Technicolor to work with Comcast on telepresence offering

Cable TV provider Comcast (Nasdaq:CMCSA), which last month announced a deal with Skype to provide video calling to its cable customers, has taken a deeper dive into the world of videoconferencoing.

The multichannel video programming distributor (MVPD) yesterday said it would work with Technicolor to develop an HD videoconferencing offering that would work through existing set-top boxes and HDTV sets, as well as across wireless LAN networks.

Technicolor said it would deliver a custom telepresence adapter to Comcast that would enable Comcast to deliver an interactive video calling experience to its subscribers using existing hardware and software.

Trident Microsystems will provide the product's semiconductor solution.

Technicolor's telepresence adapter includes an HDMI input and output, Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi, RF4CE control, external USB and SD card slot and an integrated external camera and microphone. Comcast first demonstrated the telepresence offering at The Cable Show 2011 in Chicago in June and has announced it plans to conduct market trials later this year.

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