Blu-ray players, game consoles and TV sets are connecting to the Internet, and everything on the Internet is becoming accessible on smart phones and other connected devices. Internet video is the new "must have" service. Hybrid Web-to-TV Set Top Boxes will bring a new set of Internet services to TV sets, by integrating Internet capability into cable, satellite, telcoTV (IPTV) and digital terrestrial set top boxes. Work is being done to create "hybrid" services that bring "apps" and "widgets" to TV programming, according to In-Stat. The value of Hybrid Set Top Boxes that are immediately put into use will reach US$ 1.3 Billion worldwide by 2014.

Some of the research findings include:

• Hybrid-capable STBs are shipping today, but only a small percentage are using the capabilities.
• Digital terrestrial boxes will be the hybrid-box growth leader, with a CAGR of 42% between 2010 and 2014.
• Western Europe will be the hot bed for development of hybrid services, and the leader for early hybrid STB shipments.
• Intel's x86 Instruction Set promises to be a key enabler, as Adobe FLASH, Windows Media, Microsoft Silverlight, DiVX, and VP8 appear first on an x86 Instruction Set.

Recent In-Stat research "Web-to-TV Hybrid Set Top Boxes in Six Regions," provides an early warning system for the number of Hybrid STBs "in use" in four categories and includes unit shipment and annual revenue data for:

• Worldwide shipments of hybrid-capable STBs in four categories.
• Detailed forecasts for hybrid cable TV, satellite TV, telcoTV (IPTV) and digital terrestrial TV set top boxes immediately put in use, by region.
• Forecasts by box type for six geographic regions: North America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa, Latin America and Asia Pacific.
• Some of the Companies mentioned include: Apple, Google, Intel, Harris Broadcast, Sezmi TV, Adobe, Microsoft, DiVX, Comcast, Cox, Time-Warner, the BBC, BT, C4, Five, ITV, BSkyB, Virgin Media, Aprico TV, Philips, Cisco Systems, Motorola, Pace, Samsung, Humax, EchoStar, DISH Network, DirecTV, Broadcom, Alcatel-Lucent, ANT, Cabot Communications, CapGemini, Espial, Eutelsat, Canal+Group, Humax, Irdeto, NDS, LG Electronics, OpenTV, Rovi, Sony, Vestel, and STMicroelectronics.