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Pop, commonly referred to as Pop TV, is an Americanpay television channel that is owned by CBS Corporation. It is a general entertainment channel, focusing primarily on programs pertaining to popular culture.

The network was originally launched in 1981 as a barker channel service providing a display of localized channel and program listings for cable television providers. Later on, the service, branded Prevue Channel or Prevue Guide and later as Prevue, began to broadcast interstitial segments alongside the on-screen guide, which included entertainment news and promotions for upcoming programs. After Prevue's parent company, United Video Satellite Group, acquired the entertainment magazine TV Guide in 1998 (UVSG would in turn, be acquired by Gemstar the following year), the service was relaunched as TV Guide Channel (later TV Guide Network), which now featured full-length programs dealing with the entertainment industry, including news magazines and reality shows, along with red carpet coverage from major award shows.

Following the acquisition of TV Guide Network by Lionsgate in 2009, its programming began to shift towards a general entertainment format with reruns of dramas and sitcoms. In 2013, CBS Corporation acquired of a 50% stake in the network, and the network was renamed TVGN. At the same time, as its original purpose grew obsolete because of the integrated program guides offered by digital television platforms, the network began to downplay and phase out its program listings service; as of June 2014, none of the network's carriage contracts require the display of the listings, and they were excluded entirely from its high-definition simulcast. In 2015, the network was rebranded as Pop. In 2019, CBS acquired Lionsgate's 50% stake in the network.

Pop is available to 67.348 million households in America as of September 2018.^[1]

• 1History
  • 1.11980s
  • 1.21990s
  • 1.32000s
  • 1.42010s
• 2Color schemes
• 4Related service

History[edit]

1980s[edit]

Electronic program guide[edit]

Launched in 1981 by United Video Satellite Group, the network began its life as a simple electronic program guide (EPG) software application sold to cable system operators throughout the United States and Canada. Known simply as the Electronic Program Guide, the software was designed to be run within the headend facility of each participating cable system on a single, custom-modified consumer-grade computer supplied by United Video. Its scrolling program listings grid, which cable system operators broadcast to subscribers on a dedicated channel, covered the entire screen and provided four hours of listings for each system's entire channel lineup, one half-hour period at a time. Because of this, listings for programs currently airing would often be several minutes from being shown. Additionally, because the EPG software generated only video, cable operators commonly resorted to filling the EPG channel's audio feed with music from a local FM radio station, or with programming from a cable television-oriented audio service provider such as Cable Radio Network.

By 1985 and under the newly formed Trakker, Inc. unit of United Video Satellite Group, two versions of the EPG were offered: EPG Jr., a 16KBEPROM version which ran on various Atari models including the 130XE and 600XL, and EPG Sr., a 3½ bootable diskette version for the Amiga 1000. Raw program listings data for national cable networks, as well as for regional and local broadcaststations, were fed en masse from a mainframe based in Tulsa, Oklahoma to each EPG installation via a 2400 baud data stream on an audio subcarrier of WGN by United Video (which was also the satellite distributor of the WGN national superstation feed). On some installations of the EPG, a flashing dot next to the on-screen clock would indicate proper reception of this data. By cherry-picking data from this master feed for only the networks that its cable system actually carried, each EPG installation was able to generate a continuous visual display of program listings customized to its local cable system's unique channel lineup (data describing the unique channel lineup each EPG was to display also arrived via this master feed).

Both the EPG Jr. and EPG Sr. allowed cable operators to further customize their operation locally. Among other functions, the listings grid's scrolling speed could be changed and local text-based advertisements could be inserted. Each text-based advertisement could be configured to display as either a 'scroll ad' (appearing within the vertically scrolling listings grid between its half-hour cycles)^[2] or as a 'crawl ad' (appearing within a horizontally scrolling ticker at the bottom of the screen).^[3] If no advertisements were configured as 'crawl ads,' the bottom ticker would not be shown on-screen. The on-screen appearances of both the Jr. and Sr. versions of the EPG software differed only slightly, due primarily to differences in text font and extended ASCII graphic glyph character rendering between the underlying Atari and Amiga platforms.^[4]

Because neither version of the EPG software was capable of silent remote administration for its locally customizable features, cable company employees were required to visit their headend facilities in order to make all necessary adjustments to the software in person. Consequently, EPG channel viewers would often see its otherwise continuous listings interrupted without warning each time a cable company technician brought up its administrative menus to adjust settings, view diagnostics information, or hunt-and-peck new local text advertisements into the menus' built-in text editor.^[5]

The Atari-based EPG Jr. units were encased in blue rack enclosures containing custom-made outboard electronics, such as the Zephyrus Electronics Ltd. UV-D-2 demodulator board, which delivered data decoded from the WGN data stream to the Atari's 13 pin Serial Input/Output (SIO) handler port (the EPG Jr. software's EPROM was interfaced to the Atari's ROM cartridge port).

Split-screen electronic program guide[edit]

By the late 1980s, a software upgrade 'option' was offered by United Video for the Amiga 1000-based EPG Sr. This updated version featured a program listings grid identical in appearance to that of the original EPG Sr. version, but confined it to the lower half of the screen. In this new split-screen configuration, which was the forerunner to Prevue Guide, the upper half of the screen displayed static or animated graphical advertisements and logos created locally by each cable system operator. Up to 64 such ads were supported by the software, which ranged from ads for local and national businesses to promotions for cable channels carried by the local system. Locally created text-based advertisements were still supported, however, they now also appeared in the top half of the screen – support for showing them within the listings grid as scrolling ads, or beneath it as crawling banner ads, had been removed.

Although most cable systems kept the original, full-screen EPG in operation well into the early 1990s, some systems with large numbers of subscribers opted for this upgraded version of EPG Sr. in order to exploit the revenue potential of its graphical local advertising capabilities. The Atari-based EPG Jr. was never afforded this split-screen upgrade and fell out of favor during the late 1980s as cable systems migrated to the full- or split-screen Amiga 1000-based EPG Sr., and later to the Amiga 2000-based Prevue Guide. However, the EPG Jr. remained in service as late as 2005 on a few small cable systems, as well as on a number of private cable systems operated by various hotel chains and certain housing and apartment complexes.

Prevue Guide[edit]

In 1988, United Video Holdings' Trakker, Inc. unit was renamed Prevue Networks, Inc. The split-screen version of the EPG Sr. software was further updated and renamed 'Prevue Guide'. Now running on the Amiga 2000, it displayed a split-screen listings grid visually identical to the upgraded EPG Sr.'s, but also supported – along with up to 128 locally inserted top-screen graphical advertisements – the display of video with accompanying sound in the top half of the screen,^[6] primarily promos for upcoming television shows, films and special events. These videos appeared in either the left or right halves of the top portion of the screen, coupled with supplementary information concerning the advertised program in the opposing halves (program title, channel, air date and time).

