Dallas - Worldwide shipments of video-capable portable media players will hit 132 million units in 2011, growing at an annualized rate of 30% over the next five years, according to a report from market research firm Parks Associates.

Growth will be fueled by MP3 player makers looking to add video capability to their devices, the firm said.

Flash memory-based media players are expected to overtake hard drive-based players in worldwide market share.

In North America in particular, market share for flash-based video media players is projected to rise from 15% in 2006 to 77% in 2011.

"Flash memory's merits, such as durability, small form factor, and low power consumption, make it the preferred storage medium for video PMP manufacturers," said Parks Associates senior analyst Harry Wang.

"Barring any significant developments in the online video market, the use of hard-disk drive on the PMP platform will trail substantially."

(Editor's Note: Parks Associates is a sponsor of DMWmedia.com.)

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