What are the advantages of using STB?

In the following, some of the most important advantages of STBs are explained.

Interactive program guides: This feature provides the updated scheduling information of current and upcoming programs. Some guides also provide the backward scrolling to promote their catch-up content.

Channel Bookmark: Similar to the bookmark feature on the web-browser, users can highlight their favorite channel list which facilitates their access to the channels.

Timer: By this feature, users can easily switch a channel at a predefined time, thus they can record contents of more than one channel even when they are not at home.

Parental lock: By this feature, it will be possible to restrict the access to specific channels or even block all the channels.

Recording: If users tend to record a specific program at a particular time, they can select their favorite program on the interactive program guide at a specific time. Through the Scart link, a signal will send to a compatible DVR or VCR to start recording.

Firmware update features: Almost all modern STBs gain from automatic firmware update processes. The feature is typically supplied by the service provider.