'Billions' of broadband video homes by 2020
New report foresees video-enabled home networks spanning the globe
Broadband and hybrid video systems will grow to dominate television over the next decade, according to a new report by high analyst firm Research and Markets.
According to new research, the number of global broadband households will near 440 million by 2010 and top 1.2 billion by 2030.
During that same time, the number of broadband-enabled home networks will grow from 150 million in 2010 to more than 1.0 billion in 2030. With such infrastructure in place, broadband-enabled services - especially video - will grow dramatically.
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The report's author, Dr Predrag Filipovic, says: "By 2020, virtually every broadband-enabled home will have a multitude of network-connected video platforms. Though the pace at which this occurs will vary by region, its inevitability is unquestionable."
In short term, he says, consumer electronic companies will embed Internet support and IP video subsystems into all kinds of devices, even as TV set-top boxes embrace broadband connectivity.
Filipovic also notes that by 2020, more than 1.6 billion households around the world will have access to some form of home video service, with Asia enjoying the most rapid growth.
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The number of individual non-portable network-enabled video nodes (such as IP TVs) within global homes will reach 3.6 billion by 2020 and top five billion by 2030.