See a special supplement, added 11.30.2007 - The 2008 OCAP Product Guide

See The OCAP Primer 2.0 and CableLabs' OCAP Starter Kit in convenient PDF format.

OCAP^TM, formally known as the OpenCable Application Platform, promises to dramatically increase cable’s capability to create and deploy an array of exciting new interactive services for consumers. OCAP establishes a common software platform that enables cable companies, network programmers, consumer electronics companies and others to extend interactivity to television and many other devices. With the technology comes an array of new business and revenue opportunities.

	Recent Developments Get Replays of the OCAP Developers Conference Audio replays of the first OCAP Developers Conference are available to all 2007 Cable Show attendees for free, courtesy of NCTA. The Conference, held May 6-7, provides a comprehensive overview of OCAP. If you did not receive an NCTA archive password, contact thecableshow@ncta.com.

But what exactly is OCAP? How does it work? What does OCAP software enable, and how can cable programmers, MSOs, applications developers, consumer electronics companies, and marketers use it to their advantage?

CTAM and CableLabs created this OCAP Primer, written by veteran cable writers Leslie Ellis and Craig Leddy, to provide answers — in plain English — to key OCAP questions. Through the primer you’ll learn how OCAP is being used to:

• establish a national (and perhaps international) platform to easily deploy new interactive TV content and features;
• ensure that a programming network’s interactive content will run on different cable systems, set-top boxes and consumer electronics devices;
• give content developers a standard, cost-effective way to “write once, run anywhere;”
• support a retail market for digital TVs, set-top boxes and new gadgets;
• and open new revenue streams for interactive advertising, subscriptions, transactions and other business opportunities.

Learn about OCAP in the following sections. Links will guide you to additional resources, technical specifications and other information.

• OCAP Basics: What it is, why it’s important, how we got here;
• OCAP Devices: How digital TVs, set tops and other devices use OCAP;
• The OCAP Value Proposition: How various industries benefit from a unified development environment;
• What OCAP Enables: How OCAP supports interactivity and convergence;
• How OCAP Works: The anatomy of an OCAP device;
• OCAP for Creatives: OCAP developer tools for artistic use;
• ETV and OCAP: How ETV apps can be deployed on today's set tops;
• Separable Security: OCAP's connection to other technology initiatives;
• Resources: Links to information from CableLabs and others;
• The Future: How OCAP will extend interactive content to more devices

About the Authors

Craig Leddy, editor of the OCAP Primer, is president of Interactive TV Works, Inc. Based outside of New York City, Interactive TV Works provides professional writing, marketing and sales support, strategic consulting, and industry education in support of advanced cable services. Leddy, who has more than 20 years of cable experience, is a veteran business writer who currently serves as editor of the CTAM Business Services Advisor and lead instructor for How Cable Goes to Market, a training course about the inner workings of cable.

If you have questions or comments about the OCAP Primer, contact Craig Leddy at cleddy@interactivetvworks.com

Leslie Ellis, lead writer of the OCAP Primer, is senior technology advisor for CTAM, bridging the gap between cable marketing and engineering. An independent technology analyst and author based in Denver, CO, Ellis writes a popular bi-weekly column for Multichannel News called “Translation Please,” aimed at demystifying cable and broadband jargon. Her writing credits include “Definitive Broadband” (2001), “Definitive Broadband: Next Generation” (2005), “The Field Guide to Broadband” (2002), and “Planet Broadband” (2003). She is a regular contributor to CED Magazine and a contributing research analyst for Bear Stearns Inc.

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