News Article
Integrated media networking to revolutionise consumer electronics
Shipments of networked consumer products forecast to grow at an annual rate of 64.4%.
Shipments of networked consumer products forecast to grow at an annual rate of 64.4%
Just as the rise of the Internet marked an inflection point in the computing market, the proliferation of networking technology in entertainment devices is set to reshape the consumer-electronics business over the next few years, believes market analyst iSuppli.
Unit shipments of entertainment-oriented consumer-electronics products that have built-in networking technology are set to expand by a factor of more than seven between 2005 and 2009, the company predicts. This development will herald a fundamental change in both the consumer-electronics area and in the associated video and audio content markets, as networking technology alters the nature of entertainment-oriented devices-and how people use them.
Shipments of consumer-electronics products with built-in networking capabilities are expected to rise to 154.5 million units in 2009, expanding at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 64.4 percent from 21.2 million in 2005.
By 2009, products with networking technology will represent a significant portion of overall consumer-electronics shipments.
Entertainment-oriented consumer-electronics products that incorporate networking technology include cable and satellite set-top boxes (STBs), internet protocol TV (IPTV), televisions, DVD players, video game consoles, digital media adaptors (DMAs) and home media servers.
To be included in this category, such products must include integrated IP-based home network connections, either wired or wireless. They also must support direct communication with commonly-networked PCs, servers, network-attached storage and remote Internet content. Furthermore, they must support playback of standard digital-media formats, such as MP3, MPEG-2 and JPEG.
An emerging consumer application for such equipment is networked video, which entails the sharing of digital video recorder (DVR) capabilities across multiple rooms and across different home-entertainment devices.
“Multi-room DVR is a key driver for networked video,” said Mark Kirstein, iSuppli vice president of multimedia content and services. “DVR is becoming pervasive in new cable, satellite and IP STBs. Multi-room DVR is the major media networking trend in the STB markets. With support for multi-stream, high-definition, premium video, this technology establishes the high mark for media home networking.”
The deployment of IPTV by leading telecom carriers is another key trend that will drive media networking. Seeking to deliver video over broadband and distribute it to home-entertainment devices without adding new wires, service providers are embracing power line and coaxial-media networking technologies.
Integrated home networking capabilities in IP STBs will compel faster adoption by cable and satellite operators as well.
The rise of media home networking, DVR and IP video will redefine consumer-electronics products into two categories: media servers and media players, believes iSuppli.
Media servers include all network-equipped STBs with either built-in DVR capabilities or with content and IP gateway functions. These devices deliver audio, video and additional content to other networked devices. Other devices in this category include DVR-enabled DVD players and dedicated consumer media servers.
Media players fulfil the client role, and include networked TVs, DMAs, video-game consoles client-type STBs and networked DVDs. All server devices can act as clients as well.
Beyond the demand for multi-room DVR and the deployment of IPTV, the trend toward integrated networking in consumer electronics products is being driven by the high penetration of broadband, the proliferation of digital media files and growing consumer awareness of home networking, iSuppli believes.
Just as the rise of the Internet marked an inflection point in the computing market, the proliferation of networking technology in entertainment devices is set to reshape the consumer-electronics business over the next few years, believes market analyst iSuppli.
Unit shipments of entertainment-oriented consumer-electronics products that have built-in networking technology are set to expand by a factor of more than seven between 2005 and 2009, the company predicts. This development will herald a fundamental change in both the consumer-electronics area and in the associated video and audio content markets, as networking technology alters the nature of entertainment-oriented devices-and how people use them.
Shipments of consumer-electronics products with built-in networking capabilities are expected to rise to 154.5 million units in 2009, expanding at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 64.4 percent from 21.2 million in 2005.
By 2009, products with networking technology will represent a significant portion of overall consumer-electronics shipments.
Entertainment-oriented consumer-electronics products that incorporate networking technology include cable and satellite set-top boxes (STBs), internet protocol TV (IPTV), televisions, DVD players, video game consoles, digital media adaptors (DMAs) and home media servers.
To be included in this category, such products must include integrated IP-based home network connections, either wired or wireless. They also must support direct communication with commonly-networked PCs, servers, network-attached storage and remote Internet content. Furthermore, they must support playback of standard digital-media formats, such as MP3, MPEG-2 and JPEG.
An emerging consumer application for such equipment is networked video, which entails the sharing of digital video recorder (DVR) capabilities across multiple rooms and across different home-entertainment devices.
“Multi-room DVR is a key driver for networked video,” said Mark Kirstein, iSuppli vice president of multimedia content and services. “DVR is becoming pervasive in new cable, satellite and IP STBs. Multi-room DVR is the major media networking trend in the STB markets. With support for multi-stream, high-definition, premium video, this technology establishes the high mark for media home networking.”
The deployment of IPTV by leading telecom carriers is another key trend that will drive media networking. Seeking to deliver video over broadband and distribute it to home-entertainment devices without adding new wires, service providers are embracing power line and coaxial-media networking technologies.
Integrated home networking capabilities in IP STBs will compel faster adoption by cable and satellite operators as well.
The rise of media home networking, DVR and IP video will redefine consumer-electronics products into two categories: media servers and media players, believes iSuppli.
Media servers include all network-equipped STBs with either built-in DVR capabilities or with content and IP gateway functions. These devices deliver audio, video and additional content to other networked devices. Other devices in this category include DVR-enabled DVD players and dedicated consumer media servers.
Media players fulfil the client role, and include networked TVs, DMAs, video-game consoles client-type STBs and networked DVDs. All server devices can act as clients as well.
Beyond the demand for multi-room DVR and the deployment of IPTV, the trend toward integrated networking in consumer electronics products is being driven by the high penetration of broadband, the proliferation of digital media files and growing consumer awareness of home networking, iSuppli believes.
