What is a Set-Top Box (STB) or digital cable receiver?
A set-top box or digital cable receiver (also called a digital receiver) is actually a powerful computer chip based device that receives cable input and processes multiple channels into a single frequency so that sound and images can be viewed on your television. When the STB is attached to your TV, you are able to watch digital channels. Not only does it process incoming signals, but it also sends information back to our signal-processing center. Since these boxes now do more than “convert” channels to a single frequency, they are also referred to as set-top boxes. They also allow authorized customer TVs to receive all of the cable channels offered by the system.
