ADB demos tru2way compatibility

Advanced Digital Broadcast has shown its ADB-4820C high definition receiver to be capable of running on both Cisco and Motorola headends through the tru2way system.

At a recent CableLabs Interop event relayed to ADB’s Geneva offices, the receiver was first connected to a Cisco headend using a Cisco CableCARD, and displayed Time Warner Cable’s TV channels and tru2way interactive guide. The CableCARD was then removed from the box and replaced with a Motorola CableCARD. The box then automatically connected to the Motorola headend, and around five minutes later was displaying Comcast’s TV channels and tru2way interactive guide.

“This means that it is just four or five minutes to configure the technology in the customer’s home, which in reality means you don’t need an installer at all,” said François Pogodalla, chief executive officer, ADB. “A lot of people doubt that it is possible because the common wisdom is the US cable networks are so complex and the integration is so difficult and the spec is so important.”

The much-delayed CableCARD removable security system is designed to allow consumers to move between cable areas while keeping an existing set-top box. The television manufacturer Panasonic is already selling tru2way HDTVs in Chicago, Denver and Atlanta, all Comcast markets, and earlier this month announced plans to extend this to Boston.

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