A total of 147.8 million set-top boxes will ship worldwide in 2010, an increase of 11.5 percent from 132.6 million units last year, according to an iSuppli Corp. study.
    The report, “Global Set-Top Box Shipment Forecast,” asserted that shipments will continue to rise in the next few years and reach 193.9 million units by 2014.
    iSuppli analyst Jagdish Rebello said that the set-top box market growth is largely coincides with increased projections for IPTV service take-up, with global IPTV subscribers increasing to more than 123 million units by 2014 and rising at a compound annual growth rate of almost 30 percent per year.
    “The rise in numbers in both set-top boxes and IPTV subscribers bears profound implications for consumers and OEMs, signaling a major paradigm shift in TV viewing,” Rebello said in the report.