That Windows ante to use the new MediaSmart servers won't hurt HP in the demand department, according to Kurt Scherf, vice president and principle analyst at Parks Associates in Dallas, Texas. Citing findings from Parks research of the home market, he told MacNewsWorld, "Demand for enhancements and storage is pretty low among the pure Mac households."

"About 10 percent of all broadband households have at least one Mac and one PC in the home," he continued. "and when you look at the demand in those households, it is very strong for backing up, for media storage, for media sharing." "The HP strategy is right on in terms of targeting," he added.

Despite the growth of digital media creation by consumers, storage hasn't gained much mindshare in the market, according to Scherf. Only 8 percent of respondents in a recent consumer survey conducted by Parks were "highly familiar" with media servers, he said. That compares to 13 percent who were highly familiar with Blu-ray DVD players and 50 percent with a home network router. "The awareness is really limited, which crimps the demand right there," he observed.

However, that's bound to change, he maintained. Parks conservatively estimates that within five years, the average home's media storage requirement will be enormous. "When you take into account the photos and the music and the video and managed copy for Blu-ray discs, you're looking at a terabyte or more of storage for the average home for digital media," he noted.

From the article, "HP Works Macs Into the Media Server Mix" by John P. Mello Jr.

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