Kurt Scherf, principal analyst at Dallas market research firm Parks Associates, said that another off-the-shelf consumer technology driving both the enthusiast and professional home theater markets is Internet-connected televisions.

These devices connect to networks either through cables or wirelessly and often have an array of built-in apps for watching videos or listening to music. A standard remote control is the only tool needed.

"The fact that you have connected or smart TVs that are Internet-enabled, that's certainly going to be a prevalent part of any A/V system going forward, whether it's a custom-installed home theater system or a standard living room setup," Scherf said.

He estimated that about 40 percent to 45 percent of HDTVs sold this year will be Internet-capable.

It's not just Apple While Apple is the name on everyone's lips these days when it comes to digital media services, other companies are having success as well, Scherf said.

For example, Microsoft's Xbox 360 video game console streams videos from Netflix and Hulu and even some live sports broadcasts from ESPN, and the Sony PS3 has similar capabilities.

And service providers such as Time Warner Cable, Verizon and others are releasing consumer products that do everything from letting you watch your cable channels on an iPad to putting caller ID on your TV.

"We've come a very long way since the very early days of 'plug and pray' to actually having products that do interact and work with each other," Scherf said.

From the article, "Off-the-shelf technology taking bigger role in home theaters"

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