2006 Will Mark the End of the PC Era for Digital Music, as New Products Are Being Launched.

DUBLIN, Ireland -- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c31267) has announced the addition of The Digital Home: A New Dawn for Hi-Fi to their offering.

An Analysis of the Future of Home Audio

This report reviews the key changes that will take place in the home audio market and contains detailed descriptions of several breakthrough home audio product concepts that are technically possible today, now that music has become freed of the constraints imposed by the CD.

These detailed descriptions will provide strategy, product management and marketing executives with clear insight into how, at a product level, a hi-fi product could be integrated with a subscription music service, a personal music device, in-car systems and a mobile music service to deliver a superb, integrated user experience.

The product descriptions contain mock product designs and also screenshots that illustrate the user experience for functions such as music search. The report also describes the role of the TV as a means to access a music service.

For illustration purposes, the report looks at Sony and Apple, two companies that would be capable of introducing such an integrated offering.

The report then describes how such a 'next generation' home audio concept would be commercialised: the revenue opportunity is discussed, including the opportunity for in-product music promotions, targeted ads and the possibility of offering a 'master quality' streaming music service.

The marketing and promotional aspects are discussed together with the role of standards, which could open up the market to others or, alternatively, keep it restricted to vertical platform silos created by major, branded players.

Topics Covered

--Product Concepts

--Portable Devices

--Standards and Wireless

--User Experience

--Revenue Opportunity

--In-home Promotion

Summary

So far, digital music has been a PC-centric phenomenon which has developed without disturbing the cloistered world of home audio. But for digital entertainment purposes, 2006 marks the end of the PC era and a raft of new product announcements and partnerships at CES 2006 provides clear evidence that digital music is finally crawling out of the bedroom and will soon arrive in the living room, alongside the home hi-fi.

What does this trend mean for the traditional home audio industry? If, eventually, the CD goes the same way as vinyl and broadband internet lines are routinely connected to a fast-emerging category of digital home entertainment systems, rather than PCs, then the home audio industry will be transformed.

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c31267