Cable MSO Comcast and Motorola have entered into a new expanded multi-year commitment for set-top boxes, valued at more than $1 billion.
The companies also said they agreed to form two joint ventures focused on next-generation conditional access technologies.
Under the agreement, Comcast will purchase set-tops and network equipment. Motorola will provide high-definition digital video recorders and standard-definition entry-level models, among others.
The joint ventures will focus on the development and licensing of current and future conditional access (CA) and other cable technologies. CA technologies enable cable providers to ensure that customers receive only the video services to which they subscribe. As part of the transaction, Motorola has granted the ventures a non-exclusive license for MediaCipher, its conditional access technology.
The first joint venture will focus primarily on development of a next-generation conditional access system, using MediaCipher as its foundation. Comcast and Motorola will jointly manage the development group.
The second joint venture will focus on licensing conditional access and other cable technologies, including MediaCipher, to United States cable operators and third-party providers. Comcast will manage the licensing venture.
