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TWICE: Consumer confidence in the overall economy improved in August, said the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), as consumer confidence in technology and CE rose in the same period.

This was according to the CEA-CNET Index of Consumer Expectations (ICE), which reached 172.2 in August. CEA said this was a jump of more than 6 points from July’s yearly low.

The ICE is said to measure consumer expectations about the broader economy. CEA said the ICE is up 6.5 points from this time last year and has climbed in three of the last four months.

“Consumers are feeling more confident of an economic recovery as the recession comes to an end,” said Shawn DuBravac, CEA’s economist and research director, in a statement.

“In particular, consumers are feeling more optimistic about the broader economy, their own financial wellbeing and importantly, are feeling more secure in their own jobs. Improved confidence in job security should buoy purchase decisions moving forward.”

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TWICE: The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is hoping for a turnaround in CE industry sales, but it still sees challenges ahead.

CEA is projecting 1 percent growth in the third quarter and 1.5 percent growth in the fourth quarter for CE sales, and said its industry advisors predict that for the entire year sales will be down by 0.5 percent.

However, they expect 2.9 percent growth in 2010. In a survey of its CE Advisory Panel in April they estimated sales will bottom during this quarter (almost 30 percent), with about 20 percent saying the third quarter. In its Mid-Year CE Market Update, presented at the CEA Line Show here June 10, CEA reviewed the flat-panel TV business.

The report confirmed what individual manufacturers, distributors and retailers have been saying recently, namely that everyone is keeping lean inventories, unit shipments are up, but maintaining revenues compared to the previous year are hard to come by.

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Gizmag: When it comes to buying consumer electronics, we are factoring energy efficiency into our choices in a bid to cut our household energy consumption, a new study from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has found.

The study, Home Technologies and Energy Efficiency: A Look At Behaviors, Issues and Solutions, found that the most popular method of reducing energy consumption involved the use of smart energy meters, such as the Black & Decker Power Monitor or Energy Detective.

Fifty-six percent of people surveyed indicated they were interested in devices that told them when it was best to run appliances in an effort to save on their utility bills.

The study also showed that smart energy meters were much more popular compared to home energy audits, with just one in 10 households conducting a home energy audit in the past two years. Of those that did, however, 61 percent replaced appliances or consumer electronic devices with more energy-efficient models.

Appliance and electronics manufacturers that took steps to make their products environmentally friendly, such as achieving the Energy Star standard, stood to benefit, with 84 percent of consumers surveyed aware of the EPA’s energy efficiency rating.

In contrast, only half of those sampled stated they were aware of the term “smart home”, while just 38 percent had heard of “home automation”.

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Baltimore Business Journal: Every other household in the U.S. owns a digital television, according to research by the Consumer Electronics Association.

According to CEA’s estimates, 32 million units will be shipped to consumers in 2008, an increase of 17 percent in unit sales over the current year. Manufacturing revenue is projected to grow by 11 percent.

And, high-definition TV sets, which support high definition programming — a form of digital television — are expected to account for 79 percent of total digital television shipments in the U.S. in 2008.

Digital technology provides programming that is superior to analog content in picture resolution and sound quality, industry observers say. It also frees up precious broadcast spectrum, which can then be diverted for use by public services and other wireless communication devices.

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Telecommunications Industry News: The market for high-definition television sets continues to grow, according to a new study by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), but many HDTV owners haven’t yet subscribed to the higher-resolution video format.

The study, entitled “HDTV: You Have the Set, But Do You Have the Content” reveals that 30% of U.S. households now possess one or more HDTV sets, but only 44% of these actually receive high-definition programming.

Many of those who don’t get HDTV programming cite high subscription costs, and lack of interest in the technology, but there are also some HDTV owners who admit to being unsure whether or not they have HD programming.

“Consumers are satisfied overall with HDTV. But our studies indicate continued education is necessary to ensure consumers truly understand how to receive the full HD experience,” commented CEA Research Director, Joe Bates, in a statement.

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Engadget: The Consumer Electronics Association’s Mobile Electronics Committee looks set to shake up the portable media player (PMP) industry a bit, by announcing a new connection standard for PMPs that’ll extend to vehicles in addition to in-home use.

While details are somewhat light, the standard (otherwise known as CEA-2017) describes a single connector that’ll let you both play and charge a portable media player in conjunction with any in-home or in-vehicle audio/video device sporting the same common connector.

From the looks of it, the newly-standardized connector would also seem to be well on its way to acceptance, with more than 100 companies having a hand in its development, which apparently includes a number of automakers and accessory-makers in addition to PMP manufacturers.

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eMarketer: A quarter of online consumers plan to buy a global positioning system (GPS) device within the next year, according to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) “GPS — Exploring Ownership and Interest” report. At an average of $410 (around €300) each, that would mean $4.1 billion in 2007 sales. GPS shipment revenues tripled between 2005 and 2006.

A third of future buyers say they would like GPS in their next mobile phones.

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Webwire: Overall satisfaction among owners of Global Positioning System (GPS) devices is high, and consumer interest for the technology is exploding, according to a research report released today by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA).

The research revealed an 80 percent owner satisfaction rate, which was strongly influenced by the ease of use and display quality of the devices, which are used primarily for navigation assistance in a vehicle.

While GPS ownership is still relatively small at 18 percent of online consumers, CEA market research demonstrates growing consumer interest, with shipment revenues nearly tripling between 2005 and 2006. Nearly one-quarter (24 percent) of online consumers are planning to purchase a GPS device within the next year, spending an average of $410 (around €300), which could result in sales reaching $4.1 billion in 2007.

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AV Zombie: According to research by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), 44 percent of entry-level US home cinema systems are built around a screen 40 inches or larger.

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SmartHouse: Consumer Electronics Industry experts are warning consumers not to buy HD DVD or Blu Ray players.

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