International research firm Parks Associates, which is hosting CONNECTIONS Summit at CES today, predicts cloud media and expanded content and service options will be key to the long-term success of the connected tablets and Internet-connectable CE premiering at CES in 2011.

"Consumers are interested in the cloud for premium and personal content," said Kurt Scherf, VP, principal analyst, Parks Associates. "Annual sales of Internet-connectable TV devices will reach 350 million by 2015 by virtue of robust content options, which will trigger mass-market adoption."

• Parks Associates' Consumer Demand for Technical Support Services reports 16% of consumers in U.S. broadband households are highly interested in the ability to access their documents and digital content from any Internet-connected device.
• Parks Associates research shows 38% of U.S. consumers in broadband Internet households would like to rent a VoD movie on the same day it is released in the theater.
• Currently 25% of U.S. digital cable subscribers watch at least one VoD title per month.

Recent acquisitions, such as Motorola's purchase of Zecter and Apple's purchase of Lala, show large players making inroads into online storage and cloud content services. The proliferation of mobile devices makes service design more challenging, as different devices have different interactive requirements, but there are also huge opportunities in successfully navigating the interplay between portable and mobile CE and "fixed" Internet-connectable CE.

"Solutions that enable mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers to access media and data files from anywhere will be highly valuable in this market," Scherf said. "This will be a significant trend in 2011."

Parks Associates is hosting CONNECTIONS Summit at CES on January 6, Rooms S206-207, South Hall, Second Floor, Las Vegas Convention Center, with the following sessions:

• Analyst Roundtable: The Connected Home is Here!
• Operator Strategies: Video, Services, and Support
• Monetizing Connected Consumer Electronics
• Executive Roundtable: The Smart Grid and the Home Area Network
• Anytime Anywhere Entertainment & Communication - Mobile Applications
• Video Everywhere: Key Strategies

Throughout CES, Parks Associates will be at Booth #20554 in South Hall 1.