Making the video integration possible were the Amiga 2000's native video compositing capabilities. All video (and associated audio) content was provided live by Prevue Networks via a special analog C-bandsatellite backhaul feed from Tulsa. This feed contained a national satellite listings grid in the bottom half of its picture (strictly as a courtesy for the era's C-band dish owners), with the top half of its picture divided horizontally in two, both halves showing promos for unrelated telecasts on different networks (sound for each half was provided in monoaural on the feed's respective left and right audio channels).

Within each cable system's headend facility, meanwhile, the Amiga 2000-powered Prevue Guide software overlaid the bottom half of the satellite feed's video frame with its own, locally generated listings grid. It also continuously chose which of the two simultaneously available promos in the top half of the satellite feed's picture to let local cable subscribers see, patching its audio through to them while visually blocking out the other promo (usually with text promoting the program's next airtime and cable channel). During periods where both of the satellite feed's simultaneous promos were for cable networks not carried by a local cable system, the local Prevue Guide software blocked out both, filling the entire top half of the screen with a local text or graphical advertisement instead (either an ad for a local or national business, or a promotion for a channel that the cable provider carried – displaying that channel's logo and supplementary information on the opposing sides in the upper half). The satellite feed's national scheduling grid was never meant to be seen by cable subscribers. On occasion, however, when a cable system's local Prevue Guide software crashed into Amiga Guru Meditation mode, subscribers would be exposed to the satellite feed's full video frame, letting them see not only the two disparate promos simultaneously running in its upper half, but perhaps more confusingly, the satellite transponder-oriented national listings grid in its lower half.^[7]

Commercials – often for psychic hotlines – and featurettes produced by Prevue Networks, such as Prevue Tonight, that were voiced by Larry Hoefling^[8] (who served as the network's announcer from 1989 to 1993), were also delivered via this satellite feed. For commercials, as well as overnight and early morning infomercials, the top half of the feed's video frame would be completely filled out, with local cable system Prevue Guide installations letting it show through in full in a pillarboxedanamorphic widescreen format (some direct response ads that were compartmentalized to one area of the video frame featured contact information in the opposing feed that was blocked out, in addition to that provided in the advertisement). The satellite feed also carried a third audio channel containing Prevue Guide theme music in an infinite loop. Local Prevue Guide installations would switch to this audio source during the display of local top-screen advertising, and when they crashed. Prevue Guide could additionally signal cable system video playback equipment to override the Prevue Networks satellite feed entirely with up to nine minutes of local, video-based advertising per hour. Few cable systems utilized this feature, however, owing to the need to produce special versions of their local advertisements wherein, as with the satellite feed itself, all action occurred only within the top half of the video frame.

Other features of Prevue Guide that were unavailable in the earlier full- and split-screen EPG Sr. versions were colorized listings backgrounds and program-by-program channel summaries. Between its already colored grid lines, which alternated blue, green, yellow and red with each half-hour listings cycle, each cable operator could choose to enable either red or light blue (rather than black) background colors for multiple channels of their choice. These backgrounds were usually used to highlight premium channels and pay-per-view services. Additionally, program-by-program channel summaries with light grey backgrounds, for up to four channels of each cable operator's choice, could be included within the scrolling grid. Appearing between each four-hour listings cycle, the names of channels (rather than times) would scroll up and slide into the grid's header bar one at a time (similar to the time bar that scrolled into the header at the start of each listings cycle), each followed by up to four hours worth of program-by-program listings for that channel alone. Prevue Guide could also display graphical weather icons, accompanied by local weather conditions, within its scrolling grid (as part of a segment known as Prevue Weather). These inserts were available to cable operators for an additional fee and appeared after each four-hour listings cycle.

By the early 1990s, United Video began encouraging cable systems still using either the full- or split-screen versions of the Amiga 1000-based EPG Sr. to upgrade to the Amiga 2000-based Prevue Guide. Active support for the Amiga 1000-based EPG Sr. installations was discontinued in 1993. Like the Amiga 1000-based EPG Sr., Prevue Guide also ran from bootable 3½ diskettes, and its locally customizable features remained configurable only from the local keyboard, subjecting viewers to the same on-screen maintenance-related interruptions by local cable company employees as before^[9] (silent remote administration of locally customizable features would not be added until the 'yellow grid' appeared shortly after the beginning of the TV Guide Channel era, when the Amiga platform was fully abandoned). To support Prevue Guide's new, satellite-delivered video and audio, each Amiga 2000 featured a UV Corp. UVGEN video/genlock card for the satellite feed's video and a Zephyrus Electronics Ltd model 100 rev. C demodulator/switching ISA card for manipulating the feed's audio. Also included were a Zephyrus Electronics Ltd. model 101 rev. C demodulator ISA card for the WGN data stream, and a Great Valley ProductsZorro II A2000 HC+8 Series II card (used only for 2 MB of Fast RAM with SCSI disabled).^[10] The 101C fed demodulated listings data at 2400 baud from a DE9RS232 serial connector on its backpanel to the Amiga's stock DB25 RS232 serial port via a short cable. The 101C also featured connection terminals for contact closure triggering of external cable system video playback equipment.

1990s[edit]

Prevue Channel[edit]

Beginning in late March 1993, Prevue Networks overhauled the Prevue Guide software, this time to modernize its appearance. Still operating on the same Amiga 2000 hardware, the old grid's black background with white text separated by colored lines gave way to a new, embossed-looking navy blue grid featuring 90 minutes of scheduling information for each channel. Arrow symbols were added to listings for programs whose start or end times stretched beyond that timeframe, and for viewer convenience, local cable operators could now configure the grid's scrolling action to momentarily pause for up to four seconds after each screenful of listings. Additionally, local cable operators could enable light grey sports and movie summaries within the grid. Appearing between each listings cycle, these showed all films and sporting events airing on any channel during the next 90 minutes.

The light grey program-by-program summaries for individual channels, red and light blue channel highlighting, and graphical 'Prevue Weather' forecasts that were previously available to cable systems as optional grid features and inserts remained available in the same manners as before. Closed captioning, MPAAmovie rating and VCR Plus+ logos were additionally introduced by this version of the software, and unlike in prior versions, large graphical Prevue Guide logos appeared within its grid, between listings cycles. The old, synthesized interstitial music that had been used since 1988 was also replaced with a more modern piece called 'Opening Act,' from the defunct James & Aster music library.

By late 1993, Prevue Guide was rebranded as 'Prevue Channel,' and an updated channel logo was unveiled to match. Beginning in early 1994 and up until its first couple of years as the TV Guide Channel, the network licensed production music (first at one-minute lengths, later at 15- and 30-second lengths) from several music libraries for use as interstitial music. The vast majority of these music tracks were licensed from the Killer Tracks and FirstCom production music libraries, both of which are subsidiaries of Universal Music Publishing Group. In 1996, the Prevue Channel logo was given a new eye-like design, and two years later, the classic Dodger-style typeface its logo had incorporated since 1988 was replaced with an italicized lower-case Univers, though Sneak Prevue continued to use the original logo font until it shut down in 2002. In 1997, Prevue Channel became the first electronic program guide to show formalized TV ratings symbols for Canada and the United States, which appeared alongside program titles within the listings grid, as well as in the supplementary scheduling information overlaid accompanying promo videos in the top half of the screen.

