Samsung Electronics First to Sign CableLabs® Licenses for Two-Way Digital Cable Products

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The cable industry took another big step toward making interactive two-way cable products a retail reality when CableLabs® and Samsung Electronics, a leading innovator and manufacturer of digital TV technologies, entered into agreements that allow Samsung to implement OpenCable™ Application Platform (OCAP™)-compliant middleware on its interactive digital TVs and set-top boxes. The agreements, available to any interested consumer electronics manufacturer, grant certain intellectual property rights required for building interactive devices in compliance with the CableLabs OpenCable™ hardware and software specifications.

“Samsung has previously certified one-way digital cable-ready DTVs, but the transition to the more advanced two-way products is really a big step forward for everybody,” said Dick Green, President and CEO of CableLabs. “We’re really excited that Samsung has taken the initiative to advance their DTVs to the next level so quickly.”

CableLabs made the announcement after an executive signing ceremony at Samsung’s headquarters in Seoul in October. Comcast CEO and President, Brian Roberts, was on hand for the event and said: “Comcast is committed to OCAP and to bringing interactive cable devices to retail. We’re honored to be working closely with Samsung to make this happen.”

“Samsung is committed to lead this transition to advance interactive digital cable products,” said M.Y. Shin, Executive Vice President & General Manager, Samsung Electronics, Co. Ltd. “We believe that this is a major step forward in the U.S. digital transition strategy.”

Stephen Goldstein, Business Development Manager, Samsung Electronics America, Inc., added, “Samsung is focused on products that capture the full capabilities of what digital cable television has to offer. We believe that OCAP-based products are an essential element in making Samsung’s interactive television experience a reality sooner rather than later.”

The cable “road trip” this week took executives through Japan and Korea to promote the advanced capabilities of the U.S. digital cable platform. Glenn Britt, Chairman and CEO of Time Warner Cable, commented: “Consumer electronics companies worldwide have more opportunity than ever before to create innovative and commercially viable products that help customers receive advanced cable services. Our visit is intended to reinforce that message and strengthen the relationships that already exist between the cable and CE industries.”

The new interactive devices will include an OCAP implementation, the middleware specification created by CableLabs. OCAP allows retail devices to run any OCAP application or service being delivered by a cable operator. With OCAP middleware, CE manufacturers can build digital cable products capable of running interactive program guides delivered by cable operators, as well as premium services like video-on-demand (VOD). The new devices will also include an interface for the CableCARD™ removable security module. The CableCARD encapsulates the MSO-specific conditional access technology, thus enabling nationwide portability with the advanced devices.

“OCAP enables a plethora of interesting and innovative services,” said Mike Hayashi, Senior Vice President for Subscriber Technology and Advanced Engineering at Time Warner Cable, and Chairman of the OpenCable Certification Board. “A number of different hardware suppliers and application developers have been participating in OCAP interop testing events at CableLabs. We’re looking forward to full testing of the entire end-to-end solution within the next year,” said Hayashi.

About Samsung Electronics America, Inc.
Headquartered in Ridgefield Park, NJ, Samsung Electronics America, Inc. (SEA), a wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., markets a broad range of award-winning, advanced digital consumer electronics and information systems products. The SEA organization oversees the North American operations of Samsung Telecommunications USA, Samsung Electronics Canada, and Samsung Electronics Mexico. Please visit www.samsungusa.com for more information.

About Samsung Electronics
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2003 parent company sales of US$36.4 billion and net income of US$5.0 billion. Employing approximately 88,000 people in 89 offices in 46 countries, the company consists of six main business units: Corporate Technology Operations, Digital Appliance Business, Digital Media Business, LCD Business, Semiconductor Business and Telecommunication Network Business. Recognized as one of the fastest-growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is the world’s largest producer of color monitors, color TVs, memory chips, TFT-LCDs and VCRs. For more information, visit www.sansung.com.

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