ENGLEWOOD, Colo., Nov. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- The first satellite transmission of an OpenCable(TM) Applications Platform (OCAP(TM)) application was successfully completed from the headquarters of Starz Encore Group LLC (Starz). The broadcast was downlinked and verified by CableLabs.

OCAP is a middleware software layer specification developed by the cable industry consortium CableLabs. OCAP enables the development of interactive television services and applications that will run interoperably on any cable television system in North America, independent of set-top or television receiver hardware or operating system software choices.

The transmission of an OCAP-based application from the Starz uplink facility was the first use of OCAP outside the laboratory environment. It followed an Aug. 2 event at the CableLabs headquarters in Louisville, CO, in which some 24 companies demonstrated a wide range of interactive TV applications capable of running on the software.

"The successful transmission of an OCAP application from uplink to headend to end user is a major step forward in creating an environment in which interactive TV, long a blue sky promise, can become a reality," said CableLabs President and CEO Dr. Richard Green.

Starz president and COO Robert B. Clasen added "Starz was happy to provide the facility for the first out-of-the-lab demonstration of OCAP and looks forward to the era of interactive television."

This broadcast makes Starz the first programmer to embed OCAP functionality within a US broadcast. The interactivity consists of making a branded "mini-guide" part of transmission and letting our viewers select information about "What's On Tonight," "Saturday Premieres," and "Movie Extras" about new hit movies.

Starz used the TSBroadcaster headend server provided by UniSoft Corporation to schedule and integrate the one-way OCAP application into the transmission stream. ADB's i-CAN3200 set-top box was used to decode the video. ADB's OCAP stack was supplied by Osmosys.

Additional information on OCAP can be found at the CableLabs website www.cablelabs.com

Starz Encore Group (SEG) is the largest provider of premium movie services in the United States with approximately 164 million pay units. SEG offerings include the Starz Super Pak, with up to 13 digital movie channels and more than 750 movies per month, Starz On Demand, the only on-demand pay TV subscription service available on the cable and satellite platforms, and its broadband equivalent, STARZ! Ticket(SM). SEG also offers a suite of advanced video offerings, including STARZ! HD(SM), Encore(SM), and Starz On Demand HD(SM). Starz Encore Group is a wholly owned subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation (NYSE: L - News, LMCb - News), www.starz.com