Audio Video News

CableLabs has demonstrated that DVR content can be shared among multiple tru2way set-top boxes and DLNA-certified devices throughout the home.

In case you were wondering, CableLabs is the R&D arm of the cable industry. Tru2way is the second generation of digital cable ready technology. Because it is bidirectional, it can support video on demand and other two-way services. DLNA is the Digital Living Network Alliance, a standard that allows networking of certified devices. It is increasingly appearing in a/v receivers, TVs, and other products. Among the 11 companies participating in the CableLabs demo were Panasonic, Samsung, Sony, Microsoft, Cox, Time Warner Cable, and various set-top box makers.

This is indisputably good news and we don't want to rain on CableLabs' parade. But tru2way adoption has been uncertain. Unlike the original CableCARD, it is not approved by the FCC. Despite that, some TV makers, including Panasonic and Samsung, were hot to trot a few years ago but have said little about tru2way in recent product introductions.

Cable operators historically have been slow to embrace digital cable ready technology. That's partly because the original CableCARD was unidirectional and thus not VOD-friendly. Another factor is that cable companies have long preferred to control the gateway into TVs via their set-top boxes. We hope tru2way will make a comeback, not just in STBs, but in TVs as well.

See press release.