In-Stat

The total number of paid TV subscribers was up last year, but cable companies weren't so lucky.

According to In-Stat, the total number of paid TV subscribers around the world was up over 6 percent compared with 2009. The research firm said that gains in subscribers were seen in "nearly every region" around the globe. However, when it came to cable television subscriptions, only Western Europe saw a jump compared with 2009.

Elsewhere around the world, cable customers were migrating to satellite or IPTV, the research firm said.

Growth in the paid TV business in 2010 has … Read more

The importance of DVDs to the entertainment industry will decline significantly over the next few years, predicts a study from research firm In-Stat.

Physical disc sales, which includes both DVDs and Blu-ray discs, are expected to decline by $4.6 billion between 2009 and 2014, In-Stat said today. Over that period, DVD sales are expected to plummet. At the same time, Blu-ray sales are expected to climb--but not enough to make up for the decline in DVDs.

In place of physical discs, streaming content and digital downloads are quickly gaining steam. In-Stat said that the video-download and streaming revenue is … Read more

The number of pay TV subscribers in the U.S. declined slightly during the second quarter, but it's the economy and high unemployment--not so-called cord-cutters--that are to blame, according to a new report from In-Stat.

The number of "cord-cutters," or people who go cold turkey on their cable TV in favor of online programming, is actually low and is having a minimal effect on the industry, according to In-Stat's data released yesterday. The report also found that satellite TV and so-called telco TV (such as Verizon's Fios and AT&T's U-verse) both continue … Read more

The move to 4G and the longevity of 3G will kick off a rise in the number of devices shipped with baseband cellular modems to more than 2 billion annually in another four years, according to a report released Thursday by In-Stat.

Devices with baseband modems--wireless chipsets that enable the connection to cell towers--include traditional mobile phones, smartphones, Netbooks, notebooks, tablets, and e-readers. Though Wi-Fi will continue to be a practical technology for short-range connections, baseband devices will still offer greater coverage by tapping into cellular networks, according to In-Stat.

As the current onslaught of mobile devices taxes existing 3G … Read more

The mobile apps market has become a cash cow for carriers such as Apple but is turning increasingly competitive for developers trying to make a profit, according to a new In-Stat report.

Mobile subscribers are downloading apps in ever increasing numbers as they learn more about the capabilities of their smartphones, said the report, released Wednesday. As the company that set the standard for mobile apps, Apple and its App Store are seeing the most action, with iPhone and iPod Touch users downloading 2.4 times more apps than the other smartphone owners.

But although the news may be bright … Read more

More mobile carriers are offering Netbooks as a way to lure new customers--a trend that's likely to surge and encompass notebooks as well.

By 2013, more than 60 percent of all mobile devices, including Netbooks and notebooks, are expected to be sold directly by wireless carriers, according to research released Wednesday by In-Stat. Almost 31 percent of notebooks alone will be sold through carriers, In-Stat predicts.

Bundling an inexpensive Netbook or notebook is a small price to pay for a carrier, which can then charge customers for a monthly data plan.

"In the U.S., carriers are charging … Read more

Though more computers have been landing in living rooms, digital TVs are adding new features to help them hang onto their role as the family's entertainment center, says a report released Tuesday by In-Stat.

As DTVs replace old analog sets throughout the world, manufacturers are beefing them up with new network features, including Internet access, Ethernet, and Wi-Fi, noted an In-Stat report called "DTV 2009: Declining Costs, Increasing Shipments, and Network Capability." In-Stat predicts that 36 percent of digital sets sold in 2013 will be network-enabled.

Technologies for wireless high-definition, such as the competing 60GHz WirelessHD and WHDI … Read more

Those who need their Internet fix while in flight should appreciate a report released on Wednesday by market researcher In-Stat.

The number of commercial airplanes providing broadband access is expected to jump from 25 in 2008 to 800 by end the of 2009, according to the report.

Broadband connectivity is brought to airplanes either through satellite or an air-to-ground network. Both technologies are battling for market share, with Aircell's service based on its own air-to-ground network, and Row44 and Panasonic's service satellite-based.

In-flight broadband has struggled to gain a foothold due to the weak economy and the availability … Read more

It seems almost inconceivable that just five years ago I purchased a digital TV without a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) port. Today virtually every computer monitor that comes through CNET's testing labs has an HDMI port, even the smallish 22-inchers. Some even only come with an HDMI port, forgoing the DVI port altogether.

The rapid rise in HDMI integration by vendors isn't just my imagination, either. In-Stat has released a new report on the quick adoption of HDMI and Digital Visual Interface's (DVI) slow decline.

According to the report, HDMI ports were found in 95 percent of … Read more