In-Stat: STB market still strong

Set-top boxes designed for IPTV and satellite TV networks are keeping the STB market a strong sector for vendors even though cable TV STBs are on the decline, according to new research from In-Stat. Boxes supporting HDTV and DVR services also are doing their part. Global STB revenue reached $18 billion last year.

The digital TV transition helped create a "substantial bubble" of shipments last year and earlier this year before the DTV deadline, according to an In-Stat press release announcing the research. Therefore, 2010 could see a sharp drop in that part of the STB market.

It seems like there is a near-constant flow of innovations in alternatives to STBs, and last year saw a handful of predictions that the STB market could be headed for a precipitous drop, but for now, this core sector of the TV service provider business still has plenty of life in it.

For more:
- In-Stat has this press release

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