Advanced use of TV set top boxes

The set-top box (STB) or integrated receiver/decoder (IRD), while evolving from analog to digital, is also making the transformation from an entertainment appliance to an information appliance. Digital STBs use various kinds of delivery technologies to provide the consumer with many more channels, higher quality audio and video and a myriad of interactive capabilities. This gives customers a greater choice of what to watch and when, as well as what to read, hear and see on which appliance. Broadcasters now have the opportunity to provide a wide range of “infotainment” applications both within their existing marketplace, such as video on demand, and peripheral to their current base, such as distance learning, home shopping or games. As STBs become a ubiquitous consumer good, competition drives manufacturers to differentiate their product based on a combination of price, quality, service and function. On the other hand there is high merit in driving for standardization of the STB platform so as to facilitate inter-operability, fit for several markets and cost benefits due to broader mass production. This article describes some of the advanced features and how they are influenced by the converging computer, telecommunications and broadcasting fields. It expands on the opportunities to drive industry standards and to take advantage of the global nature of the technology by applying similar solutions to diverse markets