TiVo Community Forums Archives - TiVo Licensee Humax and OpenCable TiVo STB's

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TiVo Licensee Humax and OpenCable TiVo STB's
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Posted by: mtchamp

TiVo may not need a cable deal as much as some people think. They may be forced to lease or sell OpenLabs TiVo STB's to their customers because they will become available at retail.

If the cable company won't supply you with a TiVo Series2 Dual-Tuner integrated Digital Cable Set Top Box with HMO, then you should be able to buy one at retail. It might be sold with TiVo Basic and have a DVD Player/Recorder built in plus other broadband applications. Power to the people!

Humax plans for TiVo will be announced at the International CES 2004 - Las Vegas.

Windriver Press Release - 12-02-2003 - Humax Introduces Innovative OpenCable Set Top Boxes Enabled By Wind River Platforms

Bringing The Next Generation Cable Digital Television Standard To Households In Korea and North America

Alameda, Calif.--December 02, 2003--Wind River Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq:WIND), the worldwide market leader in embedded software and services, today announced that Humax has used the WIND RIVER PLATFORM for Consumer Devices in developing its first products for the OpenCable? standard.

The OpenCable initiative from Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. (CableLabs) drives the goal of helping the cable industry deploy interactive TV services to consumers, through the use of a standard hardware and software platform specification. These next generation set tops are the foundation for cable television service providers to provide advanced interactive television, embedded Internet Protocol data connectivity, as well as a retail channel for set top hardware availability. OpenCable based set top boxes are expected to be deployed beginning next year by service providers in Korea and North America.

"Humax chose the WIND RIVER PLATFORM for Consumer Devices because of its proven functionality, reliability and value," said Juha Park, general manager for Humax's DTV development team. "With Wind River's proven connectivity, tools and OS technologies found within the PLATFORM, we were able to concentrate on our core digital video expertise and bring these leading products to market on time, and on budget."

Humax has developed a complete product line of OpenCable compliant products. The OC-1000 is a cost-effective basic digital set-top for entry-level buyers. The OC-2000 enables 2-way return channel connectivity enabling service providers to deploy more advanced interactive television applications. Finally, for consumers looking for both data networking and interactive television, the OC-2500 embeds a fully functional DOCSIS 1.1 cable modem. This broad lineup of cable set tops allows service providers to deploy interactive TV and data services in stages, while allowing consumers to choose the set top based on their feature and functionality needs.

"Connected digital set tops are likely to be the leading method for broadband data, television, and voice services into the home," said Sayeed Choudhury, director of market development for Wind River's digital consumer group. "Next generation OpenCable based set top boxes need feature-rich LAN and WAN connectivity and a rock-solid foundation platform to perform in such a critical role. Humax's OpenCable product line serves a perfect example of seamless integration of TV and IT functionality into feature rich, yet consumer friendly devices."

About Humax
Humax is a leader in state-of-the-art set-top box technology. Humax believes this simple purpose serves as the foundation of its corporate philosophy, which governs all its products and services. The company's singular goal is to provide the most pleasant prime time television viewing experience to consumers worldwide. The company believes that only the continuous, most current digital set-top technology can achieve this goal. For more information, please visit www.humax.co.kr.

About Wind River
Wind River is the worldwide leader in embedded software and services. It provides market-specific embedded platforms that integrate real-time operating systems, development tools and technologies. Wind River's products and professional services are used in multiple markets including aerospace and defense, automotive, digital consumer, industrial, and network infrastructure. Wind River provides high-integrity technology and expertise that enables its customers to create superior products more efficiently. Companies from around the world turn to Wind River to create the most reliable products and to accelerate their time to market.

Posted by: ufo4sale

I could of sworn I read this somewhere else.

Posted by: stevel

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-v...threadid=144324

Posted by: mboge

That's not the same press release... this one is all about Humax building a CableLabs standard digital cable box.

Question I have is this: Will they build one with TiVo built in?

Posted by: devdogaz

quote:
Question I have is this: Will they build one with TiVo built in?

Sure seems like the logical next step to me. The only issue will be cost. Can they produce and sell it at a pricepoint that the average consumer will pay, considering the average consumer will be able to rent a box with similar features from his or her cableco. for around $10 a month?

Posted by: ufo4sale

They did say that they wouldn't make a cable box.

Posted by: ufo4sale

I just thought of something. If Humax makes a cable box and uses TiVo software wouldn't the standalone TiVo's become obsolete?

Posted by: jcblack

quote:
Originally posted by ufo4sale
I just thought of something. If Humax makes a cable box and uses TiVo software wouldn't the standalone TiVo's become obsolete?

Unless you only use tivo for OTA programming (does anyone, though?)

Posted by: LostCluster

As much as the cable providers want to keep digital cable systems using closed standards, the FCC simply won't let that happen. That's where OpenCable comes in. OpenCable will be an open standard for digital cable boxes.

There's going to be no security issues involved in OpenCable because they're intentionally not coming up with a signal security model. Instead, they're just leaving a card slot slot in the design where the cable company can use whatever encryption technology they feel like on proprietary cards that they get to be the boss of. The thing is, once you have your authorized card, you can plug it into any device you want. In this model, you can buy your own digital cable box at electronic stores... or even buy a "digital cable ready" TV. You'll just need to get the authorization card from the local cable company, slide it in the slot, and away you go...

