There is a potential revolution brewing in the digital TV market.  Imaging this: you buy a nice, new high-def LCD TV, bring it home and connect your cable directly to the back – no set-top-box required!   No more complicated connections between your TV and set-to-box, no more multiple remote controls – plus, complete access to all the content from your digital cable provider, even VOD and pay per view!

Recently, I blogged about using a CableCard to connect my TiVo box to my digital cable service instead of using the standard DVR/set-top-box provided by them. Tru2Way is the next step in defining an open standard that will allow consumers to purchase fully cable ready TV’s, DVR’s, BluRay players and perhaps TV connected appliances that we can’t even conceive of yet!

Tru2Way is the new brand for what used to be called OpenCable. The Tru2Way standard is defined and managed by CableLabs, a non-profit research and development consortium funded by the cable industry.

Cable companies have a love/hate relationship with set-top-boxes. They love the aspect that it provides them a control point in accessing and protecting TV content. They hate them because of the capital expense they have to carry on their balance sheets for all that on-lease equipment in customer homes.

The Tru2Way standard should provide opportunities for just about everyone in the pay TV value chain. Consumers will get to purchase cable-ready products with improved simplicity and access to more content. Cable companies will get to start migrating away from set-to-box providers and all the expense that go’s along with it and Consumer electronics companies will have opportunities to develop more compelling retail solutions.

So when will it happen?  All six major cable operators in the US have committed that 20 percent of new set-tops will be Tru2Way compatible  by July 1, 2009. Panasonic has announced a new line of Tru2Way enabled TV’s branded Viera and  Comcast has confirmed support for these TV’s now in the Chicago and Denver areas . Looks like Tru2Way inevitable.

I’m watching this one closely….