Digital Set-Tops: 55 Million Shipped

According to In-Stat, the cable set-top box market is having a solid year in 2011, primarily due to robust demand for digital cable set-top box products in Asia. In contrast, North American cable set-top box unit shipments are decreasing, largely due to the declining number of cable TV subscriber households, combined with cable TV operators tightening their capital expenditure budgets. New In-Stat research indicates that global digital set-top unit shipments are on track to exceed 55 million, down 1% from 2010 unit shipments."In-Stat believes that the long-term outlook for the cable set-top box market is positive," said Mike Paxton, In-Stat research director, in a statement. "Although we are projecting global unit shipments to decrease slightly in 2012 and 2013, the ongoing shift from analog cable services to digital cable services in the developing world will boost demand again in 2014."Motorola Mobility continues to be the leading cable set-top box manufacturer, followed by Cisco Systems. Demand for HD cable set-top boxes continues to be strong. In 2011, almost 11 million HD cable set-top boxes will ship worldwide. Total digital cable set-top box product revenues are projected to reach $6.5 billion in 2011.