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To: John Rieman who wrote (48056)	12/28/1999 4:20:00 PM
From: BillyG	Respond to of 50808

14 Companies Participate in Successful OpenCable Interoperability Event LOUISVILLE, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 28, 1999-- Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. (CableLabs(R)) announced today that major success was achieved by 14 companies working together during the recent OpenCable(TM) interoperability event held in Los Angeles. Nine major consumer electronics manufacturers joined five conditional access suppliers and three headend suppliers for interoperability tests of removable security technologies, a critical component in opening the cable set-top market to greater competition, and moving cable set-top circuitry into TVs and onto retail shelves. A significant level of interoperability was demonstrated by multiple point-of-deployment security modules (POD modules) inserted into the POD interface slots of multiple set-top "host" devices. "This kind of interoperability testing is an extremely valuable part of the whole process," said CableLabs President and CEO, Dr. Richard R. Green. "We have used this process successfully in the past with our DOCSIS cable modem program, and it has proven to accelerate the development work of the different vendors," Green added. This event proves we are on track for cable companies to deliver fully functioning POD modules by the FCC's July 2000 deadline." The tests were conducted in the Los Angeles facilities of MediaOne. Three types of manufacturers participated: 1) those companies that produce "host" devices, such as set-tops, PC card receivers, and integrated TV/set-tops; 2) cable headend suppliers; and 3) companies that manufacture "PODs," or removable security "point-of-deployment" cards that handle conditional access and encryption of premium cable channels. "This list of participants (see below) shows that OpenCable is attracting many quality manufacturers, including large, reputable consumer electronics vendors into the cable industry," said Don Dulchinos, Senior Director of Advanced Platforms and Services for CableLabs. "It's always been a goal of OpenCable to extend removable security not just into set tops, but also into a range of devices that receive MPEG-2 digital video, related program content, and interactive applications." OpenCable is a fast-track initiative sponsored by leading cable television companies, managed through CableLabs, with a goal of attaining interoperable digital set-top boxes and other advanced digital devices manufactured by multiple vendors. These devices would be capable of delivering digital video, data and interactive services to a television set. The capability also may be built into consumer electronics devices, such as digital television receivers. The tests were the second in a planned series involving POD security modules, which take the form of slide-in PCMCIA cards used in personal computers. PODs are important to the future retail set-top environment, because when consumers purchase standalone set-tops or combination TV/set-tops, they need a way to order and to receive encrypted content - such as premium cable channels - from cable operators. To view photos of the interoperability event, please go to the Internet at www.opencable.com/interop.html. Participating Vendors: Set-tops/TVs: Headends: General Instrument Divicom LG Electronics General Instrument Microsoft Scientific-Atlanta Panasonic POD Modules: Samsung General Instrument Philips Mindport/SCM Microsystems Scientific-Atlanta Nagra/SCM Microsystems Thomson Consumer Electronics Scientific-Atlanta Zenith Electronics NDS/SCM Microsystems CableLabs is a research and development consortium of cable television system operators representing the continents of North America and South America. CableLabs plans and funds research and development projects that will help cable companies take advantage of future opportunities and meet future challenges in the cable television industry. It also transfers relevant technologies to member companies and to the industry. In addition, CableLabs acts as a clearinghouse to provide information on current and prospective technological developments that are of interest to the cable industry. CableLabs maintains web sites at www.cablelabs.com; www.cablemodem.com; www.cablenet.org; www.opencable.com, and www.packetcable.com. CONTACT: CableLabs(R) Mike Schwartz, 303/661-9100 m.schwartz@cablelabs.com

To: John Rieman who wrote (48056)	12/28/1999 4:33:00 PM
From: Steve Fancy	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 50808

Well congrats John! I closed my small half position of CUBE Feb 45 calls at 17 3/8 today. Closing out any doubles or better in my non-core positions. If I had the stock probably would have held, but with options and 2 months to go and possibility this Naz could get blasted any day, only responsible thing for me to do. I'm sure I'll be back in soon. Good luck John, sf

To: John Rieman who wrote (48056)	12/28/1999 9:39:00 PM
From: Lester Fong	Respond to of 50808

Any opinion of a buy, sell , hold, or buy back covered Jan 35 CALLS that were sold for only $2.5? Original stock buy in price was $55 for 250 shares back in '96. These two Jan 35 2000 CALLS are now going for $24.5. Should have covered back when it was down in the the $17 range, but did not have the guts to do that. Any responses will be most helpful. Thanks....

