PCs and mobile devices to include entertainment products, appliances and productivity tools, and a multitude of smart home devices. Securing these products against the mass of...

Google’s annual I/O event, which took place from May 11-12, revealed a handful of new releases and updates to its range of hardware and software. Google also shared that a few previously discontinued and canceled products would be revived, including Android tablets and watches, the latter of which will feature a partnership with Samsung. Android 13 was also debuted and is slated for release in August alongside the new Pixel 7 and 7 Pro. Key points of emphasis for Android 13 include...

Pay-TV subscriptions and revenues are on a continuous decline as consumers embrace OTT services. The research firm forecasts that traditional pay TV will decline to 76.7 million households by 2024, the lowest penetration in a decade and a 27% drop from 2014. Parks Associates estimates that approximately 35 to 40 new streaming services entered the market between March 2020, the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, and the end of 2021. More than half of US...

Apple’s annual World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) took place on June 6, with the tech giant unveiling a score of new product releases and software updates. Apple’s latest announcements were focused on enhancements and upgrades to its existing products and services.  Notable was the emphasis on the Home App upgrades, along with security and efficiency. Parks Associates research shows that while consumers use multiple platforms in the home, 66% are interested in a single...

Accessing and experiencing digital media have become more complicated, both for consumers and the companies providing the content. The fracturing of entertainment options, coupled with a decline in traditional pay TV, has forced many consumers to subscribe to a bevy of services in order to access the video content they want to watch. While this situation offers consumers a greater than ever selection of content, it offers a unique set of challenges from an authentication and...