During the mid-1990s, Prevue Networks also expanded beyond its Prevue Channel operation. In 1996, Prevue Networks introduced its first set top terminal-integrated digital IPG, Prevue Interactive, designed for the General Instruments DCT 1000. It was launched as part of Tele-Communications, Inc. (TCI)'s first digital cable service offerings. In 1997, Prevue Networks and United Video Satellite Group also launched Prevue Online, a website providing local television listings, audio/video interviews and weather forecasts. Another website, PrevueNet, was also launched to provide more history and useful information for the Prevue Channel, as well as for Sneak Prevue, UVTV, and superstations WGN/Chicago and WPIX/New York City.

The new navy blue grid version of the Prevue Channel software was as crash-prone as previous ones. Flashing red Amiga 'guru meditation' errors (with the raw satellite feed's dual promo windows and national satellite listings grid showing through from behind them) remained a frequent sight on many cable systems throughout the United States and Canada. While Prevue Networks' software engineers released regular patches to correct bugs, it simultaneously became clear that an entirely new hardware platform would soon be needed. New Amiga 2000 hardware was no longer being manufactured by Commodore, which filed for bankruptcy in 1994, and Prevue Networks began resorting to cannibalizing parts from second-hand dealers of used Amiga hardware in order to continue supplying and maintaining operational units. During periods where Amiga 2000 hardware availability proved insufficient, newer models such as the Amiga 3000 were used instead.^[11] However, as those models' stock cases would not accept the company's large existing inventory of Zephyrus ISA demodulator cards, only their motherboards were used, in custom-designed cases with riser card and backplane modifications.

Towards the end of the decade, on February 9, 1998, Prevue Channel's programming was entirely revamped. New short-form 'shows' were introduced to replace Prevue Tonight, FamilyVue and Intervue. These included Prevue This, Prevue Family (which like FamilyVue, focused on family-oriented programming), Prevue Sports (focusing on sports events and also included schedules for the day's games and tournaments), Prevue TV, Prevue News and Weather (featuring national and international news headlines, and local weather forecasts) and Prevue Revue. Each segment lasted only a couple of minutes, but were shown twice every hour.^[12]

TV Guide Channel[edit]

On June 11, 1998, News Corporation sold TV Guide to Prevue Networks parent United Video Satellite Group for $800 million and 60 million shares of stock worth an additional $1.2 billion (this followed an earlier merger attempt between the two companies in 1996 that eventually fell apart).^[13][14][15] At midnight on February 1, 1999, the Prevue Channel was officially renamed to the 'TV Guide Channel,' and new graphics were implemented. With the rebranding, the hourly segments featured on the channel were revamped, with some being retitled after features in TV Guide magazine – including TV Guide Close-Up (which profiled a select program airing that night), TV Guide Sportsview (which maintained the same format as Prevue Sports, making the segment more similar in format to the listings section's sports guide than the color column of that name in the magazine), and TV Guide Insider (a segment featuring behind-the-scenes interviews).

Cable Card Program Guidelines

On October 5, 1999, Gemstar International Group Ltd. purchased United Video Satellite Group.^[16] Finally, throughout December of that year on cable systems nationwide, a new, modernized yellow grid began replacing the navy blue grid that had presented channel listings to viewers for the past six years. The old navy blue grid was completely phased out by early January 2000. With the arrival of TV Guide Channel's yellow grid, all remaining vestiges of Prevue Channel had been eliminated: its Amiga-based hardware infrastructure was decommissioned, and purpose-built, Windows NT/2000PCs employing custom-designed graphics/sound expansion cards were installed. With this new infrastructure additionally came the ability for local cable companies to perform silent remote administration of all their installations' locally customizable features, making live, on-screen guide maintenance interruptions by cable system technicians a thing of the past.

The yellow grid also eliminated the optional red and light blue background colors that local cable operators were previously able to assign to various channels of their choices. In their place, universal, program genre-based background colors were introduced. Sporting events appeared with green backgrounds, and movies on all networks were given red backgrounds. Pay-per-view events additionally appeared with purple backgrounds. The light grey backgrounds which had formerly appeared in channel- and program genre-based summaries were also eliminated, with the aforementioned red, green, and purple color-coding now applying to those summaries as well.

Despite its elimination as the branding for the cable channel, the Prevue brand continued to exist in Canada in the form of various Prevue Interactive services – most of which were simply rebranded versions of TV Guide Interactive products –^[17] as well as on the channel's pay-per-view barker service Sneak Prevue.

2000s[edit]

A few years after Prevue Channel completed its transition to TV Guide Channel, the programming it featured changed drastically. Full-length shows were added, moving away from the typical model of showing television previews and other information. Starting in 2005, Joan Rivers and her daughter Melissa Rivers began providing coverage for televised awards ceremonies such as the Emmy Awards and the Academy Awards. In 2007, the mother-daughter duo were unceremoniously dropped by TV Guide Channel in favor of actress/host Lisa Rinna. Later, in 2007, Rinna was joined by fellow Dancing with the Stars alumnus (and former N*SYNC member) Joey Fatone during awards coverage. On July 29, 2009, TV Guide announced that Rinna and Fatone had been replaced by the hosts of the channel's entertainment news program Hollywood 411, Chris Harrison (host of The Bachelor) and Carrie Ann Inaba (who serves as a judge on Dancing with the Stars).

Also with the transition from Prevue Channel to TV Guide Channel, the nature of the service's scrolling listings grid began to change. During broadcasts of the channel's original primetime series as well as during red carpet awards ceremony coverage, programming started appearing almost entirely full-screen, with a translucent, non-scrolling, two-line version of the channel's regular listings grid occupying only the extreme bottom of the frame. Semi-regular stylistic redesigns of the grid also occurred, and support was added for the display of locally inserted provider logos and graphical advertisements within it. Starting in 2004, light blue backgrounds began to appear on listings for children's programming, complementing the red, green and purple background colors already applied to listings for films, sporting events, and pay-per-view programming respectively.

Because of Gemstar-TV Guide's dominant position within the television listings market, listings for TV Guide Channel's own original programming began to appear on the topmost lines of most television listings websites to which the company provided listings data, regardless of which channel number any given cable system carried it on. This also became the case with the print version of TV Guide (which had first begun including the channel in its log listings upon the 1999 rebrand to TV Guide Channel, before moving it exclusively to the grids in 2004, where it remained after the magazine switched to national listings the following year).

