Flat-panel TVs will rank as the most popular consumer electronics product this holiday season, according to Parks Associates, a market research and consulting firm.
Parks Associates finds that one in five broadband homes in the U.S. plan to buy a new flat-panel television before the end of the year. Among homes planning to buy such a device, 73 percent intend to select a television with such advances features as 3D capabilities or built-in Internet connectivity, according to the Dallas-based research firm.
3D televisions are apparently not as in vogue as TVs that connect to the Web: Parks Associates found that demand for the latter device is nearly twice the demand for 3D TVs.
"Smart TVs are now pushing into the mainstream, whereas previously smart-TV buyers were largely early adopters and those from high-income households," said Parks Associates' Kurt Scherf, VP, principal analyst, in a statement. "The combination of a maturing product ecosystem with great holiday deals is putting smart TVs within the reach of the American middle class."
