For the second consecutive year, demand for digital cable set top
boxes remains soft as cable TV operators around the world continue to
reduce their capital expenditures. Worldwide digital cable set top box
unit shipments are projected to reach 9.97 million this year, a slight
decrease from the 10.03 million unit shipments in 2002.
Digital cable set top boxes with integrated PVR capabilities are
generating a great deal of interest among cable TV operators. In 2002,
there were only 80,000 worldwide unit shipments of PVR-enabled boxes. In
2003, this total is projected to jump to almost 800,000.