The digital satellite set-top box market, the largest of the digital TV set-top box markets, reached 65 million units in 2005 and is projected to grow to 79 million units by 2009, research firm In-Stat said.

The study, “Digital Satellite Set Top Boxes,” covers the global satellite market, including events influencing digital satellite set-top boxes, new features and how reductions in component costs are enabling less expensive boxes.

“We are seeing a more pronounced dichotomy between full-featured boxes that are used by pay-TV providers to offer other services in addition to satellite TV reception and basic boxes for TV reception only,” Michelle Abraham, In-Stat analyst, said in a statement. “Advanced features include hard drives for [digital video recorder] services, multiple tuners, more connectivity options and high-definition decoding for receiving [high-definition] signals.”