Making Entertainment via the PC an 'Outside-of-the-Box Experience

With more consumers using their home computers to store and interact with digital content, a variety of new PC peripherals, user interfaces, and media capturing and editing software will drive a multimedia evolution in the PC, according to The PC as a Multimedia Platform. This new report from Parks Associates finds that for this product shift to continue, consumers must have seamless connectivity to content -- whether self-created and stored or accessed through a growing number of download and pay-per services. Only then will solutions providers find a willing audience as the home computer and network expand beyond their traditional productivity applications and toward increased sales and margins.

Dallas, TX (PRWEB) March 29, 2004 --With more consumers using their home computers to store and interact with digital content, a variety of new PC peripherals, user interfaces, and media capturing and editing software will drive a multimedia evolution in the PC, according to The PC as a Multimedia Platform. This new report from Parks Associates finds that for this product shift to continue, consumers must have seamless connectivity to content -- whether self-created and stored or accessed through a growing number of download and pay-per services. Only then will solutions providers find a willing audience as the home computer and network expand beyond their traditional productivity applications and toward increased sales and margins.

For some time, the promise of a multimedia-enabled 'next-generation home computer has been tempered by low consumer demand, the dearth of compelling applications, and less-than-seamless hardware and software," said Kurt Scherf, vice president and principal analyst at Parks Associates. However, we are optimistic given the release of new products such as digital media adapters and receivers that extend the entertainment reach of the home computer to other parts of the home. We also anticipate a good uptake for video imaging tools and software, external and network-attached storage, and larger and slimmer computer monitors, all of which will create a more seamless and valuable entertainment experience for consumers."

Parks Associates The PC as a Multimedia Platform addresses the prospects for entertainment on the PC by examining hardware and software solutions designed to enhance the multimedia experience. It also includes a consumer-side analysis, providing primary consumer research about how end users interact with their home computers for entertainment applications and how they view emerging entertainment-centric" activities on the home PCs. For more information on this or other Parks Associates research, please contact Parks Associates at 972-490-1113 or at sales@parksassociates.com.

For more information about the home networking market, download the white paper The Home Network Market: Data and Multimedia Connectivity at www.parksassociates.com.

About Parks Associates: Parks Associates is a market research and consulting firm focused on all product and service segments that are digital" or provide connectivity within the home. The companys expertise includes home networks, digital entertainment, consumer electronics, broadband and Internet services, and home systems.

Founded in 1986, Parks Associates creates research capital for companies ranging from Fortune 500 to small start-ups through market reports, multiclient studies, consumer research, workshops, and custom-tailored client solutions. Parks Associates also hosts two executive seminars, both part of the Fall Focus series, and co-hosts CONNECTIONS (in partnership with the Consumer Electronics Association) each year. www.parksassociates.com.

For Immediate Release
Contact: Elizabeth Parks
Parks Associates
972-490-1113
Email: sales@parksassociates.com