The simple fact that it’s nearly impossible to keep up with the sheer number of announcements is a sign that the connected TV marketplace moves in warp speed and the marketplace is aggressively feeding the consumer’s appetite for these services. A quick scan of recent stories with headlines that range from “Why Connected TV is Poised to Revolutionize Entertainment” and “Connected TV and 3D: Booming Industry Provides Plethora of Opportunities” shows how much energy, investment and creativity is being is being dedicated to turning this trend into reality.

The story excerpts below are just a sampling of statistics, analysis and milestones on the connected TV marketplace:

• A Mashable column written by a Yahoo! Connected TV executive states, “According to Parks Associates, less than a quarter of HDTVs were connected to the Internet in 2010, but by 2015, that number will spike to 76%. The reason for this massive jump? With increasing consumer demand for connectivity in the living room and faster broadband speeds, device makers will make it convenient for HDTVs to connect directly to the Internet without an extra device in-between.”
• Multichannel News reports that, “The marketplace for televisions and mobile devices with internet capabilities – or ‘connected’ devices – is booming; by 2015 the amount of consumers with a connected device will triple.”
• A Consumer Electronic Association study says, ”The study also showed that households are increasingly streaming video content through their devices. Subscriptions to movie rental services experienced a 40 percent growth year-over-year. With more than 28 million subscribers, content providers have enabled access to services directly through displays, game consoles and other set-top boxes connected to the Internet. Greater broadband access will continue to increase streaming video subscriptions.”
• Broadcasting & Cable says, “In a move that highlights the growing consumer embrace of connected TVs, Samsung Electronics Co. has announced that the Samsung Apps store has seen more than 5 million downloads of TV apps worldwide since it was launch in February for 2010 and that consumers are now downloading about 25,000 TV apps a day.”
• Multichannel News says that, “Comcast released a version of its Xfinity TV app for Apple iPhone and iPod touch devices, and has boosted video-on-demand content available through its apps to almost 6,000 hours with the addition of several new programming partners.”

The best news, of course, is that all of this is happening without any government mandates or rules.  We certainly hope it stays that way and this incredible innovation can continue to flourish unimpeded.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Also see this earlier post from the 2011 CES.

A few news stories related to the cable industry have already emerged this week.

When Comcast launched the Xfinity app back in November, there were references to streaming video coming soon. This was the week that Comcast announced the arrival of that streaming video. It was not in Vegas (as in ’08), but rather at the Citi Conference for Media, Entertainment and Telecommunications, that Brian Roberts announced that Comcast would support live TV streaming on tablet devices later this year. Read more here, but you can imagine how this made a stir at CES, with the emphasis this year on tablet devices.

Cisco CEO John Chambers presenting the company’s “Videoscape” TV platform yesterday, a new hardware and software system that will (to quote their press release) bring “together digital TV and online content with social media and communications applications to create a new, truly immersive home and mobile video entertainment experience.”

From the Wall Street Journal‘s coverage:

Consumers won’t be able to buy the Cisco boxes directly, as they do other devices already available from companies like Roku Inc. and Apple, which allow users to access the Web from their TVs but don’t offer a cable connection. Rather, Cisco will sell its hybrid boxes to cable operators who, in turn, will lease them to subscribers, the people said. Cable operators will be able to customize the software interface and decide on pricing for the boxes.

Read more here, here here, and here.

Sony announced a plan that would allow Time Warner Cable to deliver programming to their subscribers through the use of Sony’s Internet-connected Bravia HDTVs. Yahoo said they were working with programmers such as ABC, CBS, HSN, and Showtime Networks to provide enhanced interactive TV features through broadband-connected TV sets and other devices.

Of course, the manufacturers aren’t just pushing connected TVs, but also 3D sets. “3net” was announced, a 24-hour 3D network that’s a joint venture of Discovery Communications, Sony and IMAX. On a related note, a company called Marchon announced they would be offering 3D glasses with designer frames, such as Nautica and Calvin Klein. Prescription lenses will become available later this year.

UPDATE: I missed the announcement of Hollywood’s Ultraviolet initiative, which will allow consumers to purchase content once and view it on a variety of platforms.

The folks at Cisco (an NCTA member) have put together a fun little game that lets you build your own ISP.  Starting in 1990, your dial-up internet company has to attract customers, make money, invest in new technologies, and remain profitable.  If you do it well, you’ll progress through the years and become a broadband innovator.

If you’re a tech/telecom junkie like me, you’ll find this very addictive.  If you can make it through the 1990s, please drop us a note in the comments and let us know.

We at NCTA have been using Twitter for about a year and a half to provide updates on our blog content, to promote the Cable Show, and for conversation with and commentary by our CEO Kyle McSlarrow. We’re pleased to see the FCC adopting Twitter and welcome them to this vibrant online discussion.

The FCC account already has over 1,000 followers, and we’re a few of them.  The Internet provides a healthy forum for telecom policy discussion and debate. The number of followers they’ve already amassed indicates the interest level for that dialog.  To welcome them to Twitter, and to share some of our favorites with you, we thought we’d put together a list of our favorite follows.  These are in no particular order, they’re just good content from some very engaging viewpoints.

