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View Full Version : Study: Set-Tops to Add More Function


Steve Mehs
01-28-03, 02:27 AM
Cable companies and DBS providers are seeking to increase revenues per subscriber and simultaneously reduce churn, and they may be able to do all that with a residential gateway-enabled set-top box.

According to a new study by research think tank Allied Business Intelligence (ABI), residential gateway functionality is quickly making its way into the set-top box. By incorporating advanced features such as PVR (personal video recorder), VOD (video on demand) and thin client functionality (video networking capabilities), set-top boxes are becoming more complex "brain centers" for the living room, the firm said.

In 2002, 33.4 million set-top boxes were sold, with 3.8 million of those units incorporating PVR functionality. ABI predicted that by 2008, of the 72.5 million set-top boxes shipped that year, approximately 68 percent, or 49.2 million units, will have PVR capabilities.

The research can be found in the new study, "Cable, Satellite and Terrestrial Set-Top Boxes Markets, Technologies and The Evolution of Advanced Feature Sets - PVR, VOD and Thin Clients," at: http://www.alliedworld.com.

From SkyReport (http://www.skyreport.com/skyreport/jan2003/012703.shtm#three) (Used with Permission)

Nick
01-28-03, 10:10 AM
Just think - a box with a brain, for the TV fanatic without one. I guess someone (or something) in the house ought to have a brain.

Do we really need a "brain" to help us watch TV? Or, is keeping up with all those insipid 'reality' shows become too much of a challenge for the average couch potato?

catman
01-28-03, 12:50 PM
That would be one way bill gates could get his windows XP in every home . By having them in PVRS .