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Guest Opinion
July 2000
Top box
The set-top box will be designed with standard features to satisfy many entertainment and interactive communication applications.
Ed Evans, Motorola
As home electronic technology is changing, so is the set-top box (STB). Motorola's vision of how the STB will grow up and change is that the STB will be designed with standard features to satisfy many entertainment and interactive communication applications. Examples include:
Delayed digital content viewing
True video on demand
High-definition screen formats
Internet and data casting applications
Communications hub for the home.
One standard feature that the STB will contain is delayed digital content viewing. Using a hard disk, STBs will be able to store multiple programs for later viewing, from movies to music programs to favorite TV programs. As the cost of hard disk space decreases, this feature will become a standard part of the STB's spec sheet. Delayed viewing gives consumers better control over their schedules.
True video on demand (VOD) will be another popular standard feature. Currently, all Motorola's digital STBs have this feature. True VOD allows individuals to access videos in real time, as the video is digitally streaming from a broadband service provider or a network operator location.
As high-definition screens become more popular, STBs will support high-definition screen formats with video and Web streaming simultaneously. More graphics and text will be mixed with video as these high-definition screens grow wider and provide sharper clarity. This feature will include true Internet data as well as data casting to complement current programs. Individuals will have the power to determine what information they want to view on screen while a program is in progress. For instance, a sports fanatic would be able to either hide or show a scoreboard while watching an important game.
More importantly, the digital STB will come to serve as the communication hub for the entire home. Network and wireless connectivity will permeate the home, and the STB will be a communication-centric network gateway. STBs will support traditional video, high-speed Internet access, and phone service, and will be flexible enough to support new functions. This home connectivity will drive to a wireless model. This includes the connection between the STB in the home, wireless and cellular phones, wireless network connections to PCs and printers, and several other applications emerging in the marketplace.
The homeowner will have access to a large amount of content and high-speed communication options in the very near future. Satellite, cable, and telephone providers will be competing for this new market of home entertainment, communication, and productivity. In the near future, these standard features will be emerging in all STBs, enabling a new level of communication and interconnectivity in the home. The possibilities will be limited only by the imagination.
Author information
Ed Evans is the director of consumer broadcast operations for Motorola.
Editor’s note: For more on the set-top box’s evolution,
see this issue’s cover story, "What's in the box?"
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