Study says connected a/v product sales to surge

DALLAS - Research firm Parks Associates this week said the connected audio/video market is poised for remarkable growth, with sales expected to exceed 100 million units annually by 2013.

Consumers are increasingly demanding the ability to access a wide range of content from a home network on multiple sources. The more sources a consumer has "connected," the more options he or she has for entertainment, viewing photos or conducting business.

"For devices to offer a compelling value proposition," Parks vice president and principal analyst Kurt Scherf explains, "they will have to feature connectivity within the home network and to the services coming to the home.

"Interface design," he adds, "will be an important area as users will need easy access to their content and services."