GUJARAT TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY

Chandkheda , Ahmedabad
Affiliated

A D Patel Institute Of Technology,

New V.V. Nagar
A
Project Report
On

“Information on Cable TV Set top box ”

Under subject of
Audio Video System
BE Semester – V
(Electronics and Communication Engineering)

Submitted By:
Neelofar Vahora
150010111014

Prof. Mayur Parmar

Course Co-ordinator

Dr. Hetal Patel

Head of the Department

Academic Year :- 2017 - 18

 Index

Sr. Topic
No.

1 Introduction

2 Literature review

3 Comparative analysis

4 Conclusion & future scope

5 References

6 Research Paper

7 Summary of Research Paper

 Introduction
The set top box can demodulate the signal and convert it into audio and video signal.

It is an information appliance device that generally contains a TV-tuner input and displays
output to a television set and an external source of signal, turning the source signal
into content in a form that can then be displayed on the television screen or other display
device.

They are used in cable television, satellite television, and over-the-air television systems, as
well as other uses.

Block 1 – MPEG Decoder main processor:

In standby no TV picture so the MPEG decoder (along with D-A conversion and composite
video encoding) can be disabled to reduce power consumption. Increasingly, this MPEG
decoding to output streaming (digital and analogue output interfaces) is an integral part of the
main processor. The choice of software architecture can also have significant impact on
energy consumption.
Block 2 – RF front end:

In the stand by passive state the RF front-end can be disabled or put into sleep mode. This
also applies to two or more RF Tuners in STBs with integral storage, where the STB
automatically comes out of standby to download data it may be possible to reduce clock
frequency to save power if processing data with a low symbol rate.

Block 3 – Power Supply and power distribution:

In the standby mode, where there is no self powered auxiliary microprocessor control
unit(MCU) an internal power supply will still be active. For STBs using an external power
supply, this will always be active and must have good energy efficiency characteristics.
Power supply conversion efficiency at light load becomes important both in external and
internal supplies.

Block 4 – Digital I/O and modem:

When required there circuits may be ideal for much of the time, even when the rest of the
STB is fully active.

 TUNER - It selects particular channel range from 48MHz to 840MHz.

 DEMODULATOR - Selected channel demodulator and fed on decoder.
 DECODER – It has D to A converter which provides audio and video signal.
 MICROCONTROLLER - It controls all the process performed by the blocks.
 Literature Review
 “A Set-top-Box (STB) is a very common name heard in the consumer electronics market. It is
a device that is attached to a Television for enhancing its functions or the quality of its
functions. On the other side, the STB is connected to an external source of signal, like
satellite, cable, terrestrial or internet. The STB processes the signal it receives, turns it into
content, which is then displayed on the television screen or other display device.

 There are different types of STBs based on what kind of signals it can receive and what kind
of processing it can do. The most widely used STBs are DVB STBs, which receive DVB
(Digital Video Broadcast) transmission. This digital TV broadcast can be any one of the three
types – Satellite, Cable or Terrestrial (DVB-S, DVB-C or DVB-T). Another type of STBs are
IPTV STBs, which are used to bring broadband content, the data shared on the internet
including multimedia, to Television. There are many other types of STBs based on different
standards and geographies.

 A new device was required to bring in the enormous possibilities of infotainment from the
internet, along with DVB reception. Thus the idea of Hybrid STB came into picture, which is
a Set-top-Box providing Broadcast and Broadband content to the consumer on the same
device. The Hybrid STB enables the Television to be used both for TV
reception of DVB programmes as well as for Internet access and other PC like functions.
Thus Hybrid STB is a device which provides the capabilities of both DVB STB and IPTV
STB on the same platform, bringing access to DVB– S/C/T and Broadband internet together.
This provides DVB-over-IP services. ” – (1)

 “This paper provides a detailed analysis of the current trends prevalent in the Set Top Box
(STB) industry in India. The persistent demand -supply gap for STBs and the lacunae of
Indian electronic hardware manufacturing is under review. This paper attributes the
chequered and lopsided growth as well as heavy reliance on the imported components and
finished products to the technology business ecosystem in which STB industry is operating.
The immediate context of ecosystem of STBs is focused in terms of the concentric yet
overlapping circles of STB manufacturing companies, producers of sub-systems and the
component manufacturers. Subsequently, the way in which the policy regime and economic
system which in short can be called as the wider tech business ecosystem has significantly
contributed to the present state of STB industry in particular and electronic hardware in
general has been brought out. Finally, the policy considerations that emerge from the
immediate and wider tech business ecosystem have been identified and presented.

