Cable Television Industry Voices Support for OCAP(TM) and Two-Way Digital Cable-Ready Product Deployments.LAS VEGAS -- Top executives of the nation's largest cable television operating companies and consumer electronics firms today, for the first time, discussed elements of their pending plans for system preparation and early trials of advanced-interactive digital video technologies. The discussions took place during a news conference organized by CableLabs(R), a non-profit research and development consortium for cable television system operators, and held here in conjunction with the International Consumer Electronics Show. The discussion focused on the OpenCable(TM) Application Platform (OCAP OCAP Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (Canada) OCAP Open Cable Application Platform (middleware software specification) OCAP Out of Control Action Plan (TM)) and two-way OpenCable(TM) (Digital Cable-Ready) devices. OCAP is the middleware software specification that CableLabs has established to enable application writers to create new interactive services that will run on a broad range of advanced digital set tops and cable-ready TVs. Glenn A. Britt, Time Warner Cable This article or section needs sources or references that appear in reliable, third-party publications. Alone, primary sources and sources affiliated with the subject of this article are not sufficient for an accurate encyclopedia article. Chairman and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. , who also serves as Chairman of the CableLabs Board of Directors, said that beginning in 2006 his company would deploy OCAP capabilities in headends of cable systems serving five markets with a combined customer base of about 2.5 million consumers. These markets are New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. ; Milwaukee; Green Bay, Wis.; Lincoln, Neb.; and Waco, Texas. Time Warner Cable also demonstrated its OCAP Digital Navigator interactive program guide during the news conference. Comcast Chairman and CEO Brian L. Roberts Brian L. Roberts is Chairman and CEO of Comcast Corporation, an American company providing cable, entertainment and communications products and services. He is the son of Comcast co-founder Ralph J. Roberts. said that his company would deploy OCAP in 2006 in Philadelphia; Denver; Union, N.J.; and Boston. Advance/Newhouse Chairman and CEO Robert J. Miron announced that his company would enable OCAP devices in Indianapolis. Charter Communications, Inc. President and CEO Neil Smit said OCAP will be deployed in select Charter markets beginning in 2006. The industry's overall commitment is for trials and roll-outs that span a number of years. Other cable companies making similar announcements included Cox Communications, Inc. and Cablevision Systems Corporation. Consumer electronics manufacturers LG Electronics, Panasonic and Samsung also were present. LG, Panasonic and Samsung, as well as Digeo, and other consumer electronics companies, have signed the CableLabs CableCARD(TM) Host Interface Licensing Agreement (CHILA), which defines the two-way host profiles that use OCAP, so that they can build two-way digital cable-ready products. In late November, the cable and consumer electronics industries filed a number of proposals with the Federal Communications Commission Federal Communications Commission (FCC), independent executive agency of the U.S. government established in 1934 to regulate interstate and foreign communications in the public interest. (FCC (1) (Federal Communications Commission, Washington, DC, www.fcc.gov) The U.S. government agency that regulates interstate and international communications including wire, cable, radio, TV and satellite. The FCC was created under the U.S. ) in response to a request that the industries make recommendations on rules that the FCC could adopt to bring two-way digital cable-ready products to market as soon as possible. In its filing, the cable television industry provided the FCC with a package of voluntary commitments and proposed regulations that would enable manufacturers to build and to bring to market two-way, interactive cable-ready devices. The proposed rules included provisions dealing with content protection as well as consumer education requirements. Also in late November, leading cable operators reported on significant progress made to that point on a new downloadable conditional access system This article contains information about a scheduled or expected . It may contain preliminary information that does not reflect the final version of the product. Downloadable Conditional Access System or DCAS (DCAS DCAS Department of Citywide Administrative Services (New York City) DCAS Downloadable Conditional Access System (digital television) DCAS Defense Contract Administration Services (DLA) (TM)) that would ultimately replace the conditional access system A conditional access system (CAS) is a system by which electronic transmission of digital media, especially satellite television signals through cable, is limited to subscribed clients. This is called conditional access. based on removable security cards called CableCARD(TM). About CableLabs Founded in 1988 by members of the cable television industry, Cable Television Laboratories is a non-profit research and development consortium that is dedicated to pursuing new cable telecommunications technologies and to helping its cable operator members integrate those advancements into their business objectives. Cable operators from around the world are members. CableLabs maintains web sites at www.cablelabs.com; www.packetcable.com; www.cablemodem.com; www.cablenet.org; and www.opencable.com. CableLabs(R), DOCSIS (Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification) A cable modem standard from the CableLabs research consortium (www.cablelabs.com), which provides equipment certification for interoperability. (R), CableHome(R), PacketCable(TM), OpenCable(TM), OCAP(TM), CableCARD(TM), DCAS(TM), Go2Broadband(SM) and CableNET(R) are marks of Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. All other marks are the property of their respective owners. |
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