Rather than purchasing TV Guide Channel carriage rights, some services such as Optimum and Bright House Networks created their own scrolling listings grids, with Optimum's occasionally being interrupted by full-screen commercials, and otherwise featuring banner ads accompanied by music. Bright House's version featured a video inlay of a local news station instead of banner ads, with its overall on-screen presentation otherwise matching that of Optimum's. Other cable providers that did not carry TV Guide Channel carried a similar television listings channel provided by entertainment and listings website Zap2It. DirecTV did not begin carrying the TV Guide Channel until 2004, and began carrying it in an entirely full-screen format (without the bottom listings grid) in 2005. This was also the case with Dish Network, which aired the network in full-screen format to avoid duplication of its set top receiver-integrated IPG, also provided by Gemstar-TV Guide (another satellite provider, Primestar, had also carried the channel with the grid included, until it merged with DirecTV in 1999 shortly after the rebrand to TV Guide Channel).

TV Guide Network[edit]

On April 30, 2007, Gemstar-TV Guide announced that beginning on June 4, 2007, TV Guide Channel would be rebranded as the 'TV Guide Network'. According to its press release, the move was intended to reflect 'the continued evolution of the Channel from primarily a utility service to a more fully-developed television guidance and entertainment network with a continued commitment to high quality programming.'

On May 2, 2008, Gemstar-TV Guide was acquired by Macrovision (now TiVo Corporation) for $2.8 billion.^[18] Macrovision, which purchased Gemstar-TV Guide mostly to boost the value of its lucrative VCR Plus+ and electronic program guide patents, later stated that it was considering a sale of both TV Guide Network and the TV Guide print edition's namesake to other parties. On December 18 of that year, Macrovision announced that it had found a willing party for TV Guide Network in private equity firmOne Equity Partners. The transaction included tvguide.com, with Macrovision retaining the IPG service.^[19][20]

At the beginning of January 2009, the print edition of TV Guide quietly removed its listings for TV Guide Network (and several other broadcast and cable networks) over what the magazine's management described^[21][22] as 'space concerns'. In actuality, the two entities had been forced apart by their new, individual owners, with promotions for the network ending in the magazine, and vice versa. TV Guide magazine journalists also no longer appeared on TV Guide Network. The top-line 'plug' for the network did, however, remain intact on the websites of internet-based listings providers using TV Guide's EPG listings. TV Guide Network's program listings returned to TV Guide magazine in June 2010, with its logo prominently placed within the grids.

On January 5, 2009, Lionsgate announced its intent to purchase TV Guide Network and TV Guide Online for $255 million in cash. Lionsgate closed the transaction on March 2, 2009.^[23] The following April, Lionsgate announced plans to revamp the network into a more entertainment-oriented channel, including plans to discontinue the bottom-screen scrolling program listings grid that has been a part of the channel since its inception in late 1981;^[24][25][26] this was partly because internet-based TV listings websites, mobile applications and the on-screen interactive program guides (IPGs) built directly into most modern cable and satellite set-top terminals (such as TV Guide's own IPG software, TV Guide Interactive, which is visually similar in its presentation to the channel's pre-2015 listings grid) as well as into digital video recorders like TiVo eliminated the need for a dedicated television listings channel by providing the same information in a speedier manner, and often in much more detail and with greater flexibility. Even so, the channels that were listed in the grid, long after many providers began offering digital cable service, were usually limited to those within their expanded basic tier, with only select channels on its digital service appearing in a separate grid towards the end of the listings cycle. Following the announcement, Mediacom announced that it would be dropping the network;^[27]Time Warner Cable also dropped the network from its Texas systems.^[28]

2010s[edit]

On July 1, 2010, TV Guide Network's scrolling grid was given an extensive facelift; the grid was shrunk to the bottom one-quarter of the screen, the channel listings were reduced from two lines to one (with the channel number now being placed to the right of the channel ID code), the color-coding for programs of specific genres (such as children's shows, movies and sports) was removed, synopses for films were dropped and much like with the featured included in the Amiga 2000-generated grid, a four-second pause for the grid's scrolling function was added after each listed row of four channels. Despite the change, the non-scrolling grid (which was the same height as the restyled scrolling grid) continued to be used for primetime programming for a time. Later that month on July 24, TV Guide Network introduced a new non-scrolling grid used for primetime programming, which was later dropped with providers using the scrolling grid during the time period. On August 3, 2010, the scrolling grid was changed again, with the pausing function being applied to each channel, and size of the listing rows returning to two lines (in some areas, the grid with remained three lines, thus cutting off half of the second listing). On October 17, 2010, the color of the scrolling grid was changed to black the listing rows reverting to one line (although some cable systems still used the previous grid as late as 2014).

By May 2009, 35% of households carried the network's programming without the grid; by late 2011, 75% of the systems carrying the channel were showing its programming full-screen.^[29] By January 2013, that number increased to 83%, and it was expected that by the following year, 90% of households will be viewing the network in full-screen mode, without the grid listings.^[30] Some cable systems that abandoned use of the grid on TV Guide Network began moving the channel from their basic service (where it was carried at minimum on a 'limited basic' programming tier, alongside local broadcast stations and public, educational, and government access channels) to their digital tiers. This also resulted in the phase-out of its use as a default Emergency Alert System conduit for transmitting warning information applicable to the provider's local service areas (some providers also previously used TV Guide Network's channel space for an alternate or overflow feed of a regional sports network for sports rights conflicts, though as dedicated HD channels have launched for the RSNs and new carriage agreements with the channel precluded EAS or RSN overflow use, this use was negated).

In 2011, TV Guide Network dramatically overhauled its programming, abandoning most of its original shows (with the exception of original specials and red carpet coverage) and switching its focus to reruns of programming primarily from the 1990s and 2000s, along with select 1980s series and films. In January 2012, upon Lionsgate's acquisition of film studio Summit Entertainment, it was announced that the channel was up for sale.^[31] That year, CBS Corporation considered buying the network. In March 2013, CBS and Lionsgate entered into a 50/50 joint venture to operate the network, to coincide with the former firm's intention to buy One Equity Partners' share of its other TV Guide interests.^[32] The deal, worth $100 million, closed on March 26, 2013.^[33]

TVGN[edit]

In January 2013, it was announced that TV Guide Network would be renamed TVGN.^[30] The name change and new logo, which de-emphasizes the channel's ties to TV Guide magazine took effect on April 15, 2013. The immediate effect of the purchase by CBS saw the summer series Big Brother After Dark move from Showtime 2 to TVGN, along with same-day repeats of The Young and the Restless moving to the network from Soapnet, which ceased operations in December 2013. Fellow CBS soap The Bold and the Beautiful soon also joined the TVGN lineup, along with eventual same-week repeats of Survivor and The Amazing Race, and repeats of CBS event programming such as the Grammy Awards. CBS Television Distribution's syndicated newsmagazine Entertainment Tonight began to package and produce all of TVGN's red carpet coverage as a cable extension of that program, though the network's existing programming agreements with competing program/website PopSugar continue to be maintained.

