Digital Set-Top Box Market Still Strong

The digital STB market remains a "tremendous opportunity” for manufacturers and technology providers, according to In-Stat. The research company reports that the overall digital STB market grew from 37 million units in 2001 to nearly 190 million units in 2008, with product revenue at $18 billion. In 2009, In-Stat says, growth turned mixed across STB markets, with cable STB shipments declining and satellite, IP (Internet Protocol), and digital-terrestrial segments continuing to see unit growth. "The transition from standard-definition to high-definition STBs will continue to provide STB vendors a solid growth opportunity,” says Mike Paxton, an In-Stat analyst. "The integration of personal video recording capability is also creating growth opportunities.” According to In-Stat, IP-STB shipments to telephone-company TV service providers are slowing as subscriber growth matures and moderates.

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