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"With widespread use of 'content peripherals' such as digital cameras and portable MP3 players, the home computer is gravitating toward a more central multimedia role for the average household"
Kurt Scherf, VP and principal analyst at Parks Associates

Home computers specifically designed for entertainment applications -- so-called "Media-PCs" -- will account for 40% of home computer sales by the end of 2008, according to Parks Associates' The PC as a Multimedia Platform. This new report indicates that net additions of media-PC hardware units and software packages will reach seven million U.S. households, approximately 20% of all U.S. households, in five years. Sales of specialized home networking equipment for PC-to-CE connectivity will similarly grow, surpassing 21 million units shipped by the end of 2008.

"Entertainment-specific PC platforms, software packages, and home networking equipment provide clear benefits to consumers and industries alike," said Kurt Scherf, vice president and principal analyst at Parks Associates. "With widespread use of 'content peripherals' such as digital cameras and portable MP3 players, the home computer is gravitating toward a more central multimedia role for the average household. We expect that home networking solutions -- including Digital Media Receivers and Adapters -- will be purchased in growing numbers, especially as the service provider community adapts its existing customer premise equipment to receive IP-based digital entertainment content."