CableLabs Event Focuses on tru2way Content Sharing

A CableLabs interop held July 19-23 at CableLabs’ offices in Louisville, CO, demonstrated sharing of premium DVR content among multiple tru2way set-top boxes and Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) certified devices, such as connected TVs, game consoles, PCs and mobile devices, over a home network in a secure manner.

Thirty-seven participants from 11 companies collaborated at the interoperability event. Set-top manufacturers were represented by ADB, Cisco, Samsung Electronics and Motorola. They worked together with DLNA Certified device manufacturers including Panasonic, Samsung Electronics, Sony, as well as with DLNA Technology Component vendors such as Microsoft and Cyberlink, as well as Irdeto, Myriad and NDS. Program guides with multi-room DVR capability from Cox (Trio) and Time Warner Cable (OCAP Digital Navigator [ODN] v.4.0) were also used in the interop.

CableLabs issued the latest revision of the home networking extension specification and associated reference implementation that is part of the tru2way suite of specifications in June 2010. Integrating home networking into the overall specification enhances the tru2way platform, making premium content sharing possible among multiple set-top boxes and DLNA Certified devices within a home network. The DLNA Interoperability Guidelines are the foundation of tru2way home networking specifications. The premium cable content is protected using DTCP-IP as it is transmitted over the home network.

“By using the tru2way home networking specification we can now offer pre-recorded 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” said Mike Hayashi, EVP of advanced engineering for Time Warner Cable, in a statement.

“Now a Cox cable consumer can utilize Cox’s Trio guide to record an event on the DVR in the family room and access it later from the bedroom television, thus enabling the promise of multi-room DVR capability,” added Craig Smithpeters, executive director of interactive services engineering, Cox Communications, in a statement.

Content sharing among set-top boxes is enabled via a MoCA 1.1 (Multimedia over Coax Alliance) network that utilizes in-home coax wiring; thus alleviating the need to run new wiring within the home. MoCA can support multiple streams of HD video and offers 175 Mbps of throughput.