Sony KDF-55XS955, KDP-51WS655, KD-36XS955, KDF-50WE655, KDF-60WF655 F.A.Q.

Unidirectional Cable Ready Products

F.A.Q.

July 2004

What does Digital Cable Ready mean?

A DCR product is a digital TV, digital video recorder or other device capable of receiving unscrambled analog, digital basic and digital premium cable television programming by direct connection to a cable system providing such programming. This device can receive unencrypted or unscrambled video signals through direct

connection to the cable system with no additional required component. To receive encrypted digital services, the device needs a CableCARD™ supplied by the cable operator which fits into a slot on the DCR product. Sony DCR products that are available to consumers now or have been publicly announced for release in the near future include digital video recorders DHG-HDD250 & DHG-HDD500 and the following digital televisions (DTVs):

∙KD-34XBR960

∙KD-30XS955

∙KD-34XS955

∙KD-36XS955

∙KDP-51WS655

∙KDP-57WS655

∙KDE-37XS955

∙KDE-42XS955

∙KDE-50XS955

∙KDF-42WE655

∙KDF-50WE655

∙KDF-55WF655

∙KDF-60WF655

∙KDF-55XS955

∙KDF-60XS955

What does Plug-and-Play mean?

Plug-and-Play is another term for DCR used during the cable and consumer electronics industry discussions and the FCC’s rulemaking proceeding. The generic term for these products is DCR.

How does DCR benefit consumers?

DCR enables consumers to receive digital programming, including HDTV signals, without a set-top box and will allow for an array of new devices, such as various kinds of digital recorders, to be easily connected to cable networks.

How does a DCR television work?

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In addition to the electronics typically found in most television sets, a DCR product incorporates many of the same electronics found in a digital set-top box. The key difference is that a DCR product does not itself contain technology that will allow the television to display encrypted digital signals. Such decryption technology is instead built into the CableCARD™. Since cable operators encrypt most digital cable signals (other than, e.g., retransmitted local broadcast digital TV programming), a CableCARD™ must be inserted into a DCR product in order for that product to receive most digital cable programming.

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