CableLabs says the industry made big IPv6 progress last month when it conducted an interoperabilty event with 16 vendors that successfully completed voice calls over IPv6-based networks. The event completed two types of calls over IPv6: A PacketCable 2.0 SIP call between a PacketCable 2.0 Embedded Digital Voice Adapter (E-DVA) and session border controller, and a PC 2.0 SIP call between an IPv6 E-DVA and IPv4 Embedded Multimedia terminal adapter (E-MTA). CableLabs said it marked an important milestone because it shows cable's ability to support calls across both IPv4 and the emerging IPv6 protocol and sets the table for scaled deployments. (See CableLabs' Donley: Should Consumers Learn IPv6?)

The Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) , meanwhile, has formed a working group tasked with accelerating cable's deployment of IPv6, starting off with six members: Arris Group Inc. (Nasdaq: ARRS), Bright House Networks , Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK), D-Link Systems Inc. , Rogers Communications Inc. (Toronto: RCI) and Time Warner Cable Inc. (NYSE: TWC). Among the specifics, the group will share info and develop best practices on device management and service enablement in an IPv6 environment.

Grande Communications has signed on Synacor Inc. to power the operator's centralized TV Everywhere Web portal and support for TV Everywhere-ready content that's offered directly from programmer Web sites.

Showtime Networks Inc. was the top vote-getter at the CTAM "iTV Idol: Groundbreaking Applications" session in New York, getting kudos for an app that enables TV viewers to order the premium channel with the click of a remote. Showtime claims that 30 percent of new orders now come via the app, which is offered on Cablevision Systems Corp. (NYSE: CVC), Dish Network LLC (Nasdaq: DISH), Time Warner Cable Inc. (NYSE: TWC) (in Hawaii) and Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ).

Canoe Ventures LLC is using Softel Ltd. 's MediaSphere playout system as a key component powering the advanced advertising in the J.V.'s national interactive TV platform, which today reaches more than 22 million cable households.

AMC Networks and Turner Networks are the latest major cable programmers to join the Comcast Media Center (CMC) 's Advertising Distribution Networks (ADN), a Web-based platform that delivers broadcast-ready spot ads directly to cable, broadcast TV and ad sales departments for editing or playback on local ad-insertion systems.

— Jeff Baumgartner, Site Editor, Light Reading Cable