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To: Maya who wrote (50403)	12/1/2000 11:29:18 PM
From: Maya	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 50808

TV-set makers blame cable firms for digital delay By Bloomberg News December 1, 2000, 2:00 p.m. PT WASHINGTON--Time Warner and other cable companies are slowing the development of technical standards for two-way digital television, a TV-set makers group asserts. Negotiations between the set makers and the programmers have stalled over making electronic program guides available and keeping content secure from piracy, the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) told the Federal Communications Commission on Thursday. The group represents Sony and other TV-set makers. • Get the "Big Picture" • Related News • Message Boards Quote Snapshot TWX 62.60 +0.60 SNE 74.56 +0.06 · Real-Time Quotes Enter symbol: · Symbol Lookup Quotes delayed 20+ minutes Broadcasters are supposed to use new digital TV channels exclusively when 85 percent of U.S. consumers have compatible sets or by 2006, whichever is later. In response to complaints about a slow transition, broadcasters, cable companies and TV makers have each asked the FCC to nudge the other. "CEA is disappointed yet undaunted by the lack of progress thus far," Michael Petricone, CEA vice president for technology policy, wrote the FCC on Thursday. "Production and marketing of digital television receivers that will be fully compatible with digital cable systems cannot begin until the cable industry produces a final build-to standard for manufacturers' use." Cable's trade association, which is monitoring tests at the industry's CableLabs research center in Boulder, Colo., defends itself by pointing out that participants in a range of industries are reviewing a standard for two-way TV. The standard is expected to be released publicly by Dec. 31. "Both the cable industry and CableLabs intend to continue work to develop specifications that will foster the compatibility between cable systems and consumer electronics products," William Check, a vice president at the National Cable Television Association, said Thursday in a letter to the FCC. Almost 400 participants in the project known as OpenCable, including TV makers and retailers, have been reviewing the new standard since Nov. 8, Check said. Petricone criticized the cable industry for abandoning two other cross-industry groups in favor of the OpenCable project, which he said is controlled by cable companies. He warned that the cable industry has an incentive to develop proprietary technology rather than working with TV set makers and asked the FCC to intervene. FCC officials have said the agency will act by the end of the year to accelerate the switch to digital TV, granting broadcast applications to build digital transmission towers and stations and addressing a cable company's obligation to carry broadcasters' digital signals. Digital TV promises to give viewers more programming choices and to provide high-quality sound and images known as high-definition TV. It's also costly for broadcasters and equipment makers as they rebuild their systems. Digital TV sets will let broadcasters offer interactive services and simultaneously air multiple shows on a single channel. yahoo.cnet.com