Interoperability, HDTV, Retail Demos

Exhibit's 'Plug and Play' Theme Highlights Consumer Accessibility

Louisville, Colorado, November 10, 1998—Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. (CableLabs®) and the California Cable Television Association (CCTA) have organized a cable-connected, highly interoperable living and work area as part of the CableNET® '98 demonstration at this year's Western Show in Anaheim, California, December 1–4.

In its sixth year, CableNET® '98 will demonstrate the power of the cable industry's hybrid fiber/coaxial systems and its expanding telecommunications and entertainment applications. With nearly 60 participating companies, this year's theme, Plug and Play will be demonstrated through interoperable modems, digital set tops, and Internet phones � showing the impact of these technologies on consumers in business and home environments.

The living room and small office/home office (SOHO) exhibits will include multiple cable modems, Internet telephony, video conferencing, and digital entertainment services running over the hybrid fiber/coaxial cable system.

In addition, CableNET®'98 will also demonstrate:

A Cable Retail Concept Store, designed by Circuit City, which will depict the approaching retail sale of high-speed, always-connected cable modems and advanced digital set-top boxes.

A High Definition Television (HDTV) Display Area where signals will be received off-air from broadcast and satellite. The signals will be transmitted over the CableNET® cable television system and run through cable set-top boxes into HDTV sets from Pioneer, Sharp, Hitachi, and Zenith.

"This year's CableNET® is the largest to date. It also is the most ambitious in terms of the levels to which we are demonstrating the progress made in our interoperability projects," said CableLabs President and CEO Dr. Richard R.Green.

"CableLabs continues to keep our industry squarely in the middle of developing the important technological advances we need to be competitive," said Spencer Kaitz, President of CCTA. "And CableNET® '98 will demonstrate why we're so excited about the consumer reaction to the products and services shown here."

CableLabs, on behalf of the cable television industry, is pursuing interoperability aggressively in its high-level projects�DOCSIS, OpenCable™, and PacketCable™.

DOCSIS is aimed at attaining interoperable high-speed cable modems; OpenCable™ is seeking to advance interoperable digital set-top boxes; and PacketCable™ is focusing on interoperable Internet Protocol-based services that will be distributed over cable's hybrid fiber/coax systems. One of the initial services on which PacketCable™ is concentrating is IP telephony, which uses the Internet or other packet networks, for delivery of telephone calls at competitive prices.

DOCSIS is aimed at attaining interoperable high-speed cable modems; OpenCable™ is seeking to advance interoperable digital set-top boxes; and PacketCable™ is focusing on interoperable Internet Protocol-based services that will be distributed over cable's hybrid fiber/coax systems. One of the initial services on which PacketCable™ is concentrating is IP telephony, which uses the Internet or other packet networks, for delivery of telephone calls at competitive prices.

This interoperability will enable the cable industry to choose equipment from a variety of suppliers building similar products. It will also provide cable customers with the economic benefits of price competition and product innovation, as well as the opportunity to purchase interoperable products at retail stores in the near future.

Companies whose demonstrations were chosen for the living room and SOHO as representative of the overall work underway in DOCSIS, OpenCable™, and PacketCable™ are:

• 3Com and Cisco for DOCSIS cable modems
• Motorola and Vienna Systems, Inc., for voice-over-Internet Protocol.
• 8X8, Inc., and Intel for video-conferencing using the Internet.
• General Instrument and Scientific-Atlanta for advanced digital set-top boxes SeaChange International for a video-on-demand service.
• Network Computers Inc. for Web surfing on an advanced television set.
• Pioneer and Samsung for HDTV sets using the IEEE 1394 interface.

In addition to this year's vendors and exhibitors, CableNET® receives support from companies that provide enabling technology and services.

The supporting vendors include:

• @Home Networks—Broadband backbone connectivity.
• 3Com—Data switches.
• AIC—Support of DHCP server.
• Belden Wire & Cable—Data networking cable.
• Century Communications—Cable television signals, fiber optic splicing, integration space, and technical support personnel.
• Cisco Systems—Routers, support for the backbone data network, cable modems, and cable headend systems.
• CommScope—Technical consulting and support, coaxial cable, data cable, fiber optic cable, and freight handling and shipping.
• Gilbert Engineering—Coaxial connectors and installation tools.
• HBO—High definition programming content.
• Hewlett Packard—PacketCable™ testing equipment.
• Hitachi Home Electronics (America), Inc—HDTV monitor.
• Nortel Networks—Cable modems, cable headends, routers and support for the CableNET® backbone data network.
• PanAmSat—Satellite dish, transponder time, and downlink antenna.
• TeleCrafter—Cable labels.
• Sharp Electronics Corporation—HDTV monitor.
• Sony Electronics, Inc.—Television sets for demonstrations.
• YAS Corportion—Consulting services for network integration.
• Zenith Electronics Corp.—VSB signals.

The CCTA, which produces The Western Show each year, is the nation's largest state cable association with over 370 member companies providing services to more than 6.2 million cable television households in California.

About CableLabs: Cable Television Laboratories (www.cablelabs.com) was founded in 1988 by members of the cable television industry. A non-profit research and development consortium, CableLabs delivers innovations that enable cable operators to be the providers of choice in their markets. Cable operators from around the world are members. CableLabs maintains additional web sites at www.cablenet.org.

CableLabs® is a registered trademark of Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. Other CableLabs marks are listed at http://www.cablelabs.com/certqual/trademarks. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.