Although the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and the cable industry have a history of banging heads, they appear to be on the same page after CableLabs approved DTCP-IP to protect video and other digital content as it traverses IP-based home networks.

    "DTCP-IP protects consumers' customary rights to record broadcast and subscription programming, said CEA vice president of communications Jason Oxman, in a prepared statement. "It is CEA's belief that any proven content protection technology should not be denied use on products attached to cable systems on the basis of the transport interface it is protecting."

    On Thursday, Cable Labs and the Digital Transmission Licensing Administrator LLC (DTLA) announced the approval of DTCP-IP for unidirectional and bi-directional digital cable products. The protection and encryption of content -- which could include video-on-demand and high-definition television fare -- would apply to supporting devices that hang off the cable network, including digital televisions, set-tops, PCs, and handheld media players. (See CableLabs Okays DTCP-IP.)

    Cable Labs' approval already had some solid backing from the consumer electronics industry, as the DTLA, also known as "5C," was formed in 1998 by Hitachi Ltd. (NYSE: HIT - message board; Paris: PHA), Intel Corp. (Nasdaq: INTC - message board), Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. (NYSE: MC - message board; Tokyo: 6752) (Panasonic), Sony Corp. (NYSE: SNE - message board), and Toshiba Corp. (Tokyo: 6502 - message board).

    The content/studio industry was also represented, as CableLabs made the announcement in cooperation with Paramount Pictures Corp., Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc., The Walt Disney Company, and Warner Bros. Technical Operations.

    Getting all three industries on board could prevent government-mandated regulations.