Strategy Analytics has a released a new research study dubbed, Profiling the Connected Media Consumer: a Contextual Study, that examines what owners and potential buyers of network enabled HDTVs are looking for and/or expecting in their “Connected TV.” The good news… vocal early adopters are already guiding what features and services their products should support (as evidenced by the number of firmware updates supporting additional services like Netflix, Blockbuster, Pandora, etc.). Strategy Analytics has found that there are four core motivators for consumers to connect their televisions to the internet: personalization (i.e. widgets), customization, interest driven content (i.e. video podcasts/channels), and social experiences (i.e. Facebook, Twitter). The report also revealed that consumers prefer multi-function TVs that don’t require an additional set-top box and are able to stream media through their LAN or internet wirelessly. All in all, nothing especially new here, if you’ve been following eHomeUpgrade for some time now. MORE »

Uh, oh. It looks like Apple will soon be the only tablet manufacture able to produce a device with a touch sensitive bezel control interface. (Now it’s starting to make sense why version one the Apple iPad has such a thick bezel, instead of going flush with the display.) According the USPTO website, Apple Inc. filed for the patent (7,656,393) in 2006 and was just granted it today. I must admit… the detailed examples of how the “intelligent bezel” will work are sound — especially given the fact they work universally no matter if the tablet is in a portrait or landscape position. Elements of the bezel include: power (always top-center), menu (always in one of the four corners), up (on left/right side mid-screen), down (on left/right side mid-screen), left-click (center-bottom), select (center-bottom), right-click (center-bottom). What’s more, the touch bezel is able to ignore areas after it has been touched and held in place for a certain amount time. I’m guessing this bit is probably the trickiest part of the technology to get right. Note: the patent is not exclusive to “tablets,” but can be applied to just about any portable consumer electronics device with a bezel and display. Ouch…. I’m wondering how this will affect devices like the Palm Pre which has a bezel finger swipe control? I’m hoping not at all if the functions a touch bezel provides are significantly different than what Apple has diagrammed in its patent. [via] MORE »

Bloomberg has an interesting piece on Roku and its plans for the future. The big take aways from the article is that Roku expects to have reached 1 million Roku Players sold this year (and hey’re considering even giving them away at some point), they plan to have 100 channels in its Channel Store, and the private company may go public and issue an IPO the not too distant future. The rest of the article goes on to talk about Roku’s private funding sources and its revenue strategy that revolves around movie/TV programming purchases as well as subscription offerings through Channel Store partners (but we knew that already). Good luck to them… they’re going to need it in this competitive market.

ABI Research’s “Home Networking Market Data” is forecasting that networked home media device makers will see revenues jump from approximately $100 billion in 2009 to over $243 billion by 2012. The jump is being attributed to the recent introduction of networked HDTVs and Blu-ray players, which they believe will be strong categories going forward, as well as the maturing of network-ready CE devices like set-top boxes, games consoles, digital media adapters, digital cameras, and photo frames. ABI Research does point out, however, that these trends mainly reflect the situation in North American, Asian-Pacific, and Western European markets where adoption rates are similar. MORE »

I don’t know how analysts arrive at these numbers, but 3DTV was a big hit at CES 2010. So on top of HDTVs being network connected for streaming media locally from devices on your home network and the interent, consumers will soon have 3D options to look forward to — including dedicated 3D programming channels. Thankfully, most TV manufactures (Samsung, Toshiba, Panasonic, Sony, JVC) have picked one 3D technology to go with, RealD (of Avatar fame), to power their next-gen HDTVs. As DisplaySearch points out, we’ll soon see “a thriving accessory market [...] develop” around the technology once consumers are assured 3D glasses will be compatible with other brands. Gunner Optiks at CES 2010 already announced they’re developing a pair of RealD compatible eyeglasses that look much hipper — and with better optics — than the standard issue provided at the theater. Personally, like Tom’s Guide, I’m waiting for eyeglass-free 3D — but I fear that’s still a few years out until the technology is good enough. MORE »

