10   Set Top Boxes

Navigation is almost the crux of the future of television; not everyone has figured it out yet, but they will.

—Tim Hanlon, vice president, Starcom MediaVest

Probably the most visible component of an IPTV network to most consumers is the set top box (STB) that usually resides in close vicinity (or even on top of) their television sets. This box provides a number of significant functions and can have a huge impact on the customers’ viewing experiences. The STB also produces essentially all of the information shown on a user's display that is not video and audio programming.

STBs can represent a significant portion of a service provider's total investment per subscriber, so selecting the correct set of functions is critical. ...

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