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TANDBERG Television Launches OpenCable Initiative


WEBWIRE

OpenWorks™ Distributor for OpenCable™ consumer device and centralized set-top box management.

Atlanta, April 10, 2006 - TANDBERG Television today revealed the OpenWorks™ Distributor, the first solution of its type to allow MSOs to easily scale deployments of the latest OpenCable™ consumer devices and centralize the management of set-top boxes. In support of this announcement, TANDBERG Television also announced that a major U.S. cable operator has purchased the OpenWorks Distributor to enable a unified platform for software management of OCAP-based set-tops, legacy set-top boxes, OpenCable host devices such as TVs, DVRs and OCAP-compliant applications.



“We are developing software to enable the next-generation head-end and bringing our world leading digital video expertise into the realm of consumer electronic device management,” said Braxton Jarratt, SVP, Marketing and Business Development, TANDBERG Television Inc. “As cable operators increasingly migrate to open architectures, we have a strong commitment to continuing to develop critical head-end components to enable a smooth transition to an OpenCable environment. Our aim is to allow operators to better serve their subscribers as well as to swiftly control, manage and provide the latest digital TV services and increased functionality to thousands of consumer set-top-boxes.”



Innovative cable operators are seeking to provide the latest in digital cable services by offering enhanced television applications, DVRs, electronic programming guides and other advanced features to attract and retain subscribers. Now, with the TANDBERG OpenWorks Distributor, operators have control over these OpenCable consumer devices, and are able to manage software upgrades and deploy new digital services without having to modify existing protocols determined by the incumbent head-end vendors. Operators can now take advantage of the many third-party applications available today such as eCommerce and interactive voting, with the potential to move beyond traditional television services in the future. The OpenWorks Distributor’s open-standards based architecture works seamlessly with an MSO’s existing cable network, thereby reducing capital expenditure in hardware and resources.



The OpenWorks Distributor opens up the network and provides control over software application updates to OpenCable consumer devices so that next-generation digital TV services can be provided to subscribers as soon as they become available. As the industry moves towards OpenCable-based solutions, this ensures that operators will remain well ahead of their internal deadlines to introduce OCAP-enabled and retail OpenCable devices with enhanced TV applications.



Cable operators can deploy the TANDBERG OpenWorks Distributor in a central location, while also establishing a series of local OpenWorks Distributors in regional head-ends. From a central location, operators can authenticate updates for the operating system of set-top boxes as well as interactive TV applications, and then subsequently publish these updates locally to the individual regional head-ends. This will allow cable operators to quickly automate their current upgrade processes and to gain more visibility and control through monitoring, reporting and update management. Existing management solutions force operators to rely more heavily on the pace of innovation of the incumbent hardware vendors. In contrast, OpenWorks Distributor makes it all possible without the need to alter or modify an operator’s existing head-end infrastructure.



About OpenWorks Distributor

The TANDBERG OpenWorks Distributor provides cable operators with a platform to manage the download of software, including device firmware and interactive applications. OpenWorks Distributor is designed to support OCAP host devices and services over the next five years and beyond, with the potential to support the convergence of data, voice and video services and other emerging technologies.



The OpenWorks Distributor solution is the first of several OpenCable Operational Systems and Support (OSS) products from TANDBERG Television supporting OpenCable Hosts and OCAP-based applications, and is comprised of three components: OpenWorks Repository, OpenWorks Central Distributor and OpenWorks Local Distributor.

· OpenWorks Repository: managed facility for host manufacturers and third party vendors to deposit software for upgrades to OpenCable Host devices and interactive applications

· OpenWorks Central Distributor: platform for managing, storing and monitoring software upgrades to host firmware and OCAP applications and validated download scenarios that can be distributed to multiple Local Distributors

· OpenWorks Local Distributor: installed in a local or regional head-end to manage and monitor the download of host firmware and OCAP applications to deployed OpenCable Hosts and OCAP-based devices



The TANDBERG OpenWorks Distributor is fully supported by TANDBERG Television’s state-of-the art Network Operations Center (NOC) in Atlanta, GA, the only center in the video-on-demand and digital compression industry which offers extensive product and software solution technical support, 24 hours a day.

About TANDBERG Television

Whether it’s advanced compression systems, on-demand or interactive television, TANDBERG Television delivers the technology and expertise that is moving digital video forward. The company’s award-winning solutions are used by the world’s leading network operators, broadcasters and content owners to deliver new viewer experiences and advertising opportunities. With a broad suite of open, standards-based products, TANDBERG Television offers the highest quality digital TV solutions including IPTV, HDTV, video-on-demand, advertising on-demand, and interactive TV applications to customers in the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East and Africa. For more information, please visit www.tandbergtv.com.



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