Digital Lifescapes

Regarding computer and consumer electronics (CE) sales, are people that purchase new devices showing a significant preference for online retailers over traditional stores? What roles do product application videos and detailed reviews have during the research phase of the buying process? And, has the new purchase model changed the way that people are using online search? These are the key questions that eMarketer asked as they conducted their latest market assessment of the typical CE product purchase path. Many traditional computer and consumer electronics retailers are already struggling to adapt to the latest market trends -- and the apparent ongoing shifts in new product demand. eMarketer found that some legacy products face significant disruption from the ascent of smartphones and tablets, both of which provide a number of the functions that several different older devices once did. However, while the market is in transition, sales of consumer electronics on the web are...

Over-the-air (OTA) broadcast high definition television deployment is growing across the globe, as more nations retire the analog TV transmission infrastructure and convert over to digital. Here in the U.S. market, the video image quality of digital broadcast TV has to be seen to be believed – it’s a vast improvement over the old system. That being said, I’ve discovered that most indoor TV antennas don’t perform well. I live on high ground not too far from the communication towers where the broadcast TV signals are transmitted. So, theoretically, we should achieve outstanding broadcast digital TV reception. Quest for a Superior Broadcast TV Antenna Unfortunately, that has not been the case, until now. My prior attempts at finding a suitable indoor antenna for digital TV broadcasts proved to be very problematic. Some indoor antennas are very particular about placement – the proximity of the antenna relative to the TV set, and the other surroundings. Many require tuning – careful...