Digital set-top box shipments could exceed 200 million units worldwide by 2011, according to new forecasts from the business intelligence service IMS Research.
According to the report,
The Worldwide Market for Digital Set-Top Boxes & iDTVs – 2006 Edition, IMS suggests that the market for digital decoders is headed towards strong growth as satellite, cable and terrestrial operators worldwide focus on the adoption of advanced-service offerings such as video-on-demand, HDTV and PVRs.
Basic set-top boxes, due to rapid market uptake of digital terrestrial television (DTT) and free-to-air satellite, will drive much of this growth. Multiple set-top box homes and the growing popularity of home networking systems will also help fuel a sustained period of growth for digital decoders.
The new IMS report also notes that hybrid digital set-top boxes, typically a combination of satellite and internet protocol (IP) or digital terrestrial and IP reception capabilities, are becoming more common.
Europe led the market last year, which was attributed to the fast-rising popularity of both digital terrestrial and triple play services, with more than 225,000 hybrid units shipped. The Americas have been slower to embrace hybrid set-tops, with an estimated 59,000 units shipped in 2005.
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