Starz! Tests OCAP Transmission

Starz! recently broadcast a satellite transmission of an OpenCable applications platform (OCAP) embedded into its television channel.

CableLabs--the cable industry consortium that developed the OCAP technology--downlinked and verified the broadcast. Using OCAP, Starz displayed an interactive guide, listing what's "On Tonight," "Saturday Premiers" and "Movie Extras."

The successful transmission of an OCAP application from uplink to headend to end users is a major step in creating an environment where interactive TV can become a reality, said Dr. Richard Green, president and CEO, CableLabs.

OCAP opens the door to the development of interactive TV services and applications that are set-top, receiver hardware and OS agnostic.

Other companies involved in the satellite transmission pilot included UniSoft provided the TSBroadcaster headend server, ADB supplied the i-CAN3200 set-top box that decoded the video and Osmosys provided the OCAP stack.