Sony To Include tru2way Standardised Interactive Cable In LCD TV

Sony is the latest manufacturer to sign up to the tru2way cable platform, the standard announced at CES 2008 that aims to integrate cable services into TVs rather than rely on set-top boxes.  The inclusion of tru2way would also mean customers could access the interactive elements being offered by multiple cable companies, no matter which service they were using.  Currently Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications, Bright House Networks, Charter Communications and Cablevision are all supporting the standard, between them making up the top six spots for the US' largest cable companies.

For consumers, the deal will make connecting a new TV to a cable supplier one step easier, bypassing the traditional set-top box.  It could also improve picture quality, depending on which connections might've been used with a seperate tuner.  The agreement discusses how video-on-demand, digital video recording and interactive programming guides will be delivered.

Sony is yet to discuss its timescale for producing a tru2way TV.  It's also unclear whether all of the models in the company's US range will be suitably equipped; the full text of the agreement has not been released, but initial reports appear to suggest that it could be as few as one specific LCD model.