Hybrid Web-to-TV STB market to grow by 2014

As internet video service is the new trend, hybrid Web-to-TV STBs market worldwide will reach Rs.6,105.95 crore ($1.3 billion) by 2014, bringing a new set of Internet services to TV sets, according to In-Stat

Projects are being done to create "hybrid" services that bring apps and widgets to TV programming, along with advanced advertising. Current market data is presented by IMS Research.

Gaming consoles, Blu-ray players, and TV sets are all linking to the Web, and nearly everything on the Internet is becoming accessible on smart phones and other connected devices. In-Stat's principal analyst Gerry Kaufhold cites, "TV programmes have come to the Internet. Now, the Internet is coming back to TV, and savvy software engineers and smart TV producers are finding ways to create new "hybrid" services that bring it all together."

In-Stat's research reveals that hybrid-capable STBs are shipping currently but still only a small percentage are using such capabilities. Between 2010 and 2014, hybrid-box category growth will be driven by digital terrestrial boxes with a CAGR of 42 per cent.

Intel's x86 Instruction Set promises to be a key enabler, as Adobe FLASH, Windows Media, Microsoft Silverlight, DiVX, and VP8 appear first on an x86 Instruction Set.

Regionally, Western Europe will see the most action in the development of hybrid services. Trends will vary across the globe as different regions will pursue development in unique directions

Statistical as well as qualitative information on digital STB and iDTV markets across the globe are also now being reported by IMS Research online. The key points made by the analyst firm in its latest update cover China, India and Spain. IMS says that the China FTA platform is problematic due to the high volume of grey market STBs. In India, pay satellite looks very promising given the higher-than-expected household penetration. In Spain, the pay-TV industry was definitely not spared from the economic crunch and thus has a dimmer outlook.

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