In comparison to a less-than-stellar year in 2003, worldwide digital cable set top box unit shipments this year are shaping up nicely. Through the first six months of 2004, In-Stat/MDR estimates that cable set top manufacturers shipped just over 5.3 mln digital cable set top boxes, a healthy 14% increase over last year’s first-half total. Still, even with this much-improved growth rate, the market remains well behind the pace set during the glory days of 2001 when cable set top box manufacturers shipped over 14 mln boxes. In-Stat/MDR projects that worldwide digital cable set top box unit shipments will reach almost 11 mln units this year. In comparison to 9.8 mln units shipped in 2003, this year will be a welcome improvement for the cable equipment industry.