Gaming consoles to drive media adapters

Home videogame consoles will play a large role in driving the market for digital media adapters (DMAs), the devices that allow users to send audiovisual content to their televisions and stereos, according to a new report from ABI Research.

By 2012, the DMA market will include 184 million deployed devices, ABI predicted. And 85% of those will be embedded within video game consoles.

“The manufacturers are aiming to make their consoles more like ‘media center’ devices, rather than being just for gaming,” said Steve Wilson, ABI’s principal analyst. “The advantage they have is market share: Their products ship in large volumes. The big question is whether gamers will actually make use of this added functionality built into their consoles.”

Consumers will be attracted to embedded DMAs rather than standalone devices, preferring not to add yet another box to their entertainment systems, ABI said. And they may get this embedded feature from a range of different providers, including digital video recorders, set-top box makers and television hardware manufacturers. For example, Sony recently introduced a function to its TVs called Bravia Internet Video Link, that connects its TVs to specific entertainment sites on the Internet. That development follows a trend of embedded DMAs offering direct connections to the Internet in addition to connecting personal computers to TVs and stereos.

This fall Microsoft’s Media Center Extender 2.0 is expected to hit the market with features that will make it easier to play copyrighted content, further fueling interest in DMA offerings, ABI said.