If researchers are correct, 2012 promises to be a banner year for HD, DVRs and IPTV. That is, if the apocalypse doesn’t get in the way. With 2007 over, research firms can safely predict five years out. Unfortunately those just may be our last five years on Earth. According to Wikipedia:

2012 is sometimes claimed to be a great year of spiritual transformation (or apocalypse). Many esoteric sources interpret the completion of the thirteenth B’ak’tun cycle in the Long Count of the Maya calendar (which occurs on December 21 by the most widely held correlation) to mean there will be a major change in world order.

Thankfully, you’ll have a crystal-clear picture of all that death and destruction, as SNL Kagan projects that there will be more than 71 million (65.7 percent of U.S. multichannel households) HD subscribers by 2012. High definition means you’ll actually be able to count the number of teeth gnashing, and the rich, deep reds of all that fire and brimstone will make you feel like you’re right there.

Doomsday’s arrival not convenient for you? Do a little End-times shifting. According to a recent presentation by Kurt Scherf, Parks Associates vice president and principal analyst, 52 percent of U.S. households will have a DVR by 2012. To be fair, Magna Global estimates that just 36 percent of TV homes will have DVRs by then. But even if you won’t have a DVR box (or at least not one in your bunker), Parks predicts that sales of networked TVs and HD DVD players will hit 12.4 million units by 2012, so chances are good you’ll at least still be connected to what’s left of the outside world.

Not to be “left behind” (ha!), IPTV service revenues are forecast to surge to nearly $14 billion in 2012 from $694 million in 2007, according to Strategy Analytics. And in a sure sign of consumer service hell on earth, Strategy Analytics goes on to say the IPTV market will be “largely dominated” by AT&T and Verizon. (Looks up to the sky, fists clenched: “Noooooooooo!”)

Even if you don’t believe Armageddon is on its way, you can bet there will be hell to pay for sales reps. Magna says that 61.9 million homes will have VOD services by 2012, but Parks says less than 40 percent of VOD will be monetized!