IHS reports global connectable STBs are to grow from 65.8 million units in 2012 to 125.6m by 2017, a 91% shipment surge driven mainly by the adoption of multimedia home gateways (MHGs).
A total of 45% of STBs shipped in 2017 will be connectable, up from 26% in 2012.
The analyst defines a connectable STB as one linkable to an IP network, usually via either ethernet or wifi. All types of pay-TV operators (cable, satellite, IPTV providers) distribute connectable STBs.
“Consumers increasingly are demanding connectivity from their electronics devices, and STBs are playing a central role in the networking of products,” IHS says. “Connected STBs perform all kinds of useful functions, including distributing DVR streams to TVs in multiple rooms, as well as delivering VoD and web content to various platforms. Furthermore, MHGs and their associated thin clients, which also employ connectivity, are being used by pay-TV operators to provide advanced services and content to all kinds of IP-connectable devices, including mobile products like smartphones and media tablets.”
The growth driver for connectable STBs are MHGs and cable system thin clients, devices accounting for 25% of shipments during the 2013-2017 period. An MHG is a converged STB/residential gatweay device handling video signals for IP distribution and routing to multiple client devices within a home. A thin client is a partner device interfacing between IP-based in-home video signals and a TV.
According to the analyst IPTV pay-TV operators will account for 39% of 2013 STB shipments, while the coming years will see rapid shipment growth of cable HD STBs in China and MHG migration in the rest of the world-- meaning cable will be the major connectable STB growth driver, with shipments growing at a 25.4% CAGR to 45.8m units in 2017.