A high-definition simulcast feed of the network (broadcasting in the 1080i format) was also launched that year; it was added to various providers through the renewals of TVGN's existing carriage contracts. The high definition feed only carries the channel's entertainment programming, with no overlays or hardware used to provide listings information. The final agreements with providers which specified that the channel carry a listings scroll ended in June 2014.^[34] Some providers, such as the municipally-owned cable system in Frankfort, Kentucky, continue to carry the scroll without any video programming on a separate channel (such as a local origination channel) for customers who subscribe to the provider's analog service^[35], while some providers in smaller areas continue to air Pop with the scroll included, with one of them formerly being the Spectrum service in Grand Coulee, Washington - who removed the scroll from Pop in 2017 after just one year of it being on Pop.^[36]

Pop[edit]

On September 18, 2014, CBS and Lionsgate announced that TVGN would be relaunched as Pop in early 2015, with the rebranding later announced to occur on January 14 of that year.^[37] with its focus shifting toward programming about pop culture fandom. The network would carry 400 hours of original programming following the rebrand, including a reality show starring New Kids on the Block and the Canadian co-production Schitt's Creek.^[38][39] Pop was made available on AT&T U-verse on March 1, 2016.^[40] On November 19, 2015, it was announced that Impact Wrestling, the flagship show of what was then known as TNA Wrestling, would move from Destination America to Pop beginning January 5, 2016.^[41] That series departed Pop at the start of 2019 for the Pursuit Channel after Pop declined to continue airing it.

On March 12, 2019, CBS acquired Lionsgate's 50% stake in Pop, thus making Pop a part of CBS Cable Networks.^[42]

Color schemes[edit]

Genre color-coding[edit]

On TV Guide Network until July 1, 2010 and currently in Gemstar-TV Guide's set top box-integrated EPG service TV Guide Interactive, program genres are indicated on-screen by color:

• General programming: Gray (displayed as dark blue in the EPG)
• Children's shows: Light blue
• Sports programming: Green
• Movies: Purple on pay-per-view channels; red on broadcast stations, basic and premium channels (displayed as purple in the EPG, for all channels)

On TVGN itself, during the weeks prior to the Emmys, shows that have been nominated were also highlighted in gold. The same gold highlighting could be seen during the lead-up to the Academy Awards to denote past Oscar-winning movies. Titles for other special programs used various types of graphical treatment within the grid cells; for example, programs aired as part of the Discovery Channel's Shark Week event had a bubbly water graphical scheme; during the lead-up to Halloween, horror movie titles featured spiderwebs in their schemes, and holiday movie titles listed during December were shaded in blue and snow-covered. Similar important shows and/or premieres have had other special graphical schemes added to their grid cells.

Due to a restructuring of TV Guide Network's scrolling grid on July 1, 2010 that saw the grid being shrunk to the lower third of the screen, grey began to be used as the color code for all programming with genre-based color-coding being relegated exclusively to the TV Guide Interactive IPG service.

Grid color history[edit]

On the TVGN channel, in its various iterations, the following colors have been used for the listings grid:

• Black (during the Amiga-based EPG and Prevue Guide years prior to mid-1993)
• Navy blue + Gray (during the Amiga-based Prevue Guide, Prevue Channel and TV Guide Channel years of 1993–2000)
• Yellow (during the TV Guide Channel years of 2000–2003)
• Blue (during the TV Guide Channel years of 2003–2004)
• Teal (during the TV Guide Channel years of 2004–2005)
• Grey (during the TV Guide Channel, TV Guide Network and TVGN years of 2005–2015)

Between the late 1980s and 1999, local cable operators could configure listings for certain channels to appear with alternate background colors (either red or light blue, depending the provider's preference). Light grey backgrounds were additionally used for channel- and program genre-based listings summaries, when enabled by local cable operators. Beginning with the introduction of the yellow grid in 1999, all such coloring was discarded in favor of program genre-based coloring which affected all channels and summaries. Listings for movies featured red backgrounds, pay-per-view events bore purple backgrounds, and sporting events featured green backgrounds. Starting in 2004, light blue backgrounds were additionally applied to listings for children's programming.

Programming[edit]

Related service[edit]

Sneak Prevue[edit]

In 1991, Prevue Networks launched Sneak Prevue, a spin-off barker channel that was exclusively used to promote programming on a provider's pay-per-view services; it displayed full-screen promos (augmented by graphics displaying scheduling and ordering information) and a schedule of upcoming films and events airing on each pay-per-view channel based on either airtime or genre. The channel was also driven by Amiga 2000 hardware, and its software was as crash-prone as the Prevue Guide software itself. TV Guide Network ceased operations of Sneak Prevue in 2002.

References[edit]

