Broadcom Corp. is introducing what it said is the first HD DVR set-top box system-on-a-chip to be used in China. The result of collaboration between Broadcom and Coship Electronics, the STB will provide 1080p support, interactive services (including VOD and PPV). The firms’ ramp up of HD boxes is designed as a lead-up to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing this summer.
Coship, based in Shenzhen, China, currently is developing its next-gen boxes—models N8603 and N8606—for use with Broadcom’s HD configuration. (Only the N8603 includes networked DVR functionality, for now.)
How many of China’s 1.3 billion citizens will be able to view the Olympics in HD at home is unknown, but it’s expected to be a very tiny percentage of the overall population. In-Stat China estimates that only about 14 million Chinese digital STBs were shipped in 2007, and shipments are only expected to reach about 17.6 million by 2012, despite the Olympics as a potential drawing card.
