Source: Zenith Electronics Corporation Web Site: http://www.zenith.com
Zenith Demonstrates OpenCableô Digital Set-Top Box
ATSC Remodulator Interfaces With Digital HDTV Sets
Reaffirming its commitment to digital technology and open industry standards, Zenith Electronics Corporation demonstrated its first OpenCableô compatible set-top box at the Western Cable Show, December 15-17. Zenith's new ZDT-2020 digital set-top box is designed to work with OpenCable POD (point of deployment) modules of various security system suppliers. For the first time, Zenith also showed an OpenCable set-top connected to the industry-standard ATSC remodulator digital interface for a cost-effective RF connection with digital and HDTV sets. ""The combination of the OpenCable digital platform and Zenith's strong brand and consumer electronics distribution capabilities will help the cable industry push toward retail availability of industry-standard set-top boxes this year,"" said William G. Luehrs, President, Zenith Network Systems division. The Zenith OpenCable box offers consumers a new and exciting means of interacting with their television, Luehrs explained. The ZDT-2020 features an interoperable POD interface and provides a platform for many of today's advanced third-party program guides and on-screen navigators. It supports digital video and audio and real-time, reverse-path communications to provide the user a gateway to interactive services such as VOD, Internet access, e-mail, home shopping, and more. In addition to the ZDT-2020 demonstration, the company participated in CableNETô '99 at the Western Show. The ZDT-2020 is part of a demonstration of interoperability between an OpenCable-compatible digital set-top box, a General Instrument ColdStreamô POD module and General Instrument HITS-compatible headend signal interfaces. Also at the Western Show, Zenith demonstrated its ATSC-over-cable solutions, including its VSB Cable Translator, ProDemodulator and ProDecoder. About Zenith Electronics Corporation Zenith Electronics Corporation is a long-time leader in consumer electronics in North America, a supplier of systems for cable TV and telecommunications industries, and a primary developer of the U.S. digital HDTV standard.