1. ^'Nielsen coverage estimates for September see gains at ESPN networks, NBCSN, and NBA TV, drops at MLBN and NFLN'. awfulannouncing.com. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
2. ^'Video: Electronic Program Guide (full-screen Sr. version) operating normally with scroll ads'. YouTube.
3. ^'Video: Electronic Program Guide (full-screen Sr. version) operating normally with crawl ads'. YouTube.
4. ^'Video: Electronic Program Guide (full-screen Jr. version) operating normally with scroll and crawl ads'. YouTube.
5. ^'Video: Electronic Program Guide (full-screen Sr. version) interrupted by local cable technician adding text advertisement'. YouTube.
6. ^'Video: Prevue Guide operating normally'. YouTube.
7. ^'Video: Prevue Guide crashed, then rebooting, exposing raw satellite feed video'. YouTube.
8. ^'Local business owner familiar with book biz'. Tulsa World. November 22, 2006. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
9. ^'Video: Prevue Guide interrupted by local cable technician adding text advertisement'. YouTube.
10. ^'Forum posting: Prevue Guide Amiga 2000 hardware specifications'. amiga.org.
11. ^'Forum posting: Prevue Guide Amiga 3000 hardware sighting'. amiga.org. Archived from the original on 2012-09-26. Retrieved 2010-02-01.
12. ^'Prevue Channel 1998 Promo'.
13. ^'News Lite: TV Guide Deal Sets Up Broadcast Opportunity'. Los Angeles Daily News. HighBeam Research. June 12, 1998. Archived from the original on June 11, 2014. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
14. ^'The $2 Billion Acquisition of TV Guide'. Folio. Questia Online Library. January 1, 1999. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
15. ^'United Video, News Corp. call the whole thing off; TV Guide, Preview Guide merger collapses'. Broadcasting & Cable. HighBeam Research. September 2, 1996. Archived from the original on June 11, 2014. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
16. ^'Electronic Rival To Buy TV Guide'. The Washington Post. HighBeam Research. October 5, 1999. Archived from the original on June 11, 2014. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
17. ^'Prevue Interactive's 'i-Guide''. The Internet Archive. 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-07-02.
18. ^'Macrovision to purchase TV Guide Gemstar fetches $2.8 billion'. Oakland Tribune. December 8, 2007. Archived from the original on June 11, 2014. Retrieved February 12, 2014 – via HighBeam Research.
19. ^'Macrovision finds willing partner for TV Guide Network in One Equity Partners'. Macrovision. October 8, 2008.^{[dead link]}
20. ^'Macrovision, Allen Shapiro and One Equity Partners Announce Agreement for Sale of TV Guide Network'. Macrovision. BusinessWire. December 12, 2008. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
21. ^'Article: Dave on Demand: 'Mentalist' showed powers only in ratings'. The Philadelphia Inquirer. January 10, 2010. Archived from the original on February 11, 2009.
22. ^Michael Schneider (January 12, 2009). 'TV Guide drops CW, MTV listings'. Variety. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
23. ^'Lionsgate, Macrovision Close TV Guide Network Deal'. Multichannel News. March 2, 2009.
24. ^'TV Guide Channel to Ditch the Scroll: Revamp Includes Original Programming for TV Fans'. Advertising Age. April 1, 2009.
25. ^'TV Guide Channel Plans Original Programming'. MediaPost. April 2, 2009. Archived from the original on 2009-04-03.
26. ^'TV Guide Channel Expands Mandate With Series, Movies'. TV Week. April 2, 2009. Archived from the original on 2009-12-15. Retrieved 2009-04-09.
27. ^'Cable will drop Dubuque TV guide'. TH Online. Archived from the original on 2013-02-04.
28. ^'Time Warner drops TV Guide Channel'. Beaumont Enterprise. April 7, 2009.
29. ^Mike Reynolds (December 18, 2011). 'TV Guide Network to Bow 'Hollywood Moms Night,' 'Wilson Phillips' Reality Series in 2012'. Multichannel News. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
30. ^ ^ab'TV Guide's Mike Mahan Steps Down as Prez Joins Board, Network to Be Renamed TVGN'. Deadline Hollywood. January 2013.
31. ^'TV Guide is shown the gate'. New York Post. January 16, 2012. Retrieved January 23, 2012.
32. ^Nellie Andreeva (March 22, 2013). 'CBS Poised To Buy Half Of TV Guide, Partner With Lionsgate'. Deadline Hollywood.
33. ^Nellie Andreeva (March 26, 2013). 'It's Official: CBS Acquires Half Of TV Guide, Partners With Lionsgate'. Deadline Hollywood.
34. ^Jason Lynch (January 13, 2014). 'TV Guide Network Relaunches as Pop, With Original Shows and No Annoying Scroll; Rebranding targets 'modern grown-ups''. AdWeek. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
35. ^https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quN376aEI5Y
36. ^https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxwGMrDIH8U
37. ^'Pop Network to Debut on Wednesday January 14, 2015'. TV by the Numbers. November 17, 2014. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
38. ^'TVGN Rebrands as Pop, Shifts Focus on Fans'. Deadline Hollywood. September 18, 2014.
39. ^Brian Steinberg (September 18, 2014). 'TV Guide Network to Relaunch In Early 2015 As POP'. Variety. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
40. ^Littleton, Cynthia (July 1, 2015). 'CBS, AT&T Reach Carriage Deal After All-Night Negotiations'. Variety. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
41. ^'Pop Gets Into Ring With Impact Wrestling To Become New TV Home'. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
42. ^'CBS Takes Control of Pop TV Cabler, Buys Out Lionsgate's 50% Stake'. Variety. March 12, 2019. Retrieved March 12, 2019.

External links[edit]

CableCARD is a special-use PC Card device that allows consumers in the United States to view and record digital cable television channels on digital video recorders, personal computers and television sets on equipment such as a set-top box not provided by a cable television company. The card is usually provided by the local cable operator, typically for a nominal monthly fee.

In a broader context, CableCARD refers to a set of technologies created by the United States cable television industry to allow devices from non-cable companies to access content on the cable networks. Some technologies not only refer to the physical card, but also to a device ('Host') that uses the card. Some CableCARD technologies can be used with devices that have no physical CableCARD.

The CableCARD was the outcome of a U.S. federal government objective, directed in the Telecommunications Act of 1996, to provide a robust competitive retail market for set-top boxes so consumers did not have to use proprietary equipment from the cable operators. It was believed that this would provide consumers with more choices and lower costs. Up to 2016, less than 2% of set-top boxes were purchased by consumers in the retail market since CableCARD was rolled out, indicating that CableCARD failed in its objective.^{[citation needed]} Telecom lobbyists argued that the CableCARD initiative actually cost Americans billions of dollars in additional fees, increased energy consumption, and stifled innovation.^[1]

• 1Background
• 2Technical overview

Background[edit]

The portion of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 which resulted in the creation of CableCARDs is known as Section 629, instructing the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to:

...assure the commercial availability to consumers of multichannel video programming and other services offered over multichannel video programming systems, of converter boxes, interactive communications equipment, and other equipment used by consumers to access multichannel video programming and other services offered over multichannel video programming systems, from manufacturers, retailers, and other vendors not affiliated with any multichannel video programming distributor.^[2]

Multichannel video programming refers to cable or satellite television. A driving motivation of this passage was to foster the kind of consumer choices that resulted after the Federal government landmark Carterfone ruling requiring telephone companies to allow consumers to purchase third-party telephones for attachment to the phone company network. The thought was that consumers would benefit from wider choices due to competition between consumer electronics (CE) manufacturers unaffiliated with cable companies.^[3]

The FCC was charged with working with the industry to carry out the directives of the 1996 law. On June 11, 1998, after securing proposals and recommendations from interested parties, the FCC ordered that cable companies would provide a separable security access device by July 1, 2000 which could be used by third-party devices to access digital cable networks.^[4] The separable security device was referred to in FCC regulations as a 'Point of Deployment' (POD) module. After many requests for delay from the cable industry, the first CableCARD devices became available from third party manufacturers in August 2004.

As of November 1, 2011, all US cable operators were required to allow self-installation of CableCARDs by consumers.^[5]

Integration ban[edit]

A major concern was that cable operators were not motivated to provide efficient security access mechanisms to equipment competitors. To address this, the FCC directed that by January 1, 2005, that cable operators must use the same separable access device available to third-parties and they were banned from providing equipment with an integrated security access mechanism. This rule is usually referred to as the 'integration ban', and was unsuccessfully challenged in the courts and petitions to the FCC by the cable operators. The deadline was shifted forward twice until it went into effect on July 1, 2007.^[6] The ban on integrated security ended in December 2015.^[7]

Technical overview[edit]

CableCARD is a term trademarked by CableLabs for the Point of Deployment (POD) module defined by standards including SCTE 28, SCTE 41, CEA-679 and others. The physical CableCARD is inserted into a slot in the host (typically a digital television set or a set-top box) in order to identify and authorize the customer, and to provide proprietary decoding of the encrypteddigital cable signal without the need for a proprietary set-top box. The cable tuner, QAMdemodulator, and MPEG decoder are part of the host equipment. The card performs any conditional access and decryption functions, and provides a MPEG-2 transport stream to the host. The card also receives messages sent over the out-of-band signaling channel by the cable company's headend servers and forwards them to the host.

