The number of standards and their potential
for incompatibility may seem to doom
the market. But alliances and companies
alike are charging ahead, and they’re
already enjoying significant success.
According to HDMI Licensing LLC, more
than 750 consumer electronics and PC
manufacturers have adopted HDMI. More
than 229 million devices incorporating
HDMI are expected to ship in 2008, with
an installed base of nearly 1.2 billion HDMIenabled
devices projected by 2010, according
to market research company In-Stat.
The HomePNA organization says that
5 million HomePNA 3.1 chip sets targeting
IPTV use over coax and phone wires
have been shipped since the standard
was adopted. The group also has certified
almost 30 products and continues to host
plugfests designed to increase HomePNA’s
development and expansion. It is the only
home networking standard supported by the
International Telecommunication Union.
The HomePlug Powerline Alliance is surging
as well, with product shipments doubling
from 8 million to 16 million between March
2007 and March 2008. The group counts
more than 75 leading companies among
its members, including Cicso, Comcast, GE
Security, Intel, LG Electronics, Motorola,
Samsung, and Texas Instruments.
The Multimedia over Coax Alliance
(MoCA) doesn’t want to be left behind
either. According to the National Cable &
Telecommunications Association, about
90% of U.S. households are wired for coax
cable, with more than 300 million television
sets and 100 million cable and satellite
homes. Screen Digest says that there are
70 million cable subscribers in Europe,
and China will see 180 million digital cable
subscribers in 2009. That’s a big worldwide
market, and MoCA is ready for it.
