Cable-Ready Digital HDTVs, Set-Top Boxes Demonstrated for Cable Operators

[Gregg Lengling]

CHICAGO, June 9 /PRNewswire/ -- On the heels of the landmark cable-
consumer electronics agreement for a national "plug and play" digital cable
standard, Zenith Electronics Corporation and its parent company, LG
Electronics Inc. (LGE) are demonstrating digital-cable-ready HDTV products for
cable operators here this week.
    (Logo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020108/CGTU015LOGO-b )
    At the National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA) National
Show, LGE and Zenith are partnering with Cable Television Laboratories Inc.
(CableLabs) to provide a tantalizing glimpse of the digital future based on
next-generation cable-friendly consumer electronics devices.
    In the NCTA-CableLabs "HD Pavilion," the companies are showcasing an
integrated digital-cable-ready HDTV working with a point-of-deployment (POD)
module and currently available HDTVs and STBs with built-in QAM receivers.
Also at the show, LGE is demonstrating an OpenCable HDTV set-top box (STB).
Highlights:

    Digital Cable-Ready HDTV, shown publicly for the first time at the
National Show, employs a POD interface based on the unidirectional plug-and-
play digital cable-ready HDTV standard under consideration by the FCC. The LG-
brand 52-inch widescreen LCD rear-projection HDTV is built around an advanced
LGE 256/64 Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) tuner for digital cable HDTV
reception and Zenith's latest vestigial sideband (VSB) tuner for terrestrial
HDTV reception. Inputs include a Digital Visual Interface with High-bandwidth
Digital Content Protection (DVI + HDCP).

    The Advanced OpenCable HDTV Receiver, a digital cable set-top planned for
retail sale to consumers, supports OpenCable HD and SD video formats, and
comes equipped with a high-performance 256/64 QAM tuner and an Out-of-Band
(OOB) tuner. Key features include intuitive on-screen navigation, a PSIP-based
(Program System Information Protocol) electronic program guide, an OpenCable
Host-POD Interface, a POD CP System, simultaneous HD and 480i outputs, 5.1-
channel Dolby Digital Audio, aspect ratio correction, and DVI + HDCP, RGB,
Component, S-Video and A/V outputs for super connectivity.

    Other cable-friendly HDTV receivers on display in the HD Pavilion at the
National Show include Zenith's 34-inch widescreen digital HDTV that
incorporates an advanced QAM/VSB tuner for unscrambled digital cable and
terrestrial HDTV reception, plus analog NTSC terrestrial and cable tuners.
Model C34W3 features a flat CRT, 3:2 Pull Down, dual-tuner Picture-in-Picture
(PIP), split-screen, zoom and Picture-outside-Picture (POP) capabilities, a
Digital Visual Interface with High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (DVI +
HDCP), and an illuminated universal remote control. In addition, Zenith is
showing an LG-brand digital HDTV set-top box, Model LST-3100A, which also
combines a high-performance QAM tuner for unscrambled cable HDTV reception and
an ATSC tuner for terrestrial HDTV reception. It supports simultaneous HD and
SD outputs, 5.1-channel Dolby Digital audio, and has selectable modes for
1080i, 720p, 480p, 480i and Native Output. A connection package with DVI +
HDCP, RGB, Component, S-Video, and A/V outputs ensure super connectivity.

    LG Electronics, established in 1958 as Korea's pioneer consumer
electronics company, is a global major player of Electronics and Information &
Communications products. With more than 55,000 employees working in 73
overseas subsidiaries and marketing units around the world, LG Electronics'
core competencies are in three main business companies: Digital Appliance,
Digital Display and Media, Telecommunication Equipment & Handset. By
concentrating on innovation and development of leading-edge technologies, LG
Electronics has achieved a position as a global leadership both in its core
sectors and new digital products such as Digital TV, Internet appliances and
next generation mobile handsets. LG Electronics is focused on promoting home
network and mobile network businesses based on cutting-edge multimedia
application technology along with Information and Communication Technology as
its core business areas.  LG Electronics' Goal is to enable the intelligent
networking of digital products that will make consumers' lives easier than
ever.  For more information, please visit http://www.lge.com .

    Zenith Electronics Corporation, founded in 1918, is a leader in digital
television technologies and inventor of the U.S. digital HDTV transmission
system adopted by the FCC. Zenith's Emmy award winning technologies include
digital HDTV, flat-screen CRTs, stereo television and TV remote controls. For
2003, Zenith is capitalizing on its digital HDTV leadership and on the
extensive technologies and resources of its parent company, LG Electronics
Inc. Zenith's corporate headquarters are in Lincolnshire, Ill. Visit us on the
World Wide Web at http://www.zenith.com .


      
SOURCE Zenith Electronics Corporation