Nearly 2.5 million North American broadband households want to purchase a connected TV, according to Parks Associates.

Consumers will purchase the Internet-connected TVs if priced at a $100 premium over non-connected TVs, the study finds. That would turn into $250 million in revenue for the consumer electronics industry, Parks Associates says.

According to the study, video-on-demand content is the main attraction consumers find in connected TVs. Other desired features include:

• 33 percent of broadband households want on-screen widgets
• 27 percent want to access content stored on home computers

“Access to additional content is the key demand driver,” says John Barrett, director of research, Parks Associates.

“Most people can get popular video titles through their pay-TV providers, but if they want to watch niche or personal content on their TV, they have to burn or buy DVDs. With a connected TV, they suddenly have lots more options.”

Recent research by Oregan Networks unearthed similar data, saying 71 percent of respondents “prefer a default media browser to be installed” into their next HDTV. Oregan Networks adds that online services such as YouTube, Hulu, Netflix and CinemaNow add the most value to a TV set.

Connected TVs were quite the craze at CES 2009 in Las Vegas. Samsung alone rolled out three new lines of connected HDTVs.

Click here to view slideshow of 7 Connected HDTVs.