DVR view: Fast forward or slo-mo? -- Industry observers and research firms say that digital video recorders are popular in the U.S., but there�s little they agree on beyond that, such as how quickly DVRs will reach critical mass and what effect the commercial-skipping gadgets will have on the TV advertising industry. Case in point: Research and consulting firm Accenture predicted late last week that DVRs will reach into 40 percent of U.S. homes by 2009, up from 8 percent today. Accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, meanwhile, says in its latest five-year forecast that only 23.6 percent of U.S. households will boast DVRs in 2009. Accenture says up to 50 percent of all commercials are skipped in homes with DVRs, while PwC, citing a CBS study, says that 64 percent of DVR viewers skip all commercials, and 26 percent skip most of them. Accenture says that ad skipping will result in a slower-growing TV ad industry, while PwC�s �Global Entertainment and Media Outlook: 2005-2009� report concludes that, �on balance, we do not expect DVRs to have a significant impact on television advertising.�
What was once a simple, unidirectional flow of electricity from centralized power plants to passive consumers is evolving into a complex, intelligent network where millions of distributed resources actively participate in grid operations. This transformation, powered by smart grid technologies, represents one of the most significant infrastructure shifts of our time. It promises to reshape how we generate, distribute, and consume energy. At its core, the smart grid represents far more than mere digitization of existing infrastructure. This bi-directional capability is fundamental to understanding why smart grids are becoming the backbone of modern energy systems, facilitating everything from real-time demand response to the integration of renewable energy sources. Smart Grid Market Development By 2030, smart grid technologies are projected to cover nearly half of the global electrical grid, up dramatically from just 24 percent in 2025. This expansion is underpinned by explosive gr...