 A set top box is a device that enables a television set to become a user interface to the internet
and also enables a television set to receive and decode digital television (DTV) broadcasts.
DTV set top boxes are sometimes called receivers. In fact they are like a specialized
computer with internet usage. A set top box is necessary to television viewers who wish to
use their current analogue television sets to receive digital broadcasts.” – (2)
 Future Scope & Conclusion

Future Scope: Behind the array of new technology and optimism on show at last week’s
Internet Protocol TV world forum in London, an underlying air of apprehension was
perceptible. The potential concern for the TV set-top box makers at the convention was all
around them, albeit in a wireless form: the internet. As the variety of TV content available
over the internet expands, the future market for makers of TV set-top boxes – such as Virgin
Media’s TiVo and Sky’s Plus – has been called into question. Why would a consumer pay for
a subscription to use a set-top box when “smart TVs” allow direct access to internet content,
known as over the top (OTT), for free? The market is being squeezed as consumers shift to
downloading TV programmes and videos over the internet from companies such as
LoveFilm, Google and Netflix, whilst free content is available from services including the
BBC’s iPlayer, Channel Four’s OnDemand and the ITV Player. Furthermore, BBC’s iPlayer
on-demand TV service recently became available on all the UK’s major gaming platforms,
including Microsoft’s Xbox360. The internet TV trend has been touted as a potential killer of
set-top box makers, which include Yorkshire-based Pace, the world’s biggest maker of TV
set-top boxes by shipments, and Aim-traded Amino Technologies. Such concerns took
concrete form in January when IP Vision, maker of the Fetch box for viewing internet video
on a TV, went into administration. Although much smaller than Pace, Cambridge-based
Amino has the advantage of being backed by chip maker Intel, and the group used the IPTV
forum for the UK launch of its latest box, the Freedom Live Media Gateway. “Set-top boxes
are still the best way to improve functionality and ensure security,” says Donald McGarva,
the new chief executive of Amino. “It’s still quite a youthful environment for these boxes and
OTT – it’s not going to be a binary outcome where one wins and the other loses.” Such
confidence is echoed by Mike Pulli, chief executive of Pace: “OTT is just another mechanism
to deliver content. We see [internet TV] as a complementary service rather than a
replacement service.” According to Andrew Darley, a technology analyst at Finncap: “The
key to understanding TV consumption is to differentiate between TV as a service and a TV as
a product. “As a product, you buy the TV of the moment; but for content you still choose the
service provider – in the UK, public service (BBC) or a private service provider (Sky or
Virgin).” The other challenge facing set-top box manufacturers is the use of “the cloud” –
where content is accessed over the internet. “The OTT services might lack content but they
have shown up pay-TV in terms of the user interface and experience,” says Giles Cottle,
principal analyst at Informa. “Moving to the cloud can enable operators to compete more
effectively in these areas.” With the forthcoming launch of the YouView box – the long
awaited internet-television service that is in effect an upgraded Freeview box with on-demand
and iPlayer-like services – competition for TV services is getting hotter. Consumers are
demanding higher-quality content in various formats (TV, mobile, PC and tablet), and the
latest set-top boxes such as those from Amino combine broadcast, on-demand and open
internet services. “I don’t have a crystal ball, I don’t know what will happen in 20 years’
time,” says Amino’s Mr McGarva. “But set-top boxes have been predicted to die many times
now. So far, they’re still going strong.”
Conclusion:
For the there will be strong trend towards very flexible decoders in the form of signal
processors and fast CPU’s possibly even combined in one large digital processing CPU. The
arrangements for sending information from terminal (STB) into the network can be improved
both in latency and in throughout. The graphic subsystem is likely to grow towards 3D
applications. STB software hides the machine and network specific features of a set top box
under a layer of abstraction and provides a user friendly interface to access cable television
and video information services. The software components are likely to increase with more
integration and more programmable components .This will increase the flexibility of STB.
 Comparative Analysis
 Advantages of STB –
 It gives more picture & sound clarity
 It can be mpeg4 or HD
 It enables to play games on TV w/o a disc or software
 It gives more number of channels
 Parental locks
 Recording options
 Organized channels
 Forward and rewind play stop option
 Disadvantages of STB –
 In heavy rain or bad weather, signals can disrupt
 Power bill is higher
 Channel changing is slower
 Every TV needs individual set top box
 References
 (1) – A Whitepaper on hybrid set – top box (Saina N – QuEST Global)

 (2) - The state of Set Top Box Industry in India: Issues and road ahead. A Tech-business
ecosystem perspective (Sabina Shamim - Research Scholar, Centre for Knowledge
Innovation and Culture Studies, School of Social Sciences, University of Hyderabad)
 https://www.ft.com/content/cb93af76-7284-11e1-9c23-00144feab49a
 http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=19731
 http://www.iosrjournals.org/iosr-jhss/papers/Vol.%2021%20Issue1/Version-
1/B021110717.pdf
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Set-top_box
 Summary of Research Paper
A set-top box (STB) or set-top unit (STU) (one type also colloquially known as a cable box)
is an information appliance device that generally contains a TV-tuner input and displays
output to a television set and an external source of signal, turning the source signal
into content in a form that can then be displayed on the television screen or other display
device. They are used in cable television, satellite television, and over-the-air
television systems, as well as other uses. The signal source might be an Ethernet cable,
a satellite dish, a coaxial cable (see cable television), a telephone line
including DSL connections), broadband over power lines (BPL), or even an
ordinary VHF or UHF antenna. Content, in this context, could mean any or all
of video, audio, Internet web pages, interactive video games, or other possibilities. Satellite
and microwave-based services also require specific external receiver hardware, so the use of
set-top boxes of various formats has never completely disappeared. Set-top boxes can also
enhance source signal quality.