CableLabs, Intel to Bring OpenCable* Platform to Future Intel Consumer Electronics Products

Member Companies Collaborate to Deliver Innovative Set-Top Boxes for Interactive Services

Intel Corporation and CableLabs*, the technology consortium of cable operators, announced today that the two companies have signed an OpenCable* Platform Agreement and will include support for the OpenCable Platform in future Intel consumer electronic (CE) system-on-a-chip (SoC) products. Incorporating support for OpenCable allows digital televisions, set-top boxes, digital media recorders and other networked consumer electronics devices to run standard applications and services delivered by cable operators, consumer electronics companies, program networks, and other software developers.

“The cable industry has a very strong commitment to the OpenCable Platform, and to deploying interactive services through both retail and leased digital devices,” said Dr. Richard R. Green, President and CEO of CableLabs. “Having Intel support the technology really brings the OpenCable Platform to a new level of maturity and will further enable innovation from consumer electronics manufacturers, advertisers, content providers and cable operators for the benefit of our mutual customers,” he added.

“The collaboration between the major cable TV operators and Intel exemplifies and fuels the ongoing transition to digitally delivered entertainment whether through a computer, high-definition TV, smart set-top box or other networked CE device,” said Eric Kim, Intel senior vice president and general manager of the company’s Digital Home Group. “We expect this move and our innovative SoC products to further accelerate the development of new applications and services for myriad cable operators, CE manufacturers, developers and retailers, and to further bolster our own CE product plans based on Intel Architecture.”

“The OpenCable Platform is Comcast’s software base for the future,” said Tony Werner, Comcast* executive vice president and CTO. “Comcast is looking forward to Intel’s support of the OpenCable Platform through upcoming products and the inherent advantage that the design technique brings to quickly integrate cable and Internet content into a single device. Comcast is committed to working with Intel to bring one or more Intel SoC-based Digital Set Top Boxes (DSTBs) to market in the next two years.” he added.

Future Intel platforms will include OpenCable Platform technologies certified by CableLabs for interactive applications. Interactive digital cable-ready products can access interactive program guides delivered by cable operators, as well as premium services ordered on-screen, such as video-on-demand (VOD). The devices will also include support for the CableCARD* removable security module. The CableCARD encapsulates the local cable system-specific conditional access technology, thus enabling nationwide portability of these two-way devices.

In April, Intel said it planned to deliver Intel Architecture (IA) SoC products for a new generation of Internet compatible consumer electronics devices. By incorporating many features and standards into Intel’s silicon products, these SoCs will help manufacturers accelerate product delivery and deliver more cost-effective designs that provide strong processing performance and flexibility. Intel’s first CE-optimized IA-based SoC is scheduled for 2008, pairing a powerful IA processor with leading-edge A/V processing, graphics and more to help deliver greater performing, Internet-compatible devices.

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