Home Computer Audio Listening Popular in U.S.

By RS Staff, 6.25.2007

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Arlington, VA--Seventy-two percent of online adults in the U.S. are using their home computers to listen to audio content, according to a new study by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). Computer-Sourced Audio Consumption in the Home reveals that rapid penetration of the PC in U.S. households (now estimated at 82 percent) has more and more consumers looking to their home computer instead of their TV, DVD player or CD player for a home audio experience.

In the span of a few years, the PC has risen from an enigmatic beige box to what some consumers today might call the epicenter of infotainment in the home, said Steve Koenig, CEAs senior manager of industry analysis.

The study showed that 86 percent of home PC audio users are satisfied with their computer-sourced audio experience. However, more than one-third of home PC audio users cite the need for better sound quality. In fact, when forced to choose between having a quality audio experience and owning a large number of audio files, almost half (47 percent) of home PC audio users chose quality over quantity.

Music remains the most universal type of content that consumers listen to on computers today. Seventy-seven percent of home PC audio users listen to music on their PC an average of nine hours per week. While physical media remains the primary source of audio content among overall home PC audio users, the Internet and digital files also represent significant sources of content.

The study also revealed an emerging area of opportunity in bridging the divide between PCs and home audio systems. Only 9 percent of home PC audio users currently connect their PC to their home audio systems.

The PC has claimed its place as a hub of audio content procurement and playback in the home, Koenig said. The next step is to allow consumers to see the benefits of connecting their PC to their existing home audio system for a more enjoyable home audio experience.

Computer-Sourced Audio Consumption in the Home (June 2007) was conducted in April 2007. It was designed and formulated by CEA Market Research.

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