CableLabs Approves VCPS Recording Technology for Digital Cable-Ready Products

LOUISVILLE, Colo. - Nov. 23, 2004 - CableLabs announced today that it has approved a recording technology jointly developed by Philips and Hewlett-Packard that enables consumers to enjoy home recordings of certain high-value cable programming. Under the FCC Plug & Play Rules, CableLabs may approve new digital outputs and recording technologies for use in unidirectional Digital Cable Ready (DCR) devices.

The Video Content Protection System (VCPS) allows cable content marked as "copy once" to be burned onto VCPS-enabled DVD+R and DVD+RW optical digital media. The CableLabs approval extends to all DCR products built in compliance with standards and regulations applicable to unidirectional digital cable products, as well as to both unidirectional and bi-directional products built to the OpenCable(TM) specifications.

"We're very pleased to add VCPS as an approved recording technology for digital cable-ready retail products," said CableLabs President and CEO Dr. Richard R. Green. "Secure recording technologies like VCPS are essential for home copying, while maintaining the integrity of cable networks to provide high-value programming to customers who purchase retail products for use with cable," Green added.

Under license agreements with CableLabs, DCR manufacturers may obtain the confidential information necessary to build products compatible with the cable industry's CableCARD(TM) removable security modules, and may include secure outputs and recording technologies as approved by CableLabs and added to the CableLabs agreement. A separate license from Philips is required for VCPS adopters to obtain the information and licensing rights needed to implement the recording technology.

VCPS: Video Content Protection System
VCPS is an innovative technology for encrypting video recordings on DVD+R and DVD+RW discs. Designed to protect recordings of digital broadcast according to the Broadcast Flag rules adopted by the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC), VCPS also enables direct digital recording of 'copy-once' content from satellite and cable sources.

On 4 November 2003, the United States FCC published its decision on the Broadcast Flag, meaning that after 1 July 2005, digital video recorders in the United States will have to encrypt recorded TV broadcasts that carry the flag. In Japan, a similar regulation already requires the encrypted recording of digital TV broadcast signals.

The implementation of VCPS in DVD+R/+RW equipment and discs is not mandatory, but equipment and discs without VCPS capability will be unable to record or playback TV broadcast in the USA that is protected with the Broadcast Flag.

About Cable Television Laboratories
Founded in 1988 by members of the cable television industry, Cable Television Laboratories is a non-profit research and development consortium that is dedicated to pursuing new cable telecommunications technologies and to helping its cable operator members integrate those advancements into their business objectives. Cable operators from around the world are members. CableLabs maintains web sites at www.cablelabs.com; www.packetcable.com; www.cablemodem.com; www.cablenet.org; and www.opencable.com .

CableLabs(R), DOCSIS(R), CableHome(TM), PacketCable(TM), OpenCable(TM), OCAP(TM), CableCARD(TM), Go2Broadband(SM) and CableNET(R) are marks of Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.