Comcast: Cable industry to standardize network in '08
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - January 7, 2008 An industry initiative, to be renamed "tru2way" after a decade
in the works, is expected to allow electronics manufacturers to
make TVs and other gear that will work regardless of cable
provider. By making devices compatible, the standard also could
encourage the development of new services and features that rely on
two-way communication over the cable network.
Comcast Corp., the nation's largest cable provider, will roll
out the platform in all its markets by the end of 2008, Chief
Executive Brian Roberts said in an interview with The Associated
Press ahead of a speech Tuesday at the International Consumer
Electronics Show.
Time Warner Cable Inc. is even closer to completion, Comcast
executives said. A spokesman for No. 3 provider Cox Communications
Inc. said the company will have "widespread deployment" this
year.
"Our business model has changed completely, from a closed,
proprietary model to an open architecture that will work across
cable companies - not just across Comcast," Roberts said. "That
was a Herculean job to accomplish."
Craig Moffett, senior analyst at Sanford Bernstein, said the
industry is sending a hands-off signal to the Federal
Communications Commission. Last summer, FCC officials said they
would soon take on the issue of two-way compatibility between
consumer electronics and cable systems.
"They don't have a lot of friends at the FCC right now. The
cable industry has every reason to be nervous," Moffett said. "I
suspect a lot of this is trying to beat the FCC to the punch."
CableLabs, the cable industry's research and development arm,
which Roberts leads, was to announce Monday that its OpenCable
platform, which began development in 1997, will now be branded as
"tru2way."
Cable providers and device manufacturers have long disagreed
over the technical specifications for two-way communication among
their devices. There are TVs and set-top boxes in the market that
can receive digital programming, but they can't talk back to the
network, which would allow advanced interactive services. That
leaves consumers with having to rent a box from the cable company.
And even with the new standards some discord remains.
Though the cable industry has inked separate deals with
electronics companies, including Panasonic, Samsung and LG,
consumer electronics giant Sony isn't on board.
The FCC - where Chairman Kevin Martin supports a more open and
competitive environment - is also considering a different standard
put forward by a group of consumer electronics companies.
CableLabs said it has inked licensing agreements with Intel
Corp. and Broadcom Corp. to develop chips to run the software. And
Microsoft Corp. is expected to integrate the standard into future
versions of its Windows operating system for personal computers.
Comcast foresees "tru2way" branding on TVs, set-top boxes, PCs
and other devices to signal their compatibility with cable systems.
On Monday, Panasonic and Comcast plan to unveil a slew of
products that will be compatible with "tru2way," including a
plasma high-definition television, high-definition digital video
recorders and a portable DVR.
"You'll see a number of new 'tru2way' devices, and this is just
the beginning," Roberts said. "This is Day One."
The Panasonic Viera Plasma HDTV with "tru2way" will go on sale
this year. Panasonic's portable DVD player and recorder, called
"AnyPlay," lifts off a docking station and allows consumers to
watch the programs they've recorded anywhere they like, on its
8.5-inch LCD screen. It is to go on sale in early 2009.
Other products are expected to reach retail stores as early as
the end of 2008. The timeframe gives cable leverage over the
competing standard proposed by consumer electronics makers, whose
devices might not make it to retail until 2009 at the earliest.
Moffett said cable operators are telling the FCC that the
industry can work with consumer electronics makers on two-way
cable-compatible products.
"That could tip the scales in their favor," Moffett said.