Set-Top Box Shipments Grow

Sales of set-top boxes used for cable, satellite and broadcast television have expanded despite poor economic conditions. Although terrestrial and satellite set-top shipments were flat, cable boxes showed strong growth, driven by rollouts in China and other parts of the Asia-Pacific region. IPTV set-tops also are performing well, shipping more than 50% more systems in 2008 than the previous year. “Premium boxes — like DVR-enabled set-top boxes and HD products — will grow at a substantially higher rate than the 4.2% level for the overall set-top market in 2009, said Jordan Selburn, principal analyst for semiconductor design and STBs at iSuppli.