Set-top box maker posts profits rise

UK set-top box maker Pace today said it had shipped nearly three million boxes in the first half of 2008 as a major acquisition and the surge towards digital TV underpinned trading.

The West Yorkshire-based firm said volumes had reached 2.8 million – 55% ahead of the previous six months – thanks to a strong contribution from its new French arm, the former set-top box business of European electronics giant Philips.