According to a recent survey of the hybrid, IP-based set-top box sector, operators gave Cisco a slight edge over Motorola.

“In a change from the 2011 edition of our IP set-top box survey, Cisco is now perceived as the overall top IP set-top box supplier by operators, while Motorola was top dog last year,” said Jeff Heynen, directing analyst for broadband access and video at Infonetics Research. “This is consistent with our set-top box market share reporting, where Cisco has led in global IP STB revenue share for four straight quarters.

“Clearly, Cisco’s efforts over the past year to expand its IP set-top box lineup and customer base and the major contracts it has scored with AT&T, Deutsche Telekom and Telus are paying off.”

Cisco and Motorola were tied as the most installed IP set-top box suppliers among carriers, followed by Amino.

Of the service providers that took part in the survey, 94 percent said they were using IP set-top boxes to deliver video services.

Service providers identified the top-three applications that drove IP hybrid set-top box purchases, which were VOD, electronic program guide (EPG) and whole-home DVR. According to the results, EPG and VOD were in a dead heat at the top of the survey.

On the other end of the survey spectrum, set-top box social media functions were not rated highly by the survey respondents.

Other highlights from the survey included:

• Ethernet is the leading technology for connecting set-top boxes to home networks and sharing media with other devices, followed by 802.11n and universal plug and play (UPnP).
• Increases in HD programming and time-shifted viewing are placing greater storage burdens on the set-top box: 71 percent of operator respondents believed they will need more than 500 GB of hard drive capacity by next year.