Digital Lifescapes

During 2010, there was significant growth of new consumer electronics (CE) devices with networking and web content presentation capabilities. Network-enabled CE devices have the ability to connect directly to the Internet or to a home network. Web-enabled or Smart devices deliver IP-based video content for viewing either on the device itself or on a separate screen, such as a connected TV set. Both types of devices are expected to grow exponentially over the next five years. According to the latest market study by In-Stat , by 2015 there will be 1 billion web-enabled, stationary CE devices in operation worldwide. "Smart TVs and Blu-ray players (that support online apps) will constitute over 50 percent of all web-enabled CE device shipments worldwide in 2015," says Keith Nissen, Principal Analyst at In-Stat. North America and Europe will remain the primary regional markets for web-enabled, stationary CE devices. Over the next five years, both the North American and E...

The global adoption of web-enabled consumer electronics (CE) devices is growing rapidly and includes a wide variety of new products. Typically, web-enabled CE devices can execute app widgets, small software application programs that directly access an online content site -- such as Netflix, Amazon VOD or YouTube. Smart TV applications, from a multitude of independent software developers, are expected to proliferate over the next five years. As a result, web-enabled CE device shipments are forecast to grow six fold -- surpassing 230 million installed units by 2014, with the majority of these in North America and Europe, according to the latest market study by In-Stat . "Consumer adoption of online applications, using web-enabled CE devices, will be regionalized, or in some cases, country-specific," says Keith Nissen, Principal Analyst at In-Stat. For example, in China, there is very little licensed video entertainment content available for delivery over the Internet. In ...

IPTV network operators face a complex array of issues and challenges as they scale their networks to deliver services to a wider group of customers. Those challenges aren't limited solely to subscriber headcount, according to the latest market study by Heavy Reading . "IPTV is at an exciting stage in its development, with subscriber numbers growing at a fast pace around the world," notes Simon Sherrington, research analyst with Heavy Reading. "But even during this time of opportunity, the industry faces significant challenges related to what can broadly be described as scaling -- IPTV services and systems are scaling up in multiple ways, including not only more subscribers, but also more data, more devices, more interactivity and more content." Demand for HD content and multi-screen delivery, the overwhelming quantity of content that must be delivered efficiently and discovered by the user, and the need to respond to competition from OTT video content -- a...

A growing set of consumer electronics (CE) devices -- ranging from web-enabled TVs, to Blu-ray players and over-the-top set-top boxes -- now support TV application widgets. Among these TV apps are those that enable users to view YouTube videos, access Netflix subscription services, or obtain weather forecasts directly on the TV using a broadband Internet connection. The rapid growth of web-enabled CE devices -- which In-Stat projects will to 83.4 million by 2014 -- is the foundation for a vibrant TV Widget Market. Most CE device manufacturers are introducing software developer platforms that support application widgets. However, In-Stat research indicates only a modest consumer interest in performing PC-centric applications on the TV. Consumers have higher interest in TV applications that enhance and/or augment the viewing experience, rather than simply provide information that is readily accessible via other screens. "Consumers want more than simply displaying additiona...

Most consumer electronics (CE) device manufacturers are apparently in the process of introducing software platforms that support widgets -- also called Connected TV applications. According to the latest market study by In-Stat , this sets the stage for a burgeoning new market and alters how people will access Internet content -- from news, web-surfing and purchasing to watching Netflix movies and YouTube. "By 2013, TV applications have the potential to generate over $1.7 billion in annual revenue," says Keith Nissen, In-Stat analyst. "Our primary research shows consumers already have a moderate interest in TV Widgets. An innovative web-enabled CE device and service from a company like Google or Apple could truly galvanize the market, much as the iPhone transformed the mobile telephony market." Connected TV applications are small, self-contained software programs that can be plugged into a web application to access a wide range of content. Due to their broad ...

The Diffusion Group (TDG) has studied a wide variety of widget-based Internet TV applications. TDG's new report "Widgets Gone Wild - Separating Killer Apps from Losers in the Age of Web TV" offers new perspective on this emerging market. "To date, it has been impossible to introduce Internet applications into the TV environment and make them stick," notes Michael Greeson, TDG founding partner and report author. "There are a number of culprits involved, ranging from the lack of network-capable TVs and poorly conceived user interfaces, to a genuine lack of consumer interest in the applications offered." However, a forwarding looking view of the market opportunity paints a very different picture. Colin Dixon, TDG senior partner and a former member of the Microsoft Web TV team, argues that the age of Internet TV is only now beginning in earnest, having been touted prematurely nearly a decade ago, long before technology and consumer vectors were in alignme...

The Diffusion Group released new data suggesting that the appeal of widget-enabled TV and video systems will be far greater than many expect. As well, the range of widget-based applications demanded by consumers will quickly eclipse the basic information push apps to be featured on the first wave of widget-enabled TVs and video platforms. "TDG strongly believes that the introduction of widget-based apps into the TV environment will be the tipping point for Internet-enabled TV," noted Michael Greeson, president of TDG. In support of this argument, TDG points to data collected during a January 2009 survey of adult broadband users in the U.S. which quantified an unusually high value perception of TV-based widgets. According to TDG's research, 76 percent of consumers believe having a widget toolbar on their primary TV would be valuable (48 percent "somewhat valuable" and 28 percent "extremely valuable") with only 13 percent being neutral and 11 percent ne...

Open-source software and widgets are going to improve the Web experience on mobile phones. While a large number of phones today still use browsers with very limited web browsing capabilities, many smartphones are incorporating browsers that support the latest capabilities such as AJAX and RSS, as well as websites optimized for viewing on a mobile device. ABI Research sees this segment of the mobile browser market accounting for the vast majority of growth over the next five years, as the open-Internet browser (OIB) segment for mobile grows from 76 million in 2007 to nearly 700 million browsers delivered in 2013. "The focus today for mobile browser developers is to take advantage of the latest web standards while also developing solutions tailored towards the unique experience of using a browser on a mobile phone," says research director Michael Wolf. "The most recent commercial solutions from Opera, Openwave and ACCESS, as well as those using open source solutions such a...

comScore announced the launch of their "Widget Metrix" -- a new service to track the usage of widgets across the Web. comScore currently tracks Web widgets, which are data files that can be embedded into a site's HTML code and are typically displayed in a small viewing pane on the website. They are most often used to display customized or personalized content on a Web site, such as to share photos or music recommendations, and are commonly found on blogs, social networking sites and other personalized web pages. "The recent explosion of user-generated content has helped create a worldwide marketplace for widgets," said Linda Boland Abraham, executive vice president at comScore. "We are excited to be providing measurement for this developing content medium." comScore's analysis of the top ten Web widgets worldwide revealed that photo-related widgets dominate the top positions. In April 2007, Slide was the top widget provider with a worldwide reac...