STUDY: SETTOP BOXES TO BE REPLACED BY SMARTPHONES, TABLETS, ETC.

Those settop boxes used to access movies and other content on TV sets from pay TV channels and the Internet may be going the way of the audio cassette recorder and the VCR, according to a new study by media researchers IHS Screen Digest. Use of those devices will likely drop more than 31 percent within three years as smartphones, tablets, personal computers and other devices supplant them, the survey said. In a statement, Screen Digest analyst Tom Morrod said, “Consumers desire greater flexibility, demanding access to entertainment on any platform, in any location and at any time. Because of this, cable, satellite and IPTV operators are shifting their focus away from the [settop box] and toward multi-screen deployment.”