Abstract
This is the third Screen Digest report to focus on the roll-out of high-definition across the audiovisual industries, and focuses on the set-top box business and the market for HD video decoding chips. With the number of HD-ready households in the 17 top western European markets projected to reach 82m by 2010, Screen Digest forecasts a significant market for HD set-top boxes for satellite, cable, IPTV and terrestrial pay-TV platforms.
While early HD launches, particularly in the US, used MPEG-2 video compression, almost all new HD launches are now using the more efficient MPEG-4 Advanced Video Codec (AVC) encoding. This has created a significant new market for MPEG-4 decoding chipsets and MPEG-4 set-top boxes.
The report profiles all of the major players in the industry, including set-top box makers, AVC chipset suppliers and silicon intellectual property providers. It values the European market for AVC silicon and set-top boxes with forecasts to 2010, based on Screen Digest' s HDTV models. The report also maps all current deployments of HD set-top boxes by TV operator/platform, set-top box provider, set-top box models and chipsets used.
Key findings:
- HD ready households in the top 17 European markets reaching 82m by 2010
- Of these, 17m will be ' HD watching' -- i.e. requiring an HDTV set-top box to receive hi-def content
- HD pay TV platforms had been launched in 11 European countries by the end of 2006, with many more expected in 2007
- While early HDTV launches in the US have used mostly MPEG-2 video compression, the vast majority of HD services in the rest of the world are using more efficient MPEG-4 encoding, specifically the Advanced Video Codec (AVC)
- After a slow start, AVC-decoding chipsets became readily available in the second half of 2006 from manufacturers including Broadcom, Conexant, Sigma Designs, STMicroelectronics and Texas Instruments
- AVC HD set-top boxes have been deployed by a number of manufacturers including ADB, Amstrad, EchoStar, Humax, LG, Netgem, Pace, Philips, Sagem, Scientific Atlanta and Thomson
- AVC chipsets are also needed in the much larger market for HD DVD players, Blu-ray Disc players and hi-def games consoles
- The AVC-chipset market is fast-developing: while many early chipset designs used an existing MPEG-2 chip with an AVC decoder added, single-chip designs are now emerging, with dual-decoding channels.
- Improved designs and manufacturing experience is increasing yields and reducing costs
- Support for home networking and secure transfer of HD content to portable devices is already being supported by chipset and set-top box makers, though has not been deployed by pay TV operators
- Screen Digest forecasts a European market for 8m AVC set-top boxes by 2010, worth nearly € 700m
- The European market for AVC chipsets, including those used in disc players and games consoles, is projected to be worth € 344m in 2010
- .
Table of Contents
Executive summary
1. HDTV roll- out and forecasts
- HD drivers
- HD services take-up and forecasts
- HD ready households
- HD watching households
- Availability of HD broadcast and HD content
- HD across delivery platforms
- HD influences
- Display technology
- China
- Picture quality is an issue
- High definition home video discs
- Home networking
- The European market for HD set- top boxes and HD semiconductors
- Scenarios for migration to MPEG-4 AVC
2. High definition technology
- Background
- Why resolution matters
- The importance of encoding
- MPEG- 2 HDTV
- MPEG- 4 AVC
- VC- 1 encoding
- Set- top box overview
- Falling single- channel decoder costs
- Dual-channel designs
- New system partitioning
- Semiconductor manufacturing
- Box design cycle
- Other HD cost factors
- Memory
- HD challenges
- Terrestrial HD broadcasting
- AVC licensing
- Media Centres and hybrid STBs
- Copy protection
- Microsoft DRM
- Secure Video Processor
- TrustZone
- HD-ready displays
- EICTA' s ' HD ready' minimum requirements for TV sets
3. MPEG- 4 decoder silicon manufacturers
- AMD
- Broadcom
- Conexant Systems
- Fujitsu
- LSI Logic
- Micronas (WISchip International)
- MND
- NEC Electronics
- Neotion
- NXP Semiconductor
- Pixelworks
- Sigma Designs
- STMicroelectronics
- Texas Instruments
- Vivace Semiconductor
- Zoran
4. MPEG- 4 silicon intellectual property providers
- ARM
- ARC International
- Imagination Technologies
- Improv Systems
- Matsushita (Elixent)
- MIPS Technologies
- Renesas Technology
- Silicon Image (Sci- worx)
- Tensilica
5. HDTV Set- top box providers
- Advanced Digital Broadcast
- Amino Communications
- Amstrad
- Apple
- Cisco (includes Scientific Atlanta)
- Coship Electronics
- Echostar
- Humax
- LG Electronics
- Matsushita (Panasonic)
- Motorola
- Netgem
- Pace Micro Technology
- Philips Consumer Electronics
- Pioneer
- Sagem Communication
- Samsung
- Sony
- Tatung
- Thomson
- Tilgin
- Toshiba
- Wegener
Glossary
Tables and Charts
1. HDTV roll- out and forecasts
- World top 22 markets: HD ready households
- World top 22 markets: HD ready households share of all TV households
- HD Ready Households
- HD Watching Households
- Europe: TV Households, HD ready and HD watching
- World top 22 markets: total HDTV-watching households (free and pay)
- World top 22 markets: HD watching households share of all TV households
- World HD platforms launched 2003-2007
- HD launches by country and delivery platform
- Factors creating demand for HD- decoding AVC silicon
- The Market Model used by Screen Digest
- Europe (top 17 markets): Market volume for AVC MPEG- 4 STBs and devices
- Europe (top 17 markets): Market volume for AVC decoding chipsets
- Europe (top 17 markets): Market volume for AVC MPEG- 4 STBs and devices
2. High definition technology
- SD & HD broadcasts: typical resolutions and bit rates
- Average price per MPEG- 4- HD channel at year- end (dual- channel chipset)
- Average price per MPEG- 4- HD channel at year- end (single- channel chipset)
- The set- top box cycle, from chip design to operator roll- out
- The Secure Video Processor eco- system
- HD platforms deployed by set- top box/AVC decoder
3. MPEG- 4 decoder silicon manufacturers
- MPEG- 4 chipsets: product range and production
- Overview of chipset manufacturers
- Shipments of AVC chipsets to Europe: leading manufacturers
5. HDTV Set- top box providers
- Price decline of MPEG- 2 and MPEG- 4 set- top boxes
