Networked Homes Ripe For PC-Based Entertainment

In addition, more than three in 10 adults with home networks would also like to download, pictures, video, and music to their televisions, Harris Interactive reported in a survey of more than 1,000 people 18 or older. Fully, 35% would also prefer to have their PCs control household systems, such as lighting, security, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning.

While PC sales were "tepid" last year, the desire to do more with the home computer could drive demand in the future for more powerful computers with multi-core processors, Harris said. More than one in five of the survey respondents plan to buy a new PC within the next 12 months, and 44% of them wanted a dual-core processor. Another 14% would purchase quad-core processors, and 9% favor single core. The remainder hadn't made up their minds.

E-mail, Web surfing, and shopping topped the list of computer chores for the vast majority of U.S. adults, but other new applications were closing in, including banking, travel arrangements, and listening to music.