PVR sales to hit 50m by 2014

Global PVR sales are expected to hit the 50 million mark in 2014, according to In-Stat.

The research predicts that worldwide revenues for last year will show a significant increase, rising by more than $1.2 billion on 2009 revenues.

The PVR market will benefit from the rising popularity of on-demand television, with viewers increasingly expecting more control over their TV schedule, according to Rapid TV News.

The key market driver for PVR products is likely to be digital terrestrial television set top boxes that integrate PVR capabilities.

However, PVR products will be overtaken by internet-enabled television sets.  Around 350 million connected TVs are expected to be sold worldwide by 2015, according to Parks Associates.

“The market has reached the fourth generation of connected TVs, and all major manufacturers are debuting new models at CES with innovations in content aggregation, apps development, and user interfaces,” said Kurt Scherf, VP, principal analyst, Parks Associates.

2011 has been dubbed the year of connected TV for some time, with the upcoming YouView launch and more and more IPTV sets hitting the shops – with more developments also expected, especially in the app arena.

Although, for now at least, PVRs remain one of the most cost-effective ways to manage your EPG (minus the rewind functionality offered by new connected TV services, of course).  Freeview+ offers subscription-free recording devices for as little as £75.  By comparison, YouView is likely to launch with a £200 price tag in the first half of this year.