You can bet for sure in the future there will be OpenCable TiVos made by somebody as soon as the OpenCable standards are put into practice. You can be sure that the cable companies are going to drag their feet for as long as possible, but the FCC will eventually lay down the law after the tech standards are finalized... and the fact that the early versions of OpenCable are being put into play in other countries means that they're getting close. The FCC is not gonna let us completely move from a world where analog cable systems were standardized to a digital one where they're not.

Posted by: rasheed

Hmmm..

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-v...537#post1545537

Rasheed

Posted by: DCIFRTHS

Are you sure that it is a card, and not a "module" that plugs in to the device? I'll look for the information on this, as I believe that Panasonic has already introduced a TV that supports this.

Either way, let's hope the manufacturers are bright enough to leave the "port" in the back of the unit so that all of our components don't have cards or modules sticking out the front of them.

Posted by: DCIFRTHS

It is a card (security module). Link to story here

quote:

Panasonic Is First Major TV Manufacturer To Sign PHILA Agreement With CableLabs®

Will Make DTV Service More Accessible in Cable-Served Homes

Secaucus, New Jersey, October 17, 2002 - Panasonic and CableLabs® today announced that Panasonic is the first major television manufacturer to sign a POD-Host Interface License Agreement (PHILA) with the cable industry. The agreement enables Panasonic to develop, manufacture and market digital televisions (DTV’s) that will be able to directly receive High Definition (HDTV) and other digital programs via cable, including premium services, wherever they are available in the U.S. Such a DTV can be connected by cable subscribers directly to their digital cable service without the requirement for set top box.

There has been a continuing joint effort by the cable industry and the consumer electronics industry to achieve interoperability in order to enable retail availability of equipment. Developed by CableLabs, the POD-Host interface provides the standardized and secure communications link between an individually addressable “POD” (point of deployment) security module, which provides the necessary customization for operation with the consumer’s local cable system, and the “host” digital television.

The card-sized POD module, supplied by cable operators to their customers, is inserted in the card-slot in the TV or set-top box to authorize access to encryption-protected digital programming, including premium cable services. The POD is a critical component of the CableLabs OpenCable™ project. Companies that sign the PHILA receive a license to deploy proprietary technology contained in the POD-Host interface.

Until now, consumers who wanted to enjoy the benefits of HDTV or other DTV programming needed to rely on either over-the-air broadcast digital TV signals or digital-cable set-top-boxes from their cable service provider. But the PHILA signed by Panasonic and CableLabs will also make cable’s expanding HDTV and other DTV programming accessible to cable customers who may prefer a digital television that can connect directly to their digital cable service without using a digital cable set-top box. Currently some 35 million-cable homes use this approach for analog TV.

“Panasonic is pleased to take a leadership position in the fast-growing digital cable television market. The agreement is a significant milestone in the nation’s digital transition which was set in motion by the FCC five years ago,” said Dr. Paul Liao, president of Panasonic Technologies Company and Chief Technology Officer of Matsushita Electric Corporation of America, which is best known by its Panasonic brand. “Panasonic would like to acknowledge the leadership of FCC Chairman Michael Powell, Congressman Billy Tauzin, Chairman of the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee and Congressman Fred Upton, Chairman of the House Telecommunications Subcommittee, in helping to spur greater cooperation between the consumer electronics, cable and other industries involved in the digital transition.”

.“Panasonic’s commitment demonstrates the confidence of the consumer electronics industry in cable as a platform for innovation,” said Dr. Richard R. Green, President and CEO of CableLabs. “We are extraordinarily pleased to be working with a quality leader in the consumer electronics industry like Panasonic. CableLabs and the cable industry look forward to working with Panasonic and with other leading consumer electronics companies in developing advanced video and communications services to benefit consumers,”” Green added. Green also observed that the agreement underscores cable’s strong support of the digital transition initiatives articulated by Chairman Powell, Chairman Tauzin, and Chairman Upton.

About Panasonic
Matsushita Electric Corporation of America (Panasonic) is the principal North American subsidiary of Matsushita Electric Industrial Company, Ltd. (NYSE:MC) of Osaka, Japan. Panasonic has been a leader in the digital television transition both in developing and shipping innovative industry-first HDTV and other DTV products. For more information on Panasonic visit our website at www.panasonic.com.

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, DOCSIS, CableHome, PacketCable, OpenCable, OCAP, CableCARD™, and CableNET are trademarks of Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. Go2Broadband(SM) is a service mark of CableLabs.

Posted by: lachacg

Umm, if this is a WindRiver announcement, then it is highly likely this product is not TiVo related. WindRiver produces an embedded OS called VxWorks. TiVo software runs on Linux. Unless someone went to a whole lot of trouble to port it, than this is a different box than mentioned on another thread.

Posted by: rasheed

quote:
Originally posted by lachacg
Umm, if this is a WindRiver announcement, then it is highly likely this product is not TiVo related. WindRiver produces an embedded OS called VxWorks. TiVo software runs on Linux. Unless someone went to a whole lot of trouble to port it, than this is a different box than mentioned on another thread.

Here is what I think is important:

-Humax will be in the US cable STB business
-Humax will be building a box that can plug directly into digital cable feeds (based on a standard that cable companies are required to support)
-Human will be building TiVos
-TiVo likes to keep quiet until CES (and is still quiet on the quarterly conference calls too about any cable-space activity)

For those who use cable and are not in the satellite tv camp, this may be an announced deal in just a few weeks and maybe a few months afterward when a Humax TiVo box comes out.

Rasheed