News

CONNECTIONS Offers Sessions on the Digital Home at 2005 International CES (15/11/2004)

CONNECTIONS(TM): The Digital Home Conference and Showcase, hosted by Parks Associates in partnership with CEA, announced today the speakers for its upcoming panel series on the digital home, to be held Jan. 6, 2005, at 2005 International CES in Las Vegas. These four interactive sessions will feature the latest research and expert analysis on the consumer music experience, portable entertainment devices, digital distribution of media, and the management of home networks.

"Digital living is evolving to include more and more applications as a direct result of increasing options for connectivity and consumer choices," said Tricia Parks, President of Parks Associates. "The CONNECTIONS(TM) sessions will examine the benefits and solutions as they relate to specific categories, offering critical discussions helpful for success in these markets."

All sessions will take place on Thursday, Jan. 6, 2005.

Requiem for a Hi-Fi: Audio in the Digital Age, 10:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m., brings together representatives from the PC and CE industries to discuss the user requirements and form factors of tomorrow's "Di-Fi" -- digital audio players. Speakers include:

* Ty Ahmad-Taylor, Director, Strategic Planning, Comcast * John Dahl, Product Line Manager, THX * Greg Rodehau, Director, PC & Gaming Technology Marketing, Consumer Division, Dolby Laboratories * Anthony Wood, CEO, Roku * Session moderator: Kurt Scherf, Vice President and Principal Analyst, Parks Associates * Fun on the Run: Portable Entertainment Devices, 12:00 p.m. - 1:15 p.m., will discuss challenges facing portable media players and opportunities such as multipurpose portable devices (cell phone/MP3 player). Speakers include: * Peter S. Henry, VP Portable Power Systems, National Semiconductor * Hyeon Lee, Vice President of Mobile & Home Solutions, Samsung Electronics * Peter Percosan, Executive Director, Broadband Strategy, Texas Instruments * Rutton Ruttonsha, Vice President & General Manager, Business Line Personal Entertainment Solutions, Philips Semiconductors * Session moderator: Will Cheek, Analyst, Parks Associates

Crossroads: Hollywood Meets Silicon Valley, 1:30 p.m. - 2:45 p.m., will examine the myriad of content sources and the enhanced networks, emerging connectivity solutions, enabling software, and unique platforms that will be moving this content throughout the home. Speakers include:

* Jordan Greenhall, CEO, DivXNetworks * David Grubb, Vice President, Advanced Network Technology IP Communication Gateways, Motorola Broadband Communications Sector * Steve Shannon, Founder & Executive Vice President of Marketing, Akimbo Systems * Dave Clark, Director, Product Strategy, Scientific-Atlanta * Session moderator: John Barrett, Director of Research, Parks Associates

Making the Network Work: The Role of Managed Network Services, 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m., will examine virus protection, remote management of home networks, and other services that could reduce churn and generate revenue. Speakers include:

* Yaal Eshel, Marketing Director, Jungo * Steve Bush, Co-founder & Chief Technology Officer, Pure Networks * Inder Gopal, Chief Product Officer, Lemur Networks * Ken Smith, Founder & CEO, Digiticians * Steve Iverson, Co-founder, President, & CEO, Streamload * Session moderator: Kurt Scherf, Vice President and Principal Analyst, Parks Associates

www.connectionsconference.com