Set-top box (STB), usually refers to set-top box or set-top box, is a device that connects TV set with external signal source. It can convert the compressed digital signal into TV content and display it on TV. Signals can come from cables, satellite antennas, broadband networks and terrestrial broadcasts.
In addition to images and sounds that can be provided by analog TV, the set-top box also receives digital content, including electronic program guides, Internet pages, etc. It enables users to watch digital TV programs on existing TV sets and conduct interactive digital entertainment, education and business activities through the network.
Set-top box (STB) originated in the early 1990s, when it was mainly a descrambling device designed by European and American cable TV stations to solve the problem of cable TV viewing fee. Set-top box, as an auxiliary equipment of digital TV, began to pilot digital TV and HDTV in Europe and America in the late 1990s.
Its main function is to enable users to watch digital TV programs and high-definition digital TV programs with the original analog TV, that is, to provide digital-to-analog signal conversion function. This kind of set-top box is usually called digital TV set-top box. Digital TV set-top box has the characteristics of network environment and conditional access function.
The so-called network environment characteristics mean that different TV broadcast networks use different set-top boxes. According to ETSI, there are three kinds of digital TV transmission systems: DVB-C for receiving cable TV, DVB-S for receiving digital satellite tv, and DVB-T for receiving terrestrial broadcast TV. .
In recent years, with the development of broadband network, the application of the Internet has become more and more extensive, and people have sprouted the idea of watching TV using the Internet. In particular, the development of IPTV is in full swing, which has led to the active terminal market. Telecom equipment manufacturers have invested in the research and development of set-top boxes, and the original digital TV set-top box manufacturers are also testing two-way IP set-top boxes.
The set-top box has developed from a single dedicated set-top box for descrambling or digital-to-analog conversion to an IPTV set-top box that supports a variety of access modes and IP, has a variety of encoding and decoding capabilities and graphic browser functions, and can support business functions such as video on demand, time-shifted TV, network browsing, information service, distance education, medical care and interactive games. Including digital TV. In the future, IPTV set-top box, as a home digital platform, will be widely used in the expanding interactive multimedia digital content service field.