Rishi,
General Instrument shipped 2million set top box in a short period of time and see the demand grow exponentially.....
Steve
"...........
"In the last year, I have never seen anything happen so fast in North American cable as I
have seen in my 20 years in the industry," General Instruments chief executive Edward
Breen said at a recent conference in Manhattan. "We shipped 2 million digital set-top units
to go into the home in the last year, and that number is exponentially growing. Most
customers are not even acquired through marketing--it's just word of mouth."
By July 2000, things will get even more interesting as the sale of cable set-top boxes at
retail stores becomes mandatory, as set forth by the Federal Communications
Commission.
Scientific-Atlanta and General Instrument are the largest set-top box makers but provide
most of their wares indirectly to consumers, through cable systems operated by such
companies as Comcast, Time Warner, and Telecommunications Incorporated. Consumer
electronics and PC companies such as Compaq Computer, may start competing against
them in 2000, resulting in a proliferation of potential features, though Scientific-Atlanta and
GI are still likely be the dominant players. Manufacturers are targeting devices priced in the
$300-to-$600 range, depending on features.
By 2001, more cable companies will offer true video-on-demand services, starting shows for
the customer when they are ordered online, not at hours determined earlier by the system.
"Pause" and "rewind" capabilities may be offered as well, with the addition of enough local
storage in the form of a hard drive or enough server capacity at the cable plant. .....
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