In most subsets of the satellite market, the rough patch is over. Investments are pouring in, and technology is getting more sophisticated and less expensive.

The same is true for the satellite set-top box market. In 2009, more than 100 million satellite set-top box units were sold, which represents more than 50 percent of the total STB market for that year, according to an In-Stat report.

The recent In-Stat (News - Alert) research report, entitled "4Q09 Set Top Box Database Update" covers the worldwide market for set top boxes. This research tracks STB unit shipments, revenues and average selling prices on a quarterly basis.

The report noted that the most significant growth occurred in the sale of HD satellite STB units, with a 68 percent increase from 2008. And, cable and DTT STB shipments each represented slightly over 20 percent of the market, with IPTV (News - Alert) capturing the remaining 7 percent.

However, the sale of standard-definition DTT units declined the most, year-over-year, by more than 15 percent, according to the findings of this new In-Stat report.

Additionally, the report also found that in terms of revenue, North America continues to be the most dominant region, with over $8 billion in STB sales for 2009, while Asia is the dominant region in terms of unit shipments with nearly half of the worldwide total units shipped in the fourth quarter of 2009.