We can expect to hear about a number of announcements related to online video, Web applications, and connected consumer electronics, particularly in Europe. We are entering several weeks in a row of major European consumer electronics and media events, highlighted by IFA in Berlin, IBC in Amsterdam, and Connected Home World Summit in London, where Parks Associates will be presenting a one-day workshop on Monday, 20 September.

In last week's Webcast - Connected TV Outlook - I covered the market for Web-connected consumer electronics, including televisions, Blu-ray players, digital video players, and game consoles. At the same time, the the venerable set-top box is going to be another device to watch. After all, whether it's the large digital terrestrial market (particularly in Europe, Asia, and other global regions) or pay-TV services (cable, telco/IPTV, satellite), getting Web content and applications to the viewer is going to be a significant theme over the next few years.

One of the pre-IBC announcements comes from Tvinci, a company specializing in online content management, and PeerTV, a set-top box and software company. Tvinci's media management solutions will allow PeerTV to deploy an end-to-end solution for operators wanting to deploy a paid online video service.

The Web-enabled set-top box market will be growing rapidly in the next five years, as shipments are expected to grow nearly 5x, reaching nearly 100 million units by year-end 2014.