Home networking is moving past the early adopter phase with more companies introducing networked multimedia devices into the market, according to a report out from In-Stat, Global Networked Media Clients & Servers to See More Competition From Traditional Entertainment Component Vendors.
In-Stat predicts that global shipments of networked devices will grow 43% between 2006 and 2011. Basic media server shipments are expected to grow 62% during the same period.
This year alone, In-Stat expects the number of homes worldwide with at least one PC and one networked consumer-electronic device to double.
Outside of PCs, most networked devices are gaming machines. And few are being used to stream audio or video from room to room.