CableLabs Touts tru2way "Openness" with Samsung Deal
Cable tech consortium says Samsung deal shows streamlined process for licensing tru2way
By Glen Dickson -- Broadcasting & Cable, 5/6/2008 7:30:00 PM
CableLabs, the technical consortium for cable operators, says it has created a streamlined process by which consumer electronics manufacturers can license its “tru2way” technology.
Louisville, Colo.-based CableLabs announced that Korean consumer electronics giant Samsung is the first CE manufacturer to sign the new agreement, which delivers on the promise of tru2way’s “openness” that was promoted by both cable operators and CE manufacturers at last January’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The tru2way technology allows retail products such as high-definition sets to work seamlessly with two-way interactive cable networks and display premium and on-demand content without a cable set-top box.
The agreement was formalized in a signing ceremony by Brian Roberts, president and CEO of Comcast Communications, and DJ Oh, president and CEO of Samsung Electronics America.
“Comcast is committed to rolling out tru2way-enabled set-top boxes later this year, and Samsung's rollout of retail tru2way-enabled devices demonstrates that the tru2way technology is the best solution for both retail and leased set top boxes,” said Roberts in a statement. “We look forward to working with Samsung on this and other innovations that will continue to enhance the customer experience.”
According to CableLabs, the new tru2way license agreement consolidates, clarifies and provides an alternative to the existing CableCARD-Host Interface License Agreement (CHILA)—which details the use of CableCARD security devices in retail HD sets and set-tops—and the OpenCable Application Platform Implementer Agreement—which provides for a standardized software platform in “plug-and-play” HDTV sets and digital set-tops that content companies can use to develop and widely deploy interactive applications for cable programming.
The new license provides for self-certification and paper certification of retail devices, formal rights of participation by consumer electronics manufacturers in CableLabs processes, approval of new digital outputs via a “4-Studio” approach, and a tru2way trademark license. The tru2way license agreement is available to any consumer electronics manufacturer on a nondiscriminatory basis.
“Samsung, as a leader in technology innovation, is a long-time supporter of the cable industry’s technology initiatives,” said Oh in a statement. “Tru2way technology offers a better path, in the spirit of openness, to interactive cable services for consumers. We look forward to continued work with CableLabs and the cable industry to bring to market the best in cable solutions.”
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