Motorola's currently rethinking its set-top-boxes, with the old DVR model being forced out in favor of home video gateways: hubs which are able to distribute cable content around your home to game consoles, tablets, and other IP connected devices. In an interview with FierceCable, Motorola Mobility's VP and General Manager of Home Devices Larry Robinson explains that the video gateways offer a couple of significant benefits to consumers: increased flexibility in how your content can be used, and reduced power consumption over having many cable boxes around your home. The gateways include secure transcoding technology (a compromise between providers protecting their content and allowing users to view it as they please) which could well be based on the DLNA Premium Video standard announced at CES this year.

Robinson also said that the gateways will be be capable of recording up to six shows at once, will initially have 1TB of storage, and will "start shipping in the middle of this year." He also named Verizon as a provider planning to offer the tech to its customers, echoing Big Red's announcement from last month that it plans to introduce FiOS Home Media Servers in late 2012.