CableCARDs may be used to access both standard definition and high definition channels as long as they are not part of a switched video system. (This applies to one-way devices only; two-way devices are capable of receiving and viewing switched video. The ability for one-way devices to receive and view switched video has changed with the addition of the Tuning Resolver Interface Specification. Tuning adaptors and tuning adaptor interfaces have been added to provide communication back to the headend needed for switched video.) CableCARDs are not necessary for viewing unscrambled digital cable channels if the user has a QAM tuner—a feature in some televisions and DVRs. CableCARD support is most common on higher end televisions that include a special slot for the CableCARD and a built-in cable tuner. The card acts like a unique 'key' to unlock the channels and services to which the cable customer has subscribed, and the television's remote-control will also control the cable channels. Televisions that support CableCARD should be labeled by the manufacturer as 'digital cable ready' (DCR).

Interactive features such as video on demand rely on the CableCARD Host device being an OpenCable Host Device and have nothing to do with the physical card. This makes the common use of the phrase 'CableCARD 2.0' as a requirement for video on demand misleading, since two way services have been provided with the actual cards from the very beginning.^[8]

Physical CableCARDs[edit]

The physical CableCARD inserted into the host device is a PC Card type II that handles decryption of video and ensures that only authorized subscribers may view it. This is also known as a 'conditional-access module' function.

There are two kinds of physical CableCARDs:

• A 'single-stream' CableCARD (S-CARD) can decode a single channel at a time. The S-CARD specification was initially specified in the Host-POD Interface (SCTE 28) and POD Copy Protection System (SCTE 41) standards (often referred to as CableCARD 1.0) set of specifications.
• A 'multi-Stream' CableCARD (M-Card) can decode up to six channels simultaneously. Multi-stream cards were specified in a separate document in 2003.

No actual M-Cards were released before the introduction of CableCARD 2.0, which combined and enhanced the CableCARD 1.0 and Multi-Stream standards.^[8] M-Cards are backward compatible with current CableCARD devices. To older CableCARD devices that do not support multiple streams, the card appears to be a single stream card. CE companies have long wanted M-Cards for their CableCARD 1.0 host devices in order to compete with devices that use multiple tuners. This is important for products such as Moxi and TiVo CableCARD DVRs, televisions with picture-in-picture and CableCARD-equipped personal computers, which need to record one show while a user is watching another. To enable this without an M-Card, these products would be required to use multiple S-CARDs.

CableCARDs with personal computers[edit]

Existing integrated cable set-top boxes perform four basic functions:

• Enable receiving and selecting digital and analog cable channels
• Uniquely identify the customer and authorize the features to which they have subscribed
• Decode scrambled digital channels and premium programming such as movie channels
• Provide interactive two-way communications for electronic program guides, pay-per-view, video on demand, or switched video streams

New digital televisions and other devices that are labeled DCR (Digital cable ready) contain:

• Built-in support for receiving digital cable channels (via an internal QAM tuner)
• A slot for the current version of CableCARD, which allows decryption of encrypted digital channels

The CableCARD 2.0 specification includes support for #1-4, interactive two-way communications; however it is unknown exactly when CableCARD 2.0 hosts and compatible servers will become available. Future devices which support CableCARD 2.0 are expected to be labeled iDCR 'Interactive digital cable ready'. Among other requirements, CableCARD 2.0 hosts will be required to provide the OpenCable Application Platform (OCAP), also known as Tru2Way, to run programs downloaded from the cable company.

Because the conditional access system is in software, it can be sent with the video as a form of digital rights management. The CableCARD Host Licensing Agreement and the DCAS agreement restrict the technologies that CE companies may use for distributing video from host devices. CE companies object to this expanding the notion of CableCARD network security issues to also include content protection issues. They prefer to deal with content owners directly with their standards and regard cable company protocols and formats as a transport only. CE companies wish to communicate video inside the home network using their own protected protocols and formats.

The OpenCable Application Platform (OCAP) is a Java-based platform intended for use either with any security access scheme—whether it is CableCARD 2.0 devices or future downloadable security schemes. OCAP was tied to CableCARDs because, as it was imagined by CableLabs, the additional processing necessary for managing the communication with the cable company server would be performed, not on the cable company provided equipment (the CableCARD), but on the consumer electronics device—known as the CableCARD 'Host'. CE companies objected that OCAP is unnecessary for the simple task of managing two-way communications on the cable networks. The CEA perspective is that Java is not efficient for CE devices, and that cable companies are passing to CE manufacturers the costs of a software platform which they didn't need, and which won't run on their existing hardware architectures.

The consumer electronics industry proposed in November 2006 that the CableCARD 2.0 specification be upgraded to include the provision for modified MCards that would support the communications necessary for VOD, PPV, and Switched Video. This card would be backward compatible with older cards, and support would be required for them on cable company servers by January 2008. These modified MCards would not allow two-way communication using current OCURs, which, by definition, are unidirectional. This so-called 'OCAP-less' proposal was rejected by the NCTA for a variety of reasons elaborated on in the issues segment of this article. The technical advantage is that much less is assumed about the computing capability of the host, allowing the manufacturing cost to be significantly reduced. The disadvantage is that the MCard will be slightly more expensive, but the host will not necessarily be able to support the envisioned ecommerce and banking applications. CE companies argue that such a card fulfills the 1996 law's requirement that cable companies allow two-way communication on their networks, and that OCAP fulfills technical goals far in excess of those necessary for such two-way communications.

Existing standard and certification procedures[edit]

Cable providers in the United States are required by the FCC to support the CableCARD 2.0 standard. The specification was developed by CableLabs, a research group run by a consortium of cable companies. Devices that use CableCARDs are known as 'Hosts' and must be certified as compliant with the specification by CableLabs. The certification process can be lengthy and is performed in batches on a regular cycle every three months.

The first test tool to verify compliance of OpenCable hosts with the CableCARD one-way single stream specifications, HPNX, was released by SCM and Digital Keystone in 2003.^[9] Subsequently the HPNX Pro version, supporting two-way and M-card specifications, was released by Digital Keystone in 2006.^[10] The 'M-UDCP Device Acceptance Test Plan' published by CableLabs defines how to use the HPNX Pro test tool to validate the OpenCable host devices.^[11]

The first test tool to verify compliance of the CableCARD devices with the OpenCable specifications, Host Emulator Tool, and produced by Margi Systems, was first utilized by CableLabs to validate the Scientific Atlanta (Cisco) and Motorola POD devices in 2003 (POD was later renamed to CableCard).

