The worldwide satellite STB market has experienced slow to negative growth in recent years as both the number of subscribers and the conversion from SD to HD has impacted the market.
That trend is about to change as new In-Stat research forecasts that digital satellite STB unit shipments will grow by nearly 14% in 2012. Pace is once again top supplier of satellite STBs.
“New technology in many ways is powering the expected uptick in unit shipments,” said Michelle Abraham, research director.
“Increasingly powerful processors enable a more personalised viewing experience with downloadable apps and recommendation engines. An improved graphics capability also enhances the user experience, providing satellite service providers with a new feature set to compete for subscribers.”
According to the research, the Asian market is expected to stabilise, following slow subscriber growth.
In North America, the move to a server/client model impacts shipments because client devices will not all be set top boxes.
The Indian market has experienced huge growth with six platforms competing for subscribers.
Pace was once again the top supplier of satellite STBs in 2010, with Technicolor and EchoStar following, as was the case in 2009.
SD PVRs will disappear in some markets in favour of HD PVRs, although In-Stat expects them to remain in some cost-conscious markets.
