Friday, August 03, 2007

Set-tops Center of TV Battle

The intersection of TV over the Internet (IPTV) with cable boxes will cause a power struggle in the TV market, according to analyst firm ABI Research

Desire for HD set-tops, the emergence of retail (yes, you'll be able to buy a cable box at Best Buy and avoid those monthly charges) those with Tivo-like digital video recorder features will prompt a boom in the set-top market for the next few years that will slow after 2010.

Using broadband connections to create interactive TV (after only 20 years of waiting) will also be a game changer.

“In an effort to lock in customers, cable operators are migrating to newer STBs that offer features such as PVR (personal video recording) and high-definition support. Meanwhile telecom operators are leveraging IPTV technology to support interactive services.”

The piece that ABI Research is missing is displaying web video content on TVs. Clicking from the end of "Lost" directly to its website to purchase merchandise or get behind the scenes information is a powerful scenario. The technology is here now and should be perfected soon.

Posted By John Gartner at 10:31 AM
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