Date: 13/06/2012

CableLabs event focussed on aligning cable and DLNA-based services to share content

The third of a series of CableLabs tru2way home networking interoperability events was held at CableLabs from April 30 to May 4, 2012. Ten industry suppliers 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.

The device manufacturers who participated in the event include 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 an 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.