Post by dkennedy on Jan 30, 2007 12:37:44 GMT -5
Set-Top Makers Are Good ‘Hosts’
January 29, 2007
By Tom Steinert-Threlkeld, Multichannel News
Product managers for Motorola and Cisco Systems’ Scientific Atlanta unit said Monday that mass production of set-top boxes that do not include built-in processes for controlling access to cable systems will begin before the end of March.
The volume production of such so-called host set-tops will begin as the box-makers gear up to comply with the Federal Communications Commission’s “707” mandate to break out security controls from set-top boxes. The FCC’s goal is to spur competition in the manufacture of television sets and set-top boxes that can manage access to cable systems’ programming and services.
“As we go to the end of the first quarter, we will be in production” with all products in a new lineup of receivers, digital-video recorders and other products that can accept a new generation of insertable cards that control access to cable systems, Motorola product manager for host set-tops Rob Folk said at the National Cable Television Cooperative’s gathering of independent cable operators here.
Shipments will begin “well in advance” of the FCC deadline in July. That’s when, by FCC order, all new set-top boxes installed in homes by cable operators must be units that can accept pre-programmed cards that control access to their systems and tiers of services.
Motorola, SA and Pace Micro Technology are all racing to be ready to supply boxes that comply with the FCC mandate in the next five months. Representatives of all three companies appeared on stage at an NCTC workshop here to assure its membership that they will be able to meet their needs.
The NCTC is made up of independent cable operators, some of which have appealed to the FCC for waivers from the mandate. They argued that the mandate will raise their costs substantially, which, in turn, will defeat another FCC goal, which is to spur adoption of digital-TV services.
Motorola’s current low-end box for controlling access to standard-definition digital images and services, the DCH700, costs a cable operator $80. While prices haven’t been released for the new DCH100, the host version, Multichannel News confirmed from two Motorola product managers that it likely will cost operators on the order of $225.
That could force independent operators to raise the cost of digital services anywhere from $2-$5 per month, according to a letter sent by American Cable Association president Matt Polka to the FCC. That could have the impact, in some cases, of doubling prices charged for digital services to $10 per month from $5, for instance.
SA director of business development for subscriber networks Carlton Casey said his company would also begin mass production of its competing host set-tops by the end of this quarter.
“On the cost question, our boxes will be $200 cheaper than Motorola’s,” he joked, in response to a question from the audience.
Asked afterward about the jest -- and whether that meant SA would release $25 boxes -- Casey declined to estimate prices of SA boxes, but he said he was comparing SA prices with Motorola list prices.
January 29, 2007
By Tom Steinert-Threlkeld, Multichannel News
Product managers for Motorola and Cisco Systems’ Scientific Atlanta unit said Monday that mass production of set-top boxes that do not include built-in processes for controlling access to cable systems will begin before the end of March.
The volume production of such so-called host set-tops will begin as the box-makers gear up to comply with the Federal Communications Commission’s “707” mandate to break out security controls from set-top boxes. The FCC’s goal is to spur competition in the manufacture of television sets and set-top boxes that can manage access to cable systems’ programming and services.
“As we go to the end of the first quarter, we will be in production” with all products in a new lineup of receivers, digital-video recorders and other products that can accept a new generation of insertable cards that control access to cable systems, Motorola product manager for host set-tops Rob Folk said at the National Cable Television Cooperative’s gathering of independent cable operators here.
Shipments will begin “well in advance” of the FCC deadline in July. That’s when, by FCC order, all new set-top boxes installed in homes by cable operators must be units that can accept pre-programmed cards that control access to their systems and tiers of services.
Motorola, SA and Pace Micro Technology are all racing to be ready to supply boxes that comply with the FCC mandate in the next five months. Representatives of all three companies appeared on stage at an NCTC workshop here to assure its membership that they will be able to meet their needs.
The NCTC is made up of independent cable operators, some of which have appealed to the FCC for waivers from the mandate. They argued that the mandate will raise their costs substantially, which, in turn, will defeat another FCC goal, which is to spur adoption of digital-TV services.
Motorola’s current low-end box for controlling access to standard-definition digital images and services, the DCH700, costs a cable operator $80. While prices haven’t been released for the new DCH100, the host version, Multichannel News confirmed from two Motorola product managers that it likely will cost operators on the order of $225.
That could force independent operators to raise the cost of digital services anywhere from $2-$5 per month, according to a letter sent by American Cable Association president Matt Polka to the FCC. That could have the impact, in some cases, of doubling prices charged for digital services to $10 per month from $5, for instance.
SA director of business development for subscriber networks Carlton Casey said his company would also begin mass production of its competing host set-tops by the end of this quarter.
“On the cost question, our boxes will be $200 cheaper than Motorola’s,” he joked, in response to a question from the audience.
Asked afterward about the jest -- and whether that meant SA would release $25 boxes -- Casey declined to estimate prices of SA boxes, but he said he was comparing SA prices with Motorola list prices.