Media Hub Snapshot

The State of Today’s Home Media Hub Market

Today’s consumers generally acquire and manage their media in a disorganized, non-centralized fashion. Digital media have arrived in such a way that consumers have taken up different point products such as MP3 players, digital cameras, and video playback devices (such as PVRs and DVD players) independently. Storage and playback of each media type has largely been disassociated from that of every other type. Over time we may expect to see more ties between playback and storage options in terms of underlying software hooks as well as in the service-playback-management-storage ecosystem set up by vendors in diverse markets; but whether media management will ultimately be centralized in one device remains open to debate. Today there is a fierce market for a device that can manage media centrally and perform playback both in-room and over the network. There are many competing options for the home media hub, and while no one device has gained significant traction over competing solutions, vendors in the PC, set-top box, and other consumer electronics categories are looking for ways to develop their products to manage content while viewed from multiple screens. This Research Brief supplies a snapshot of the different options for this market.

Table of Contents

Executive Summary
Market Update

Section 1.
DIGITAL HOME USE-CASE SCENARIOS AND PRODUCTS
1.1. What Are the Options for Home Media Hubs?
1.2. Key Media Hub Categories
1.2.1. Microsoft Media Center
1.2.2. Home Theater PCs
1.2.3. Cable PCs and Satellite TV PCs
1.2.4. CE Media Servers
1.2.5. Microsoft Home Server
1.2.6. Embedded All-in-One CE Hubs
1.2.7. Set-Top Boxes
1.2.8. Media Adapters

Section 2.
FORECASTS AND OUTLOOK FOR PRODUCT CATEGORIES
2.1. Microsoft Media Center
2.2. Home Theater PCs
2.3. CableCard/Satellite PCs
2.4. CE Media Servers/Hubs
2.5. Microsoft Home Server
2.6. Set-Top Boxes
Chart: Devices Connected on Home Networks (U.S. Home Network Users)



Charts
  • Media Center PCs, Forecast: 2003 to 2012
  • HTPC Shipments, Forecast: 2003 to2013
  • Home Theater PC Penetration Select Countries, Forecast: 2003 to 2013
  • Media Centers with CableCARD and Satellite Cards, Shipments: 2007 to 2012
  • CE Media Server Appliance Shipment Units, Forecast: 2003 to 2013
  • Windows Home Server PC Edition Shipments , Forecast: 2007 to 2013
  • Service Provider Media Server Set-Top Boxes, Forecast: 2005 to 2012

Figures
  • The Three Main Starting Points for Living-Room Convergence
  • HP DEC Product Image
  • Sony VAIO TP Home Theater PC