Talking at the Electronic House Expo (EHX) Cardenas explained why the future of A/V won't have much to do with, say the Blu-ray/HD DVD victor, but it will have everything to do with the Internet, he said during his "IP-based Networked Audio/Video and the Future of Home Entertainment" session.
First and foremost, Cardenas cited online music and movie download statistics -- almost 3 billion song downloads last year (U.S. numbers), CD sales dropping 5 percent (representing about $800 million), and 125,000 Disney movies downloaded in their first week of availability on iPods. Additionally, US retailers have joined companies such as MovieLink, CinemaNow and iTunes in offering online movies.
Cardenas pointed to Apple's AppleTV product as a key drivers that will help move IP-based home entertainment to the forefront.
He said that Companies like Amazon are investing millions in "storage farms" on the Internet to lease storage with 1 terrabyte for a $15/month subscription, for example, which will allow consumers to maintain all of their movies and music collections online as opposed to shelf after shelf of physical discs.
