consulting
consulting

Tag Archive for 'digital TV'

Farncombe: Pay-TV shift to two-way networks will mean move away from smartcard-based conditional access systems

May 21, 2009 by Barry Flynn

Farncombe Consulting Group, which hosts this blog, has just published a new White Paper on how the Digital TV Conditional Access sector will be affected by the shift towards broadband-enabled pay-TV networks.

Written by Farncombe’s own highly-experienced group of in-house video security experts, the White Paper assesses the pros and cons of using smartcard-based and cardless systems in different types of pay-TV set-up, ranging from traditional one-way broadcast TV operations to broadband-enabled two-way IP and connected home networks.

The paper concludes that while smartcards continue to remain the solution of choice for protecting one-way systems, cardless-based solutions are preferable for protecting video content in IPTV, ‘over-the-top’ and home networking contexts.

For one-way networks migrating to broadband connectivity, meanwhile, both types of system have their advantages, depending largely on the availability, reliability and quality of the broadband network.

The White Paper’s authors go on to suggest that since the traditional one-way pay-TV world is slowly but surely changing into a two-way one, it is likely that there will be a gradual shift away from smartcard-based systems in favour of cardless ones - led by the digital cable sector.

A PDF of the new White Paper can be obtained from Farncombe by clicking here and filling in a simple registration form.

Posted in Broadband, Digital Cable, Digital Satellite, Digital Terrestrial, IPTV and TV-over-Internet. 0 Comments

Digital TV set-top market to defy down-turn, will grow at 10% this year - IMS Research

January 27, 2009 by Barry Flynn

A new report from Texas-based IMS Research has concluded that the digital set-top box market is one of the few segments that is defying the economic downturn, and predicts that volumes are expected to grow substantially through 2009 and 2010.

IMS argues that because TV is a cheap form of quality entertainment, it is one of the last costs to be cut by western households, while adoption in developing countries is continuing at unprecedented rates.

Accordingly, set-top box shipments in 2009 will see almost 10% growth over the previous year, the company predicts. Stephen Froehlich, an analyst in the company’s consumer electronics research group, comments that “Television remains one of the most economic forms of entertainment available and is traditionally one of the last expenses to be cut in tough times, making set-top boxes one of the few growth areas to be found in consumer electronics at the moment.”

The relative buoyancy of the set-top box market is also down to the fact that digital TV services are becoming available in new territories, says IMS. “Digital TV services, including HD, are also providing consumers the option of staying home to watch movies and sporting events, rather than paying for tickets and concessions at the theatre or sports field.” The company is forecasting that worldwide digital TV households will still see 20% growth over 2008.

However, there is a downside, the company says: annual set-top revenues are already near their peak, which it is forecasting to be $19 billion in 2011 - while prices of most types of set-top box are expected to decline by more than 10% each year.

“While there are some very real opportunities out there for suppliers to this market, they are getting harder and harder to find,” says Froehlich.

Posted in Research. 0 Comments