Motorola is poised to purchase Kreatel Communications, which is a leading manufacturer of set-top boxes and the supporting infrastructure for delivering digital television content over IP-based connections, specifically broadband. The service is commonly known as Internet Protocol Television (IPTV). While IPTV is more popular in Europe right now, estimates are that global profits will be upwards of $17 Billion by 2010*. What I like most about the Kreatel set-top boxes is that they are powered by Linux (open source!), leaving the door wide open for developer community to code customizations. TiVo is also written in Linux, by the way, which could make them a desirable acquisition for Motorola should they plan to push IPTV as a standard soon. Besides, Motorola's current Digital Video Recorder (DVR) interface stinks in comparison to Tivo.
*Source - TDG Research
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