Audio Video News

Cable providers' reluctance to adhere to compatibility standards is hampering manufacturers' designs and hindering the market for digital entertainment products, according to complaints filed with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA).

The CEA, which has long maintained that cable industry foot-dragging is to blame for the slow market penetration of digital television, wants the federal agency to promote compatibility between digital cable equipment and consumer electronics devices. CEA comments were filed in response to a request for a status report regarding agreements reached in February 2000 between the CEA and the National Cable Television Association. As previously, the CEA claims that the cable industry has demonstrated "a lack of commitment to standardized cable/CE-compatible systems."

Because some cable providers haven't agreed to open standards, and haven't made significant upgrades to their systems to accommodate digital signals, CEA members are "unable to design or build any products with minimum competitive functionality for direct operation on a cable system . . . Manufacturers are unable to build compatible products for sale in a competitive marketplace." Among the standards that the CEA wants the FCC to enforce are agreements about Program and System Information Protocol (PSIP) guides, which allow viewers to channel-surf with a remote control.

The CEA wants all cable systems to adhere to a single standard. At present, cable providers are free to use any channel guides they wish, even if they are proprietary to only one cable company and incompatible with everything else on the market. The CEA would like to see the entire industry adopt a standard "point-of-deployment" (POD) device, preferably one not hindered by what the CEA calls "onerous copyright provisions." By retaining their own devices and technologies, cable companies retain more control over their individual markets and generate more income through the sales and rentals of set-top decoder boxes. Interoperability is ultimately in everyone's best interest, the CEA claims.