Home Theaters Increasingly Need Broadband Access, NPD Report Finds

Consumers are increasingly interested in accessing PC and broadband content from the home theater, according to the NPD Group's Connected Home Theater report.

The study found that 17 percent of consumers are interested in accessing PC content from their home entertainment system (25 percent for consumers with a home network).

Overall, 19 percent of consumers want broadband access from their TVs (24 percent for consumers with a home network).

"[Faster] Internet access, new content sources, and the evolution of the PC as a multimedia repository promise to change the features and functionality of devices in the home entertainment center," says Ross Rubin, director of industry analysis for The NPD Group.

"This in turn will lead to new opportunities and challenges for manufacturers, as well as more choices, and possibly greater confusion, for consumers."

The study found that 44 percent of consumers are looking to consumer-electronics manufacturers for connected theater products -- only 32 percent to PC companies.