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A survey by Infonetics Research has identified the set-top box features which IPTV service providers feel are most important to them, with strong competition and the need to increase Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) believed to have spurred "significant"changes in STB design over the past few years.

The key features of a set-top box from an operator's point of view include: support for HDMI inputs for 1080p picture quality, integrated hard drive for PVR support, USB inputs for external memory, the use of SoCs (system-on-a-chip) in the design, and environmentally friendly features. Video conferencing as an application for IPTV services is not rated highly by many service provider respondents, according to Infonetics Research.

Ethernet is named as the preferred technology for delivering video to multiple devices in the home from an operator's point of view - not surprising given the improved speed and quality of connection it provides compared to other networking technologies, which nonetheless offer more convenience from a user's point of view.

Those service providers polled were asked to identify the top three IP set-top box vendors, with Motorola coming top of the list, followed by Cisco. Meanwhile, Amino was found to be the most installed IP set-top box vendor.

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