• @Normative – Julian Sanchez is the Washington Editor for Ars Technica. He covers politics, technology, and even comic books.
• @RobPegoraro – Rob has been critical of cable in the past, but he always brings a fresh perspective to technology. While he styles himself as a local reporter covering the DC area, he has attracted an audience much larger in scope.
• @BlankBaby – Scott McNulty recently took the helm of Comcast Voices – the company’s corporate blog. The blog provides the perspective of the nation’s largest cable provider. Prior to joining Comcast, McNulty was a prolific contributor to The Unofficial Apple Weblog
• @KyleMcSlarrow – Even if he wasn’t our boss, we’d have to recommend Kyle. He does, after all, represent the industry that brings voice, video and broadband to more than 63 million American homes.
• @CZ – While Verizon is a competitor, John Czwartacki does a great job handling their social media outreach.
• @msilbey – Mari Silbey writes for ZatzNotFunny and also handles corporate blogging for Motorola at Media Experiences 2 Go.
• @DaveZatz – Dave is the editor and creator of ZatzNotFunny. He also writes for Engadget and PC Magazine.
• @Om – To many readers of tech publications, Om Malik needs no introduction. His blog GigaOm is a must read for the tech and gadget fan.
• @mmasnick – Mike Masnick is the author of TechDirt, a group blog that covers policy and technology as they shape business innovation.
• @SchatzWSJ – Amy Schatz covers telecom policy for the Wall Street Journal. She covers the FCC and Tech policy, so she’s a definite must.
• @ReginaHopper – Regina is the face of NextGenWeb and a prolific Tweeter. Much of her stream is news and information about broadband – a good source for stories you might have missed.
• @SaulHansell – Saul is the editor of the NY Times Bits Blog and covers everything from advertising to pricing and policy.
• @AdamThierer – Adam is the Progress and Freedom Foundation’s technology policy guru.
• @FreePress – We often disagree on the issues, but we always respect their position.  That’s why we follow them.
• @CJSettles – Craig Settles is a telecom industry analyst.
• @mcuban – You may know him as the Dallas Mavericks Owner or former Dancing With the Stars Contestant, but before that, he made his fortune on Internet content and has a lot to say about telecommunications.
• @linkhoe – Assistant Vice President for Internet and Technology at Verizon. An important player in telecom and frequent contributor to Verizon’s policy blog.
• @joseiswriting – Jose Antonio Vargas formerly covered technology and politics for the Washington Post and is now Technology Editor for the Huffington Post.
• @waltmossberg – Walt is the author and creator of the Personal Technology column in the Wall Street Journal and a Contributor to AllThingsD
• @artbrodsky – Art’s another person with whom we often disagree, but he always brings an interesting perspective as an advocate and blogger for Public Knowledge.

These are some of the really interesting voices in telecommunications on Twitter. Our friends at the FCC will learn a lot from them, and we hope you will, too.

Update: We probably should have added this at the start, but if you think we’ve missed someone, please drop a comment and let us know.  We’re always looking for more people to follow.

Much of it is the kind of thing we write about on this blog all the time, such as wideband Internet access based on the DOCSIS 3.0 standard and tru2way sets that don’t require a set-top box. Plus, the media release mentions an “enhanced cordless telephone… with email, IM, text and Yellow Pages.”

You can read coverage of the launch here, here and here. Also, I thought I’d throw a couple photos down below. And Sony Electronics has some more shots on Flickr.

Nvidia GEForce 3d Gaming glasses

Nvidia’s 3D Gaming glasses make any DirectX based PC game a 3D experience. They split the geometry of the game graphics into two channels – right and left – and render them to the glasses. they don’t work with console gaming, though. For console gamers, you’ll need to keep an eye out for my report on 3D TVs on display at CES. They retail at $199.

Creative X-Fi

The Creative X-Fi wireless music system works like the Sonos wireless music system I saw last year but with a significant difference in price.  The small dongle transmitter (indicated by the red arrow) and the receiver (below) retail as a pair for about $150. The speakers shown above actually retail for about $130, and have the built in wireless receiver.

Creative X-Fi receiver

The receiver has standard RCA jacks to allow connection to a home theater or any powered speakers. The transmitter works on a proprietary 2.4 Ghz band, so you don’t need to consume your wi-fi network bandwidth for music.  The included software works on PC or Mac and is compatible with media players like Windows Media and iTunes or Internet music like Last.fm.

inPerson Video Conferencing

The inPerson video conferencing system takes broadband video calling to a new level.  The video feed is customizable based on your connection from 128k to 1MB.  The camera shoots in 640×480, and includes an output jack that be easily attached to a large screen TV.  The unit retails about $800, making it a bit pricey for most consumers.  However, it starts to make video conferencing more affordable for small businesses with multiple offices, or distributed collaboration.

As we look forward to the new year, a new administration, a new Congress, and new policy challenges and opportunities, we’ll continue to take a closer look at the impact of policy changes on cable operators, programmers, and customers.  We’ll also continue looking for ways to get the most out of your cable connection.

Thanks for being with us over the past year.  It has been a lot of fun, and we’ve enjoyed the conversation.  And stick with us over the next few days for the best that CES has to offer.

Today a friend sent a link to a video that illustrates that point beautifully. It’s a spoof of the Fox series 24. Allegedly the ‘long lost’ original pilot made in 1994, the video clearly shows the changes in technology we’ve seen over the period of time that we were building our network. Take a look.