Analyst firm, Deloitte, predicts 2010 will be the break through year for Internet Tablets (aka WebPads, SmartPads, NetTabs, Slate). Reason being, device manufactures working on such devices have shifted the product’s focus from “work-oriented data-entry” to web browsing and media consumption. Deloitte also believes that manufactures are finally nailing down the form factor to an appropriate size that’s easier to handle and more appealing to the general consumer — something larger than a smartphone, but smaller than a notebook. On the negative side, Deloitte sees such Wi-Fi/cellular connected devices being more expensive than smartphones. I don’t agree, however, with the popular opinion that owners will want to pay up for a mobile broadband plan for their device, which can run from $40-60 a month. Wi-Fi should be sufficient for most users who plan on using their Internet Tablet around the home, in a coffee shop, library, or workplace. As for the “tens of millions” prediction, that seems a bit optimistic (most likely based on this lead) considering most people haven’t seen, used, or have been able to purchase this new media-centric generation of Internet Tablets. MORE »

Widgets on net-connected TVs isn’t anything new, but the idea of integrating a web technology standard so anyone can create a cross platform widget that can make its way into a TV is. According to Oregan Networks’ press release, the company’s new Onyx Widgetry application store for connected TVs leverages the W3C Widget Standard which developers can utilize to bring their content and services — free and pay for — to TVs powered by Oregan Networks’ Internet TV platform. Oregan Networks says an Onyx Widgetry SDK will be made available through the company’s website about the same time the new widget store goes live later this March. MORE »

Today the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem (DECE) announced an agreement with its members on an open specification for digital entertainment called the Common File Format. What’s interesting here is that content providers just need to create three versions of a movie, for example, for distribution (i.e. portable, standard definition, and high definition) which then a retailer will sell at one price. From that point on, a consumer can then access (via download or streaming + protected by 1 of 5 forms of DRM) and play the content from any DECE enabled device that will check the cloud-based authentication service / digital rights locker with a catalog of your purchases. So far 48 members – lots of them big names — across entertainment, hardware, retail, and delivery industries have joined the group. Additional specification details of the Common File Format will be made available to CES attendees this week and the public in general in Q1 2010. MORE »

If you’ve been following Windows Media Center development for any length time, you’re familiar with the hurdles and pains of getting CableCARD support on a PC. It wasn’t that long ago that CableLabs was the only organization that could certify and license a PC maker’s CableCARD-ready PC for sale — and might I add… at an exorbitant cost. While those rules may have relaxed in recent times, where anyone can build their own CableCARD equipped PC with the right hardware, CableCARD technology used in both cable providers’ set-top boxes and PC tuners has not advanced much in more than a decade. This is where Sean Alexander, current Director of the Entertainment & Devices Division at Microsoft, chimes in via his latest blog post: “Is CableCARD Really Dead?” Sean covers 8 areas that need to be focused on immediately, with help from the FCC, to improve the CableCARD + tru2way technology experience, or else risk more of the same for the next 15 years. Hope FCC Chairman, Julius Genachowski, is paying attention. MORE »

Most likely you’ve never heard of the WiGig wireless standard created by the Wireless Gigabit Alliance. If you haven’t, that’s OK because today the group is announcing the WiGig version 1.0 specification, which they hope will become implemented in home networking gear as early as the first quarter of 2010. So why should you care? We’ve got dual-band 802.11n now, right? Well, because WiGig is 10 times faster than 802.11n, with transfer rates up to 7Gbps, and is backwards compatible with 802.11b/g/n. What’s more, WiGig has been designed for HD media streaming to multiple devices at once, can transfer the contents of a Blu-ray disc in under a minute, and already has the blessing of 15 technology leaders within the CE, PC, semiconductor, and handheld industries. You in…? I am. MORE »