Overheard: Goodbye set-top box, hello Tru2way

January 7, 2008 — Today marks the beginning of the end for that terminally ugly device in the living room: the TV set-top box. Peter Lauria, Cable TV enters new era with ‘open platform’

More news from the Consumer Electronics Show. We’re one step closer to getting rid of set-top boxes.

An industry initiative, to be renamed “tru2way” after a decade in the works, is expected to allow electronics manufacturers to make TVs and other gear that will work regardless of cable provider. By making devices compatible, the standard also could encourage the development of new services and features that rely on two-way communication over the cable network.

Tru2way used to be called OCAP (Open Cable Platform).