MAking sense of set-tops: cable boxes going through growing pains.

Broadcasting & Cable, October, 1997 by Colman, Price

Like a pubescent teenager, cable set-top boxes are going through an identity crisis: They're in a big hurry to grow up, but they're not quite sure what that means.

Set-tops have been around for more than three decades. Until the recent digital advance, however, they've been at worst a hassle, at best a convenience that can improve the experience of viewing television.

Roughly 45% of cable's 65 million subscribers have set-tops, according to research by Paul Kagan Associates. For those without cable-ready TVs, the box is a requirement to get cable. Other subscribers opt for boxes as a path to pay-per-view or premium services. Even with advanced analog set-tops, it's not always possible to watch one channel while taping another.

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