According to research firm In-Stat, the market for high-definition (HD) PVRs will jump worldwide by 61 per cent by 2014.

PVRs allow a customer to record programming, including TV shows and movies, for viewing at a later time. Also known as time-shifting, this lets the viewer also do things live pause, rewind, and fast forward the recording. Typically, the latest set-top boxes made available from cable and satellite TV providers like Rogers and Bell can come with PVR functionality built in. But there are other devices that permit time-shifted recording, like TiVo and standalone digital video recorders (DVRs) that function like VCRs.

Consequently, given the rise in the high-definition category, the market for standard-definition (SD) PVRs will decline rapidly, from 1.4 billion this year to just 438 million four years from now.

Growth of HD digital set-top boxes in general will rise the most in Western European markets.

Currently, Asia dominates the worldwide digital set-top box market with a share of 36%.

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