Thursday, December 22, 2005

Thomson Licenses CableLabs Specifications

Thomson, the Paris-based equipment provider for the media and entertainment industry, has signed an agreement with Louisville Colorado-based CableLabs, a cable industry group that provides digital set-top box standards. Thomson has licensed CableLabs CableCARD-Host Interface (CHILA), a collection of specifications for definition cable receiver or set-top box connections. The CableLabs specifications define a removable security interface sold to cable subscribers for enabling program guides and video-on-demand. Thomson said the move was a major milestone in its growth strategy for the US cable market. The companies also said that other interactive services will be made possible by its OpenCable Application Platform (OCAP) middleware. CableLabs is a non-profit research and development consortium funded by the cable television industry.