To: John Rieman who wrote (48056)	12/29/1999 12:19:00 AM
From: BillyG	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 50808

Coalition sues to bar distribution of DVD cracking tool By Courtney Macavinta Staff Writer, CNET News.com December 28, 1999, 1:55 p.m. PT Desperate to curb DVD piracy, a coalition of motion picture and high-tech heavyweights today sued 71 individuals and Web sites for allegedly circulating a program online that lets people crack the security on the discs to make unauthorized copies of movies. The lawsuit was filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court in California by the DVD Copy Control Association. The group was formed in December of last year by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), the Business Software Alliance and the Electronic Industries Alliance to license out the DVD Content Scrambling System--a technology used by all major U.S. movie studios to prevent the piracy of DVD versions of hundreds of copyrighted works. DVD sellers and content providers were rocked in November, however, when programmers discovered a way to remove the anti-copying features through a program called DeCSS. As DVD players have been one of the hottest-selling items this holiday season, the industries have been in a frenzy to stamp out DeCSS by sending threatening legal letters, for example. The lawsuit filed today is the most serious action yet. The lawsuit names individuals who registered Web sites from California, New York, Australia, Denmark and other areas, as well as dozens of "John Does," charging that they are facilitating the illegal copying of DVDs by posting the DeCSS program on their sites or "knowingly" linking to it. "Their unchecked illegal activities will chill future technological innovation in the motion picture, consumer electronics and computer industries and discourage other industries from making their content available to the public, as the motion picture industry has done here, in new formats," the DVD Copy Control Association alleges in the complaint. The plaintiffs are seeking an injunction to stop the sites from providing access to DeCSS, which the lawsuit alleges relies on proprietary information extracted from the DVD Content Scrambling System. Based on the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), which passed last October, it is a crime to create, sell or distribute technology that could be used to break copyright-protection devices. "Working together with the MPAA, [the] DVD Copy Control Association sought to have these postings removed from the various Web sites, and some Web site operators and Internet service providers voluntarily removed the material in response to these requests," the association said in a statement. "An injunction would ensure that CSS technology remains in place as an essential part of the development of the DVD marketplace." For now, the association is not going after people who actually use DeCSS to make illegal copies of DVDs. That is because the provision in the DMCA that made it a crime to "circumvent" copyright-protection devices, with violators being charged up to $2,500 per act of circumvention, hasn't gone into effect yet. The provision created exemptions for research, engineering and education that still have to be worked out by an interagency rule-making group. The motion picture industry isn't the only entertainment Goliath trying to shut down programs that could lead to the piracy of copyrighted material. Earlier this month, the Recording Industry Association of America sued software start-up Napster, claiming that its program has created a forum that lets online users trade unauthorized music files directly from their PCs.

To: John Rieman who wrote (48056)	1/4/2000 12:51:00 PM
From: BillyG	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 50808

C-Cube launches single-chip codec for digital video apps eetimes.com By Margaret Quan EE Times (01/04/00, 11:41 a.m. EDT) MILPITAS, Calif. — C-Cube Microsystems Inc. will sample a single-chip codec this month for use in consumer digital video applications, such as digital video recorders (DVRs). C-Cube expects to have the DVxcel MPEG-2 device in volume production in the second quarter. Priced at $29 in large quantities, the codec is expected to enable $299 DVR devices, including standalone DVD/optical disk and digital VHS recorders, as well as digital set-top boxes with built-in DVR functionality. Based on C-Cube's DVX codec architecture, the DVxcel is built in 0.22-micron process technology and simultaneously encodes/decodes broadcast-quality video. Unlike the company's previous-generation DVxplore MPEG-2 codec, which featured a PCI bus interface, the DVxcel is designed for embedded applications and has a conventional host interface for 16- and 32-bit micro-controllers. The DVxcel integrates separate bitstream I/O ports for direct connection to peripherals. C-Cube said the codec can eliminate extra logic between chips, thus saving system costs. The codec also reduces the computational load on a system processor, freeing it for other applications. Patrick Henry, vice president of marketing and systems solutions for the Home Media Division of C-Cube, said the company expects to work with consumer electronics manufacturers on standalone DVR/DVD and VHS boxes, and with service providers and set-top box manufacturers that plan to offer recording and time-shifting as enhanced set-top features. C-Cube plans to announce design wins for the DVxcel in the next 3 to 6 months, Henry said. C-Cube expects DVxcel to benefit from several trends, such as set-tops' entry into the retail market, and the bundling of services by providers such as TiVo Inc., which offers time-shifting of television programs. C-Cube sees its relationships with service providers becoming more important in the next two to three years as DVR becomes a standard feature of set-top boxes, Henry said. Though considered a pioneer in the MPEG-1 decoder market, C-Cube hasn't experienced top-line revenue growth from that market due to quickly falling prices in the limited market for MPEG-1 decoders, Henry said. But C-Cube expects growth in DVR, DVD and set-top box markets to increase its top-line revenue by 40 percent in 2000 and projects further growth in 2001, Henry said. For another article, see: semibiznews.com