An IPTV set-top box from Broadcom was used in what participating firms report was the world's first delivery demonstration of live HD-over-DSL network. France Telecom used the Broadcom platform to broadcast the French Open Tennis Tournament earlier this month, according to published reports.
Broadcom and France Telecom hope the demonstration may lead to offering more HD and VOD content over existing DSL phone networks. In the demonstration, the Broadcom IPTV STB performed HD MPEG-4/advanced video compression decoding and audio/video delivery. MPEG-4 Part 10 AVC is the latest generation of compression that reduces the required bandwidth for the transmission of video content, making it possible to offer HD broadcast and VOD over DSL.
Some analysts believe the market for IPTV STBs is expected to grow significantly in the years ahead. Michelle Abraham of In-Stat said in a statement "the availability of advanced video compression technology will enable the cost-effective deployment of IP set-top boxes, the market for which In-Stat is forecasting to grow by 550 percent over the next five years."
Specifically, Broadcom's BCM97398 IP STB was used in the demonstration, featuring the BCM7411 MPEG-4 HD AVC video decoder/audio processor chip and BCM7038 dual channel HD and DVR chip.
