Entelligence: TV on a PC

Every Thursday Michael Gartenberg of Jupiter Research contributes an interesting item of gadget-related research data. This week's factoid: TV on a PC.

With the release this week of Media Center 2005 from Microsoft, the now old discussion re-emerges of whether consumers really want to watch TV on their PCs. A recent JupiterResearch survey reports that only 34 percent of online users want to record TV on their PCs to watch on their PCs' monitors. That, however, isn't the real question to ask. When asked about the ability to record TV on their PCs and then watch this content on their TV, the number of consumers interested changes dramatically to 51 percent. PC hardware and networking OEMs do have an opportunity to broaden their entertainment reach into passive video—including DVD, TV, and personal video recorder (PVR) functionality. However, the opportunity involves supplementing, not replacing, homes' primary TVs and is going to require a significant amount of education and marketing to be successful.

Question (sample was split randomly into two equal parts): "Computer manufacturers are developing new technologies that will allow you to use your computer to manage media, video, audio, games, etc. You will be able to create and edit music, video, etc. on your computer, but watch and listen through the TV, stereo, etc. Which of the following activities are you interested in doing on such a computer, using your TV and stereo or home theater system? (Select all that apply.)"

Source: Jupiter Research/Ipsos-Insight Consumer Survey (7/03), n = 1,432 (US only)
©2004 Jupiter Research, a division of Jupitermedia Corporation.

Michael Gartenberg is vice president and research director for the Personal Technology & Access and Custom Research groups at Jupiter Research in New York. Contact him at mgartenberg@jupitermedia.com. His weblog and RSS feed are at http://weblogs.jupiterresearch.com/analysts/gartenberg.