iPad Helps Spark a Cable Set-Top Revolution

NEW YORK, Oct. 19 /PRNewswire/ --The arrival of high-powered end-user devices such as the Apple iPad is driving cable network operators to demand more sophisticated set-top boxes (STBs) from equipment suppliers, a trend that will have a significant impact on the STB sector over the next several years, according to the latest report from Heavy Reading Cable Industry Insider (www.heavyreading.com/cable), a subscription research service from Heavy Reading (www.heavyreading.com).

Set-Tops Gone Wild: iPads & IP Revolutionize Cable Devices takes a high-level view of cable's strategic options with STBs and related video devices. The report identifies and analyzes the key market drivers that are affecting cable MSO purchasing decisions regarding STBs and other end-user devices, and it pinpoints current STB strategies among Tier 1 US cable operators. The report details STB options now available to cable MSOs and profiles 12 leading suppliers in the STB market.

For a list of companies covered in this report, please see:

http://img.lightreading.com/cii/pdf/cii1010_companies.pdf

"The STB, the primary cable component inside millions of US homes, is morphing, expanding, and extending itself with new features and functionality," notes Craig Leddy, research analyst with Heavy Reading Cable Industry Insider and author of the report. "By utilizing the best capabilities of each device platform, a cable MSO can tailor its services to meet individual customer interests."

The new range of options is stretching and redefining the traditional meaning of STBs, Leddy says. "Emerging devices are helping cable to serve multiple screen and add more interactive and on-demand features to video content," he explains. "The result could be a treasure trove of new cable capabilities that will retain customers in the face of satellite and telco competition and produce new revenue opportunities."

Key findings of Set-Tops Gone Wild: iPads & IP Revolutionize Cable Devices include the following:

• Cable is redefining the STB by embracing new devices to meet its in-home video needs.
• Never before have MSOs had so many options for devices and capabilities, including next-generation STBs, DTAs, and broadband-connected devices.
• Comcast's demo of an iPad app that extends the functionality of conventional STBs is likely to spark more efforts to meld STBs with other end-user devices.
• MSOs are curtailing spending on leased STBs and seeking next-gen architectures to handle multiple video formats.
• The STB market is likely to become fragmented as MSOs use different devices for unique customer need.

Set-Tops Gone Wild: iPads & IP Revolutionize Cable Devices is available as part of an annual subscription (six issues) to Heavy Reading Cable Industry Insider, priced at $1,595. Individual reports are available for $900.

To subscribe, or for more information about Heavy Reading Cable Industry Insider, please visit: www.heavyreading.com/cable. For more information about other Heavy Reading Insider research services, please visit: www.heavyreading.com/research.

To request a free executive summary of the report, or for details on multi-user licensing options, please contact:

About Heavy Reading

Heavy Reading is an independent market research organization offering quantitative analysis of telecom technology to service providers, vendors, and investors. Its mandate is to provide the comprehensive competitive analysis needed today for the deployment of profitable networks based on next-generation hardware and software.

About UBM TechWeb

UBM TechWeb, the global leader in technology media and professional information, enables people and organizations to harness the transformative power of technology. Through its three core businesses – media solutions, marketing services and paid content – UBM TechWeb produces the most respected and consumed brands and media applications in the technology market. More than 14.5 million business and technology professionals (CIOs and IT managers, Web & Digital professionals, Software Developers, Government decision makers, and Telecom providers) actively engage in UBM TechWeb's communities and information resources monthly. UBM TechWeb brands includes: global face-to-face events such as Interop, Web 2.0, Black Hat and Enterprise Connect; award-winning online resources such as InformationWeek, Light Reading, and Network Computing; and market-leading magazines InformationWeek, Wall Street & Technology, and Advanced Trading. UBM TechWeb is a UBM company, a global provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than $2.5 billion.

About United Business Media Limited

UBM (UBM.L) focuses on two principal activities: worldwide information distribution, targeting and monitoring; and, the development and monetization of B2B communities and markets. UBM's businesses inform markets and serve professional commercial communities – from doctors to game developers, from journalists to jewelry traders, from farmers to pharmacists – with integrated events, online, print and business information products. Our 6,500 staff in more than 30 countries are organized into specialist teams that serve these communities, bringing buyers and sellers together, helping them to do business and their markets to work effectively and efficiently. For more information, go to http://www.unitedbusinessmedia.com.

SOURCE Heavy Reading

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