Set-top box

As some 1960s-era 12-channel TV sets remained in use for many years, and Canada and Mexico were slower than the US to require UHF tuners to be factory-installed in new TVs, a market for these converters continued to exist for much of the 1970s.Block conversion of the entire affected frequency band onto UHF, while less common, was used by some models to provide full VCR compatibility and the ability to drive multiple TV sets, albeit with a somewhat nonstandard channel numbering scheme.In the United States, where the analogue shutdown was completed in 2009 for full-service broadcasters, a federal subsidy was offered for coupon-eligible converter boxes with deliberately limited capability which would restore signals lost to digital transition.By integrating varying delivery streams, hybrids (sometimes known as "TV-centric"[4]) enable pay-TV operators more flexible application deployment, which decreases the cost of launching new services, increases speed to market, and limits disruption for consumers.[8] UK-based Inview Technology has over 8 million STBs deployed in the UK for teletext and an original push VOD service for Top Up TV.[9] In the US and Europe, telephone companies use IPTV (often on ADSL or optical fibre networks) as a means to compete with traditional local cable television monopolies.This type of service is distinct from streaming television, which involves third-party content over the public Internet not controlled by the local system operator.The parental lock or content filters allow users over 18 years old to block access to channels that are not appropriate for children, using a personal identification number.The use of digital television signals in more modern pay-TV schemes requires that decoding take place before the digital-to-analogue conversion step, rendering the video outputs of an analogue SCART connector no longer suitable for interconnection to decryption hardware.Standards such as DVB's Common Interface and ATSC's CableCARD therefore use a PCMCIA-like card inserted as part of the digital signal path as their alternative to a tuner-equipped set-top box.
A typical modern set-top box, along with its remote control - pictured here a digital terrestrial TV receiver by TEAC
A consumer Palcom DSL-350 satellite-receiver; the IF demodulation tuner is on the bottom left, and a Fujitsu MPEG decoder CPU is in the center of the board. The power supply is on the right.
A Sky Q digital satellite receiver set-top box
An older digital cable TV set-top box
Lenovo A30 set-top box
An older model IPTV receiver set-top box built by Motorola
Set-top box firmware being updated
Pace Micro Technology DC757X set top box
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