Nearly one-third of DVRs shipped in 2005 were HD models, says IMS Research

May 8th, 2006 - IMS Research says it has observed a shift from standard-definition DVRs to HD versions, particularly in the US. The research and consulting group estimates that HD DVRs made up 29 per cent of the total worldwide shipments in 2005 and is forecasting this to grow to 54 per cent by 2010.

The fastest growth of HD DVRs can be seen in the US. HD models accounted for 36 per cent of  DVRs shipped in that market during 2005. IMS Research points out that Motorola only produces an HD DVR.

“The HD DVR provides a smooth transition from regular programming to HDTV, without a future truck-roll and without customers being required to exchange boxes on their own,” says IMS Research, providing one of the factors behind this trend. “This will save the operator money and keep from inconveniencing the customer.”

The firm says operators are also looking ahead to increasing ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) from each household. Providing additional services to existing customers is less costly than bringing in new customers.

“While the transition from SD DVRs to HD DVRs will be most apparent in the US, it will likely occur in other regions as well,” states Jack Mayo, analyst at IMS Research. “For example, European users have been more likely to purchase an SD DVR. However, as operator deployments increase and HD services become more prevalent, this will begin to change.”

IMS Research provides a comprehensive look at all the major markets for DVR in the second edition of its study: The Worldwide Market for Digital Video Recorders.