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Pioneer Celebrates 25TH Anniversary of QUBE and its Entry into the Cable TV Business. Cable Industry's First Interactive Set-Top Box will be Celebrated at The Western Show
Anaheim, CA 12/4/2002
Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc., a leader in cable television digital set-top boxes, is celebrating the silver anniversary of Qube, the cable industry's first deployed interactive set-top box, with cake and candles at noon today at booth #3906 of the Western Show at the Anaheim Convention Center.
More than twenty-five years ago, Warner Communications commissioned Pioneer to design and build the world's first commercial interactive TV service, which opened for business on December 1, 1977 in Columbus, Ohio. Initially operated out of a remodeled appliance store, Qube offered an unprecedented 30 channels of television divided equally between ten broadcast TV channels, ten premium and pay-per-view channels, and ten channels with original interactive programming. The idea for Qube came from Steve Ross, president of Warner Communications, who was staying at the Otani Hotel in Tokyo in 1975. He'd been impressed by the hotel's closed circuit interactive TV system, which had been built by Pioneer Electronics in Japan, so he asked Pioneer to develop a similar system for cable in the United States. Earning revenues a quarter century ago with mostly analog technology, Qube became the kind of interactive television network that digital cable operators still aspire to today.
Pioneer was responsible for turning Ross' vision of interactive television into a technical reality. It became the company's entry, 25 years ago, into the cable TV business. Pioneer is still an active player in the cable industry today.
"Qube was a serious attempt by a group of very creative people to provide a new kind of TV service. We were doing things back in 1977 that only now are being attempted again with digital services," said Paul Dempsey, president of the Business Solutions Division of Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc., and then director of metro engineering, Warner Communications, charged with overseeing the Qube system rebuild. "Today, as operators look to launch new ITV and VOD services, the lessons are the same, learning how we can effectively launch these services and stay financially viable."
Paralleling interactive television's introduction to the cable industry is Pioneer's twenty-five year legacy as a leading provider of cable TV focused products. The company's long line of set-top innovations and software solutions include the Voyager( series of advanced digital set-tops and the company's Passport(r) navigation and application suite.
About Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc., Cable & Communications Pioneer has a 25-year history as a leading hardware provider in the cable television industry. The company has deployed more than 10 million analog and digital cable set-top boxes within the U.S., featuring the Voyager(tm) series of advanced digital cable products. With its steadfast dedication to technological development, Pioneer's Cable and Communications Group continues to be an innovative leader in the cable television industry. It is a part of Business Solutions Division, which provides professional business-to-business products across a wide range of markets including cable television, professional video/audio, educational, medical, legal and banking. It is one of only three companies enjoying a major share among digital set-top boxes deployed in the country today. Visit Pioneer Cable and Communications at www.pioneerbroadband.com.
About Pioneer Corporation Pioneer Corporation is a leader in optical disc technology and a preeminent manufacturer of high-performance audio, video, computer and cable television equipment for the home, car and business markets. The company focuses on four core business domains including DVD, display technologies, Digital Network Entertainment( and components. Founded in 1938 in Tokyo, Pioneer Corporation employs more than 31,000 people worldwide. Its shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol PIO. Pioneer Electronics' headquarters is located in Long Beach, Calif.
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