NCTA, CEA Reach Agreement on Cable-Ready DTV
In an agreement spurred by FCC Chairman William Kennard's threat to impose government-mandated standards, the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and the National Cable Television Association (NCTA) announced today that they had agreed upon voluntary standards for cable ready DTV products.
"Today's announcement of industry agreement on digital TV technical standards will jump start the digital revolution for television," Chairman Kennard says. "It means that Americans are one giant step closer to enjoying digital television over their cable systems. Consumers will be able to receive the benefits of digital programming on their digital TV sets from both over-the-air broadcast stations and cable systems."
Agreement Doesn't Cover Copy Protection
The agreement details the technical requirements that permit the direct connection of DTV receivers to cable television systems, specifying the signal levels and quality as well as video formats (which includes all ATSC formats in Table 5). They also provide for the carriage of Program and System Information Protocol (PSIP) data on cable systems to support on-screen guide functions in digital receivers.
What the agreement doesn't cover is copy protection and two-way set labeling which will determine how consumers will be informed about whether their DTV set connects to other digital appliances. Because of these outstanding issues, FCC commissioner Susan Ness qualified the agreement as a "significant step" but added "we can't declare victory when the game's only at halftime."
"There remain significant issues of disagreement that could have profound effects on the digital transition," Commissioner Ness says. "We must bring to resolution the outstanding issues of copy protection and the accurate labeling of digital television receivers." Ness added that she will support the issuance of a Notice of Public Rulemaking (NPRM) to address those issues if the consumer electronics and cable industries fail to reach an agreement, but expressed hope that the process wouldn't get to that point.
Chairman Kennard said he would recommend to the commission that proposed rules on the technical standards and program guide issues be removed from consideration, but that the commission continue to review proposed rules on copy protection and labeling.
‘A Giant Step Forward'
CEA president Gary Shapiro hailed the agreement as "another giant step forward" in the transition to DTV. "The true winner is the American consumer," Shapiro says. "This is good news for cable customers contemplating a purchase of a digital television receiver," says Robert Sachs, president and CEO of NCTA. "The cable and consumer electronics industries now have specifications that ensure that signals transmitted on cable will be easily viewed on digital sets."