Cable companies in the United States are required to provide CableCARDs conforming to this specification, and must correct incompatibilities between their networks and certified CableCARD devices.^[12]

The current CableCARD standard was borne out of an adversarial process between two main groups: cable companies represented by the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) and consumer electronics companies represented by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). The portion of the CableCARD specs that could be agreed upon describe how one-way services work, so only the portion known as UDCP (Unidirectional Digital Cable Product) was required by the FCC. As it was the only thing required, most of the early devices were one-way capable; however all the actual CableCARDs produced were two-way capable. Many enhancements to the CableCARD standard including the optional Multi-Stream support became known as CableCARD 2.0.

Optical cable services (e.g. Verizon Fios) are classified as cable services and must, by FCC rules, also support the CableCARD standard. In Canada, cable providers Cogeco^[13] and Shaw^[14] offer CableCARD-enabled DVRs. Video providers in Europe must conform to the DVB standard which is a more comprehensive open standard governed by independent standards bodies.

CableCARDs can also support non-television functions and can act as a cable modem controller with the host providing modulation and demodulation functions and the card providing decoding and IProuting functionality; however this feature is rarely used and depends on the cable provider.

Adoption[edit]

There was much resistance from cable operators to the CableCARD rollout across the United States, preferring to support their own set-top boxes.^{[citation needed]} The adoption proceeded slowly with 141,000 units by February 2006. The resistance softened somewhat with the July 2007 FCC ban on integrated security in set-top boxes, which required all new set-top boxes to use CableCARDs as their decryption mechanism. By June 2009, the top 10 'incumbent' U.S. cable operators had deployed more than 14 million operator-supplied set-tops with CableCARDs and 437,800 CableCARD modules for use in retail devices. ^[15] The National Cable Television Association reported in April 2016 that only 621,400 CableCARDs were deployed for use in retail devices by the nine largest incumbent cable operators, compared to 55 million operator-supplied set-top boxes with CableCARDs.^[16]This indicates that the CableCARD failed to achieve the goal of a competitive retail market for set-top boxes.^{[citation needed]}

Successor initiatives[edit]

In 2010, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a notice of inquiry for a successor system, called AllVid.^[17][18] Unlike CableCARD, AllVid intended to enable two-way services such as interactive program guides, pay-per-view, and video on demand.

There are still many in the cable industry who are advocating that physical CableCARDs be dropped entirely.^{[citation needed]} These cable companies prefer to move away from physical cards, and have proposed that a downloadable security component known as Downloadable Conditional Access System (DCAS) be used instead of a physical CableCARD. In this proposal, a custom security chip must be soldered into every compliant host; if a security scheme is compromised, a new security program can be downloaded to the host device. The FCC has not yet approved it.

Consumer electronic companies advocate their proposal for more unfettered access to cable company networks, with CableLabs' role reduced to addressing only cable company interests of maintaining network stability and security.^{[citation needed]}

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^Pai, Ajit (Feb 18, 2016). 'DISSENTING STATEMENT on Expanding Consumers' Video Navigation Choices'(PDF). Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
2. ^http://www.fcc.gov/Reports/tcom1996.pdf
3. ^'FCC News Report No. CS 98-11'(PDF). FCC. 2006-08-18. Retrieved 2006-12-26.
4. ^'First FCC Report and Order:Commercial Availability of Navigation Devices'(PDF). FCC. 1998-06-24. Retrieved 2006-12-26.
5. ^FCC. 'CableCARD: Know Your Rights'. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
6. ^'Set-top shakeup is in the cards'. CNET News.com. 2007-07-01. Retrieved 2007-07-02.
7. ^'Fold 'Em: CableCARD Mandate Ends This Week'. Cablefax. 2 December 2015. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
8. ^ ^ab'CableCARD Primer'. OpenCable. Retrieved 2009-09-16.
9. ^'Testing Platform for OpenCable Specs Launched'. TVtechnlogy.com. 2003-05-22. Retrieved 2009-11-04.
10. ^'CableLabs Awards Qualification to Scientific Atlanta for Multi-Stream CableCARD'. Cablelabs.com. 2006-04-06. Archived from the original on October 11, 2013. Retrieved 2015-06-14.
11. ^'M-UDCP Device Acceptance Test Plan TP-ATP-M-UDCP-I02-20070105'(PDF). Cablelabs.com. 2007-01-05. Archived from the original(PDF) on August 7, 2011. Retrieved 2015-06-14.
12. ^Chris Kohler (2008-08-28). 'CableCard Swipes at Set-Top Boxes'. Wired.com. Retrieved 2009-09-16.
13. ^'TiVo Service from Cogeco ® Quick Guide'(PDF). 2015-08-18. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
14. ^'CableCARD Not Validated'. 2016-03-08. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
15. ^'CableCARD - Light Reading'. lightreading.com. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
16. ^National Cable & Telecommunications Association (27 April 2016). 'Re: CS Docket No. 97-80 (Commercial Availability of Navigation Devices)'. FCC.gov. FCC.gov.
17. ^AllVid Notice of Inquiry, 25 FCC Rcd4275 (adopted April 21, 2010)
18. ^Wolf, Michael (11 February 2014). 'Why Big Cable Fears AllVid—and Why It Shouldn't'. GigaOM.

Further reading[edit]

• 'CableCARD 2.0 is ready'. engadgethd. 2007-06-22. Retrieved 2007-07-06.
• 'CableCARD 2_0 What's the hold up — Engadget HD'. engadgethd. 2007-06-18. Retrieved 2007-07-06.
• 'There is no CableCARD 2.0'. engadgethd. 2007-06-15. Retrieved 2007-07-06.
• 'FAQ: CableCARD? What's that?'. CNET. 2005-01-20. Retrieved 2006-06-08.
• Taub, Eric A. (2006-07-03). 'A CableCARD That Hasn't Been Able to Kill the Set-Top Box'. The New York Times. Retrieved 2006-07-03.
• 'CableCARD: A Primer'. ars technica. 2006-02-06. Archived from the original on 2007-02-16. Retrieved 2006-06-08.
• 'FAQ: CableCARD? What's that?'. CNET. 2005-01-20. Retrieved 2006-06-08.
• 'CableCARDs — A Primer'. Audioholics. 2004-10-12. Retrieved 2006-06-08.
• 'CableCARD Interface 2.0 Specification'(PDF). Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. 2006-01-26. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2010-09-20. Retrieved 2006-06-08.
• 'Proposal for Bi-Directional Digital Cable Compatibility and Related Issues- Access to Basic Interactive Services'(PDF). FCC. 2006-11-07. Retrieved 2006-12-26. Document may be retrieved by visiting the FCC document search site, and entering 'Consumer Electronics Association' in field 4. In field 7, enter 11/07/2006 in the From and To: dates. Appendix A is the third document.
• 'ANSI/SCTE 28 2004 HOST-POD Interface Standard'(PDF). Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE). Archived from the original(PDF) on 2006-05-16. Retrieved 2006-06-08.
• 'Exploding CEA's Myths about the Integration Ban'. NCTA. 2006-01-02. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2007-03-23. Retrieved 2006-12-28.

External links[edit]

• Media related to CableCARD at Wikimedia Commons