“Many of the necessary forces are beginning to come together to enable networked audio to move beyond the early adopter market, and networked audio servers will stand to benefit,” says research director Michael Wolf. “Standards-based software and lower costs of mass storage, as well as dedicated off-the-shelf processors that enable networked media solutions are becoming a reality.”

Consumers’ desire to connect and deliver music around the home has been dampened by the difficulty of setting up and connecting existing solutions, as well as by the high cost. Industry-wide efforts for networked entertainment in the form of DLNA and other advances will help this effort, as will more large vendors entering the market for networked audio. As easy-to-use solutions for centrally storing a consumer’s content arrive in the form of attractively priced consumer electronics media servers, more consumers will begin to adopt these products.

“The early market ascendancy of high-priced proprietary solutions will begin to make way for products targeting digital music enthusiasts who want to take advantage of the technology but don’t want to invest thousands of dollars,” adds Wolf. “These solutions will capitalize on the new enabling technologies that make lower prices and wider interoperability a possibility.”

ABI Research’s study, “Networked Home Audio” (http://www.abiresearch.com/products/ market_research/Networked_Home_Audio), describes use-case scenarios for networked home audio, analyzes market drivers and inhibitors, forecasts market growth, and identifies key players in this new sector. It forms part of two ABI Research Services: Digital Media (http://www.abiresearch.com/products/service/ Digital_Media_Research_Service), and Home Networking (http://www.abiresearch.com/products/service/ Home_Networking_Research_Service), which includes Research Reports, Research Briefs, Market Data, Online Databases, the ABI Vendor Matrix, ABI Insights, and analyst inquiry support.

(Long URLs in this release may need to be copied/pasted into your Internet browser's address field. Remove the extra space if one exists.)

ABI Research is a leading market research firm focused on the impact of emerging technologies on global consumer and business markets. Utilizing a unique blend of market intelligence, primary research, and expert assessment from its worldwide team of industry analysts, ABI Research assists hundreds of clients each year with their strategic growth initiatives.