The National Cable Television Cooperative (NCTC) has signed a master agreement for the use of Rovi DTA Guide by its membership.
NCTC members will be able to license the Rovi DTA Guide through the cooperative and have access to Rovi technology to deploy Rovi guides on standard definition and high definition digital terminal adapter (DTA) devices.
Cable operators use DTAs to switch to an all-digital footprint in homes that subscribe to basic cable services or for a secondary TV that is not connected to an advanced digital set-top.
“The cable industry is eager to complete their transition to an all-digital footprint,” said Corey McCarthy, senior vice president of business development and CFO, NCTC. “We’re heralding the benefits of this change with additional capabilities across all of our devices – even on the basic DTA. Our agreement with Rovi will offer our members the ability to bring a navigation experience and show added value as they switch over their subscriber base to digital services.”
The Rovi DTA Guide is a software guide solution that includes navigation capabilities, channel tuning, parental controls, and multiple language options for the guide and audio. In addition to the familiar program grid, Rovi DTA Guide features TV listings by time and an On Now/On Next banner to make it easier to quickly find out what is on TV. The scaled video feature enables viewers to continue watching their current channel while navigating the guide. Rovi is working with multiple DTA equipment providers to pre-port and integrate the Rovi DTA Guides on standard DTA devices.
Separately, Rovi renewed its license agreement with Panasonic. The multi-year, worldwide agreement that includes Latin America and China coverage continues to provide Panasonic with a license to Rovi’s interactive program guide (IPG) patent portfolio and related solutions for their products including TV and recorders.
Also, Rovi renewed its i-Guide and interactive program guide (IPG) patent license agreements with Shaw Communications. The deal extends Rovi’s ongoing relationships with Shaw into the next decade.