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July 23, 2008
Analysts: IPTV to Hit 186 Million Screens by End of Year
By Rajani Baburajan, TMCnet Contributing Editor
Strategy Analytics’ (News - Alert) recent research, “Digital Media Devices Global Market Forecast,” analyzes the trend among people in adopting connected TV devices.
The study predicts that, by the end of this year, there will be approximately 186 million devices installed worldwide that allow TVs to access some form of Web contents.
“Web video and TV services like YouTube (News - Alert) and the BBC’s iPlayer, are no longer confined to PC users,” according to Strategy Analytics.
Game consoles and set-top boxes lead the market of connected TV devices at present. According to the research, the total number of games consoles installed by the end of 2008 will be approximately 79 million. Digital video recorders are the next important category of connected devices installed worldwide.
Strategy Analytics predicts a total change in the scenario within the next five to six years. IP-enabled flat panel TVs, which made a recent appearance, will create a huge impact in worldwide television viewing. According to the study, the world will see more than 450 million connected flat panel TV installations by 2014.
There has been significant increase in the demand for other connected devices such as Blu-ray disc players and recorders. They will contribute as the major IP content gateways for IP-enabled TVs. According to Strategy Analytics, there will be approximately 225 million installations of Blu-ray players and recorders by 2014.
However, there is an ambiguity about the nature of Web content being watched through these devices, according to a blog post from David Mercer, a company vice president and principal analyst.
“All PS3 and Xbox 360 owners will in theory be able to get video content onto those devices over their broadband connection and display it on a TV. How many actually end up doing that is still open to question,” Mercer wrote.
In the coming years, there will be huge demand for Web TV content worldwide, creating a number of issues between service providers and media houses about sharing of contents.
“The Web video explosion has so far been restricted largely to PC users,” says Mercer. “Now it is moving to the TV screen. While business model and content partner issues are still to be resolved, the floodgates are open – Web video is set to become a regular part of the TV viewing experience.”
According to Peter King, director, Connected Home Devices, Internet connectivity is becoming commonplace across a wide spectrum of consumer devices. “By 2014 more than two-thirds of all products sold will integrate Internet access,” said King.
Rajani Baburajan is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Rajani’s articles, please visit her columnist page.
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