CableLabs announced yesterday that Samsung is the first consumer electronics manufacturer (CEM) to sign up for its new tru2way Host Device License Agreement.
CableLabs said that the new tru2way Host Device License Agreement provides manufacturers of retail consumer electronics devices with a streamlined license process for technology that is required to interface two-way interactive cable networks. CableLabs said the new host device license agreement also aligns with the “openness” focus that was announced in January at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.
The new license provides for self-certification and paper certification of retail devices, formal rights of participation by CEMs in CableLabs processes, approval of new digital outputs via a 4-Studio approach and a tru2way trademark license.
The new agreement consolidates, clarifies and provides an alternative to the existing CableCard Host Interface License Agreement (CHILA), as well as the OpenCable Application Platform Implementer Agreement.
In the past, some consumer electronics companies have taken issue with the licensing requirements for CableLabs’ tru2way technology for retail consumer devices. Both the cable industry and some members of the consumer electronics industry have filed documents with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that have outlined how two-way devices will be brought to the market in a timely fashion, but the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has said that the process is too difficult for its members.
The CEA has proposed its own digital cable ready plus (DCR+) as the technology standard for interactive devices, but the cable industry – along with consumer electronics companies such as TiVo, Samsung and Panasonic, as well as the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) – have backed OpenCable, or tru2way, as the technology of choice.
At the CES show earlier this year, CableLabs announced that tru2way had replaced the OpenCable Platform in the marketing and branding of the interactive video platform, for consumers and in retail markets.
Cox Communications, Comcast, Time Warner Cable and other cable operators are currently in various stages of OpenCable Platform trials and deployments, both of which are slated to pick up more steam this year. According to CableLabs, major cable operators have committed to deploy support for the tru2way platform by the end of 2008 in service areas covering more than 90 million U.S. homes.
“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,” Comcast President and CEO Brian Roberts said about the new license agreement. “We look forward to working with Samsung on this and other innovations that will continue to enhance the customer experience.”
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