Computer-based TV tuners have gone from novelty to “‘must have’ capability,” according to Jon Peddie Research. The market research firm has concluded that PC’s will continue to gain momentum as entertainment center devices in the years to come in a new report called “PC TV Market Today and Future.”
The firm estimates that already 30 million computer users have systems that can tune in TV signals, either using built-in capabilities, through stand-alone TV tuner add-in boards (like Meilenstein’s Televio, or through external TV tuners based on USB (like Elgato’s EyeTV) or FireWire (like Formac’s Studio DV/TV ).
Initially, said Jon Peddie Research, adoption of such devices was hampered by limited OS, CPU, memory and graphics controller support, though the company noted that Apple has offered such capabilities on and off for years.
Jon Peddie Research counts 32 companies that are offering some form of PCTV device, and said that annual sales are US$220 million per year and growing at a Compound Average Growth Rate (CAGR) of 32.2 percent.
And it’s no wonder: Today’s crop of PC/TV interfaces can view multiple channels at once, or even record content to disk like TiVO and ReplayTV PVR devices. What’s more, the company said that home entertainment systems will continue to expand the PCTV market into the future.