Cisco, Humax & Technicolor Join Comcast's Crew

Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO) and Technicolor (Euronext Paris: TCH; NYSE: TCH) are the latest major set-top vendors to confirm they have licensed the Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) Reference Design Kit (RDK), a pre-packaged bundle of software for IP-capable set-tops and gateways that aims to cut the development cycle for such products down to a year or less. (See Comcast's Set-Top Accelerator Gains Traction .)

South Korea-based Humax Co. Ltd. also has obtained an RDK license, according to industry sources.

Getting the license doesn't guarantee purchases, but it's one of the steps all box-makers will need to take if they are to get any future business with Comcast and other cable operators that end up adopting the RDK approach.

The first product to use the RDK is the X1, a hybrid QAM/IP box made by Pace plc and powered by Intel Corp. (Nasdaq: INTC) silicon. Pace is also among the developers of an IP-only client box called the XI3 that uses the Broadcom Corp. (Nasdaq: BRCM) BCM 7428 chipset. (See Meet Comcast's IP-Only Set-Top and Comcast's Cloud TV Service Rolls Into Atlanta.)

A Cisco spokeswoman said the company has obtained the license, but offered no guidance on RDK product development plans. More about Humax's involvement in the RDK project will be revealed in a future story.

Pascal Portelli, SVP of Connected Home at Technicolor, said his company signed the licensed early this year and that the vendor is "actively developing one product" and has another in the "early phase of development" based on the platform. Technicolor intends to demonstrate its initial RDK wares at tradeshows starting next year.

Technicolor already supplies Comcast with Docsis 3.0 wireless gateways, Digital Terminal Adapter (DTA) devices, touch screens for its Xfinity Home service and the device powering Comcast's Skype TV product. (See Comcast's Technicolor Dream Gateway, Technicolor to Make Comcast's Skype TV Box and Comcast Goes Big With Xfinity Home .)

The RDK is expected to help Comcast usher in new hybrid QAM/IP gateways, IP-only video clients and possibly a new type of "headless" gateway that would serve as the home's central demarcation point and shuttle IP video streams to connected TVs, tablets and small client boxes.

Comcast's RDK license base continues to expand. Here's an updated list of licensees that are known to Light Reading Cable.

Table 1: The Growing RDK Ecosystem

Licensee	Product Category
Alticast Corp.	Set-top software, system integration and testing
Arris Group Inc.	Set-tops and gateways
Broadcom Corp.	Set-top silicon
Cisco Systems	Set-tops and gateways
Entropic Communications Inc.	Set-top silicon
Evolution Digital LLC	IP video clients
Humax Co. Ltd.	Set-tops and gateways
Intel Corp.	Set-top silicon
itaas Inc.	Product testing and integration
Motorola Mobility	Set-tops and gateways
Pace plc	Set-tops and gateways
S3 Ltd.	Product testing and integration
Tata Elxsi Ltd.	Product testing and integration
Technicolor SA	Set-tops and gateways
Source: Company reports and Light Reading Cable research.

Beyond Comcast, Time Warner Cable Inc. (NYSE: TWC), Charter Communications Inc. and Liberty Global Inc. (Nasdaq: LBTY) are among the cable operators that have RDK product initiatives underway or are evaluating the platform.

— Jeff Baumgartner, Site Editor, Light Reading Cable