COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The number of IP-enabled consumer devices in the home should grow from a current base of 64 million to 215 million in 2012, Multimedia Intelligence Inc. predicts in a new report and white paper. However, the number of ports will "far exceed" those utilized. MMI author Mark Kirstein pointed to the overlapping functionality of many devices in the home, which will leave some wireline or wireless ports unused, as well as the IP ports in set-top boxes that are not enabled by the service provider.

Semiconductors that enable the IP connection in home devices, including physical-layer and media access control devices, will grow from a current base of $560 million, to more than $2.5 billion by 2012. MMI predicts that Blu-Ray DVD players will represent the highest volume IP-enabled consumer system, while Ethernet will represent the most common network interface. Roughly half of all ports will be Ethernet, followed by 30 percent Wi-Fi, and 10 percent for powerline and coaxial interfaces.

 Growth in IP devices steady through 2012. Source: Multimedia Intelligence

MMI identified three specialized chip players as experiencing impressive growth rates in 2007. DS2, the Spanish powerline chip-set developer, experienced a 229 percent increase in shipments, albeit from a small base. Entropic Communications, a specialist in MoCA chip sets, had revenues of $137.6 million in 2007, an increase of 103 percent. Intellon, a HomePlug chip set supplier, saw revenue grow 55 percent in 2007, to $52.3 million.

MMI has developed a 13-page white paper, "IP-Enabled Consumer Electronics," which is based on a longer, more detailed report. Free downloads of the white paper, as well as information on the longer report, are available at www.multimediaintelligence.com.