Agreement may mean end of cable boxes
Published May 28, 2008 by CSBJ Staff
The Associated Press
The set-top box, a necessary appendage for millions of cable television customers for decades, is moving toward extinction.
Television manufacturer, Sony Electronics Inc., and the National Cable and Telecommunications Association said Tuesday they signed an agreement that will allow viewers to rid themselves of set-top boxes, yet still receive advanced “two-way” cable services, such as pay-per-view movies.
In most cases, cable viewers also could dispose of another remote control since they could use their TV’s control rather than one tied to the set-top box.
The agreement is between Sony and the nation’s six largest cable companies: Comcast Corp., Time Warner Cable Inc., Cox Communications Inc., Charter Communications Inc., Cablevision Systems Corp. and Bright House Networks. The six companies serve more than 82 percent of cable subscribers.
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