CableLabs Touts Tru2way DVR Interop With DLNA Devices
Consortium Hosted 11 Companies at July Event
By Todd Spangler -- Multichannel News, 8/3/2010 4:16:44 PM
CableLabs last month hosted an interoperability event with 11 companies demonstrating tru2way-based DVRs sharing content with devices certified for the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) specification over coaxial cable in a simulated home network.However, the interop event included only set-tops designed for cable operators to distribute as leased boxes -- currently, no tru2way-based consumer electronics products are available for purchase by consumers. Last week Panasonic, the only CE maker to come to market with a tru2way retail product so far, confirmed that is no longer selling tru2way HDTVs after originally introducing them in late 2008.
The CableLabs event, held July 19-23 at the consortium's Louisville, Colo., headquarters, was attended by 37 people from 11 companies.
Set-top manufacturers were represented by ADB, Cisco Systems, Samsung Electronics and Motorola. Those boxes worked together with DLNA-certified devices and components from Panasonic, Samsung, Sony, Microsoft, Cyberlink, Irdeto, Myriad and NDS.
The interop event also featured two program guides with multiroom DVR capabilities: Cox Communications' Trio guide, currently available on Cisco set-tops; and Time Warner Cable's OCAP Digital Navigator (ODN) 4.0.
With the tru2way spec, premium cable content is encrypted with the DTCP-IP specification as it is transmitted over the home network. The content sharing among set-top boxes was enabled via Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA) 1.1, which supports up to 175 Mbps of throughput.
"By using the tru2way home networking specification we can now offer prerecorded premium content from cable set-top boxes to various DLNA-certified devices, enabling consumers to watch cable content anytime using any device in the home," Time Warner Cable executive vice president of advanced engineering Mike Hayashi said in a statement.
Steve Reynolds, Comcast Cable senior vice president of premises technology, added, "This interoperability event represents a major step in the maturation of the tru2way home networking platform. Interoperability between set-top vendors to support a multiroom DVR solution is a key part of Comcast's roadmap as we deploy this capability to our subscribers. We are pleased with the progress being made on this standards-based approach to device support."
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