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Samsung Electronics Receives CableLabs Certified Status for Integrated Digital Television

Posted on: Wednesday, 17 December 2003, 06:00 CST

LOUISVILLE, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 17, 2003--The cable industry is building upon its digital video accomplishments with the announcement by CableLabs(R) that it has awarded certified status to Samsung Electronics for an integrated digital television set (DTV) that connects directly to cable television systems and receives digital services without requiring a set-top box.

CableLabs made the announcement upon completion of a wave of certification testing conducted as part of the CableLabs OpenCable(TM) project. Samsung's DTV will be able to directly receive High Definition (HDTV) and other one-way digital programs via cable, including premium services, without the need for a set-top box. The DTVs also are interoperable on digital cable systems throughout the United States and Canada, where such DTVs are supported.

"Achieving certification under OpenCable highlights Samsung's commitment to the cable industry and support of the digital transition. Consistent with today's announcement, we look forward to Samsung's continued product development effort ultimately to OCAP(TM)," said Mike Hayashi, Senior Vice President for Subscriber Technology and Advanced Engineering at Time Warner Cable, and Chairman of the OpenCable Certification Committee. OCAP is the OpenCable Applications Platform middleware that resides in more advanced two-way interactive cable devices, and would enable services such as video-on-demand (VOD) and interactive games.

"We are delighted that Samsung is bringing this new digital-cable-ready television with CableCARD(TM) support to the market," said Charlie Kennamer, Vice President of Digital Engineering for Comcast Cable. "Samsung is providing consumers with more choices in how they receive digital cable services, which benefits consumers, the consumer electronics industry, and the cable industry," Kennamer added.

"We are thrilled with the result, and we remain committed to developing integrated DTVs that include CableCARD(TM) interoperability in order to enable digital cable services including HDTV," said M.Y. Shin, Executive Vice President & General Manager, Samsung Electronics, Co. Ltd.

"This CableCARD-enabled HDTV is the first of many OpenCable products that Samsung will develop and launch in collaboration with CableLabs, cable operators, and retailers," said Stephen Goldstein, Business Development Manager, Samsung Electronics America, Inc.

Said Don Dulchinos, CableLabs Vice President for Advanced Platforms and Services: "Our OpenCable certification process continues to exemplify the kind of high-quality engineering effort that may be developed between our industry and the consumer electronics companies. Samsung should be congratulated for achieving CableLabs Certified status for this DTV."

The CableCARD device is a critical element in enabling manufacturers and retailers to engage in retail sale of interoperable navigation devices, such as set-top boxes and DTVs that enable consumers to receive premium digital services. CableCARD removable security modules enable a device to decode encrypted, or scrambled, content delivered from digital cable systems.

CableLabs Certified(TM) means that the device has passed a series of tests for compliance with the indicated version of the specification and has thus demonstrated interoperability with multiple cable distribution networks. Many of these devices provide other functions or are designed to comply with other specifications, in each case tailored by the manufacturer to meet the growing needs of consumers or cable operators in an evolving communication/entertainment sector. While CableLabs encourages such innovation and diversity, the phrase CableLabs Certified should not be understood as an endorsement of these other attributes (or that the product is certified to other specifications or versions), which are solely the responsibility of the company making the additional claims.

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.

About Samsung Electronics America, Inc.

Headquartered in Ridgefield Park, N.J., Samsung Electronics America, Inc. (SEA), a wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., markets a broad range of award-winning, advanced digital consumer electronics and information systems products. The SEA organization oversees the North American operations of Samsung Telecommunications USA, Samsung Electronics Canada and Samsung Electronics Mexico. Please visit www.samsungusa.com for more information.

About Samsung Electronics

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunications, flat panel display and digital convergence technology. Samsung Electronics employs approximately 70,000 people in 87 offices across 47 countries. The company is the world's largest producer of memory chips, TFT-LCDs, CDMA mobile phones, monitors and VCRs. Samsung Electronics consists of four main business units: Digital Media Network, Device Solution Network, Telecommunications Network and Digital Appliance Network Businesses. The company web site is located at http://www.samsung.com.

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