Panasonic Is First Major TV Manufacturer to Sign PHILA Agreement With CableLabs

[Gregg Lengling]

SECAUCUS, N.J., Oct. 17, 2002 -- Panasonic and CableLabs today announced that Panasonic is the first major television manufacturer to sign a POD-Host Interface License Agreement (PHILA) with the cable industry. The agreement enables Panasonic to develop, manufacture and market digital televisions (DTVs) that will be able to directly receive High Definition (HDTV) and other digital programs via cable, including premium services, wherever they are available in the U.S. Such a DTV can be connected by cable subscribers directly to their digital cable service without the requirement for set top box.

There has been a continuing joint effort by the cable industry and the consumer electronics industry to achieve interoperability in order to enable retail availability of equipment. Developed by CableLabs, the POD-Host interface provides the standardized and secure communications link between an individually addressable "POD" (point of deployment) security module, which provides the necessary customization for operation with the consumer's local cable system, and the "host" digital television.
From broadcastnewsroom.com