CableLabs® Tru2way® Home Networking Interop Demonstrates Navigation of Linear Content Using Cable Operator HTML5 Program Guides
Continued Alignment of Cable and DLNA®-based Ecosystem to Share Premium Content
LOUISVILLE, Colo., June 7, 2012—Ten industry suppliers participated in the third of a series of CableLabs tru2way Home Networking interoperability events. The most recent event was held at CableLabs from April 30 — May 4, 2012. Participants demonstrated sharing of premium cable content between a wide variety of IP-based Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) client services including early implementations of HTML5-based clients and cable operator-supplied Remote User Interface (RUI) program guides. The content was securely shared over the home network using DTCP-IP link protection.
- Participating device manufacturers included Humax, Samsung Electronics, Sony Computer Entertainment America, and Sony Electronics.
- DLNA technology component suppliers included ACCESS Systems, Groupo Communications, Myriad Group Ltd. and PacketVideo.
- Tru2way Host Device manufacturers were represented by Cisco. Silicondust provided an OpenCable™ unidirectional receiver device.
- Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Cox Communications provided program guides that integrated tru2way technology with multi-room DVR capability. Additionally, Comcast and Cox also provided HTML5-based program guides that supported playback of linear content.
The CableLabs tru2way Reference Implementation (RI) also participated as both a client device and a tru2way Host Device in the multi-vendor interoperability scenarios. The tru2way RI software is developed by CableLabs with support from the OpenSource community on java.net and integrated into tru2way devices by manufacturers. The Reference Implementation allows manufacturers to quickly implement tru2way technology in their devices and provides cable operators with a robust, interoperable software platform for developing their program guides and other tru2way applications.
Interoperability scenarios included DLNA premium features (i.e., streaming DVR content, server-side trick modes, DTCP-IP link protection, etc.) as well as streaming of linear content to HTML5 browser-based client services.
"During the interoperability event, Comcast demonstrated our HTML5 RUI running in an HTML5-based browser and streaming linear content to early implementations of HTML5-based clients. We also demonstrated our multi-room DVR capability using RI-based set-top boxes and multiple vendors' DLNA-based IP devices," stated Steve Reynolds, Senior Vice President, Premises Technology, Comcast.
"The CableLabs Home Networking events continue to provide value in advancing interoperability between the growing list of tru2way Host Devices and DLNA-based Home Networking devices," stated Mike Hayashi, Executive Vice President of Architecture, Development and Engineering, Time Warner Cable.
"A prototype of Cox's HTML5-based Trio guide ran in a webkit-based browser and streamed linear content from a tru2way-based set top box acting as a server," said John Civiletto, Executive Director, Technology Architecture, Cox Communications.
The tru2way Home Networking Specifications include the DLNA Interoperability Guidelines. Set-top box manufacturers implement tru2way Host Devices based on these specifications. CableLabs issued the latest version of the Home Networking extension specification, along with associated test suites and the tru2way reference implementation software, as part of the Bundle 1.2.2 release in February 2012. These materials are publicly available on the CableLabs website, www.cablelabs.com.
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 and www.ebif.tv.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.
