Panasonic Integrated Digital Television Sets Achieve CableLabs OpenCable-Certified Status

21-Aug-03

The cable industry achieved a digital video milestone when CableLabs announced that it had awarded certified status to Panasonic for four models of integrated digital television sets (DTVs) that will connect directly to cable television systems and receive digital services without requiring set-top boxes.The announcement followed completion of a wave of certification testing conducted as part of the CableLabsÆ OpenCableô project.Panasonic's four certified DTVs will be able to directly receive high-definition (HDTV) and other one-way digital programs via cable, including premium services, on cable systems throughout the United States and Canada without the need for a set-top box. ""This accomplishment by Panasonic and CableLabs is to be commended. It marks a great step forward for consumers, and for cable and consumer electronics companies as we both seek to serve consumers with easier access to new digital services,"" said Mark Coblitz, Senior Vice President for Strategic Planning of Comcast Corporation. ""I suspect we will see DTVs at retail stores sooner now because of Panasonic's achievement."" Coblitz added. ""With multiple models of Panasonic-brand digital sets that are CableLabs certified, coupled with multiple providers of CableCARDsô, cable continues to exhibit its support of this country's move toward availability of digital services,"" said Mike Hayashi, Senior Vice President, Advanced Engineering and Subscriber Technology at Time Warner Cable, and Chairman of the CableLabs OpenCable Certification Board.""The market place has been enhanced by having a manufacturer like Panasonic now in position to sell cable digital sets through retail,"" said Dallas Clement, Senior Vice President of Strategy and Development at Cox Communications, Inc. ""This is great news for us, for consumers, and for retailers."" ""This is a significant accomplishment. Due to the diligence and effort of Panasonic and CableLabs we will see retail sales in the near-term, making it easier for consumers and the retail industry to benefit from cable's digital services,"" said Wayne Davis, Senior Vice President of Engineering and Technology Operations at Charter Communications. ""This is a great step forward.""""We are delighted to have this leadership position in the cable television digital market,"" said Paul Liao, President of Panasonic Technologies Company and Chief Technology Officer of Matsushita Electric Corporation of America, which is best known by its Panasonic brand.""We have worked hard in our labs and with the CableLabs staff and we expect to see these products in retail distribution this holiday season,"" added Sai Naimpally, President of Panasonic AVC American Laboratory Company. ""The CableLabs certification process was professional and highly efficient in the evaluation of our DTVs."" Matsushita Electric Corporation of America, which is best known by its Panasonic brand, is a subsidiary of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (NYSE: MC), which is based in Osaka, Japan. CableLabs Certifiedô means that the device has passed a series of tests for compliance with the indicated version of the specification and has thus demonstrated interoperability with multiple cable distribution networks. Many of these devices provide other functions or are designed to comply with other specifications, in each case tailored by the manufacturer to meet the growing needs of consumers or cable operators in an evolving communication/entertainment sector. While CableLabs encourages such innovation and diversity, the phrase CableLabs certified/qualified should not be understood as an endorsement of these other attributes (or that the product is certified to other specifications or versions), which are solely the responsibility of the company making the additional claims.Founded in 1988 by members of the cable television industry, Cable Television Laboratories is a non-profit research and development consortium that is dedicated to pursuing new cable telecommunications technologies and to helping its cable operator members integrate those advancements into their business objectives. Cable operators from around the world are members. CableLabs maintains Web sites at www.cablelabs.com, www.packetcable.com, www.cablemodem.com, www.cablenet.org, and www.opencable.com.

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