GS Group launches the first Russian-made media server with advanced capabilities
Digital Television Systems has won a competition held by the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade to receive state subsidies for the development and organisation of serial production of a customer-premises multi-service digital platform for home wireless networks.
The project envisages the development and organisation of serial production of devices which combine the functionality of a home media server with a smart home controller, and a network router, in several versions. These devices will have enhanced features and will meet all major standards for delivering content (to mobile devices, television receivers using basic platforms, SmartTV) and will support mesh networks, programme integration with smart home solutions, and more. DTS’ application beat out 16 others which also underwent scientific and technical assessment by the competition commission. In total, several dozen applications were submitted for the competition.
The project is scheduled to be implemented on 30.06.2025. According to the conditions of the competition, the first device must enter serial production in 2021. The products will be available in EEC countries and further afield.
“I am pleased that the Ministry of Industry and Trade has chosen to support not only our projects which aim to solve some niche and specialised business tasks, but also those with the potential to reach an audience of millions. This shows that the state is turning increasingly towards the localisation of large-scale electronics production and that the Russian industry has every chance of becoming a major player on the global market. Our experience proves that Russian developers in the field of content consumption – both scheduled and apparatus – are truly competitive,” commented the head of production at GS Group, Fedor Boyarkov.
The market of devices for watching digital content
According to assessments carried out by the GS Group analytic centre, global consumption of set-top boxes in 2020 amounted to 230 million pieces. The structure of the market is changing rapidly: HD models are being replaced by Ultra HD 4K devices, and an internet connection is now a necessary feature. However, the biggest change in the market lies in the fact that telecommunication operators are rapidly developing their own ecosystems, partially based on a premium-segment hybrid box with the functionality of a smart home controller. The global market for similar devices exceeds 10 million pieces per year and is driven primarily by the leading TV operators. For example, the largest satellite operator in the world, Sky Group, began developing its Sky Q line back in 2016, which led to the creation of the Sky Q Hub and Sky Broadband Hub. The Russian market for paid set-top boxes consisted of 4.5 million pieces at the end of 2020. The development of the Russian STB market generally matches global trends: regular set-top box segments are compressing and quickly being replaced by new-concept multifunctional devices. In Russia, similar devices have only recently begun to develop, but if the conditions are right, this segment could exceed 1 million pieces by 2025.
