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set-top box
Last modified: Tuesday, January 28, 2003
Often abbreviated STB, an electronic device that is connected to a communication channel, such as a phone, ISDN or cable television line, and produces output on a conventional television screen.
Set-top boxes are commonly used to receive and decode digital television broadcasts and to interface with the Internet through the user’s television instead of a PC. Set-top boxes fall into several categories, from the simplest that receive and unscramble incoming television signals to the more complex that will also function as multimedia desktop computers that can run a variety of advanced services such as videoconferencing, home networking, IP telephony, video-on-demand (VoD) and high-speed Internet TV services.
