The slow rollout of interactive TV

by Richard Lawler posted Apr 6th 2009 at 7:33AM

The rollout of tru2way and other interactive TV initiatives by the cable companies seems to finally be gaining some momentum, but while we've largely addressed our disappointment with the speed of adoption on the hardware side, the New York Times is questioning why we haven't (and likely won't in the very near future) seen more interactive software. In an age where everything has an app store, the fragmented nature of the cable systems and confusing interconnected platforms reduces the opportunities for developers to jump in, and though Comcast jumped out promoting its Yahoo! widget powered tru2way future, no solid timeline for availability leaves very little to look forward to.

Filed under: Industry, Set-top boxes, Cable

Tags: cable, cable show, cable show 09, cable show 2009, CableShow, CableShow09, CableShow2009, ncta, ocap, tru2way

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Rich @ Apr 6th 2009 1:57PM

So when are tru2way enabled televisions and non cableco DVR'a going to start becoming more prevalent?

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darklighter @ Apr 6th 2009 2:18PM

Unfortunately, this is where you run into the "chicken and the egg" problem.

Neutral

Rich @ Apr 6th 2009 3:59PM

True, and I would imagine CE companies will tend to move a bit slower after the cable card 1.0 debacle. It will be nice to get back to real 'cable ready' sets that you can just connect the cable and have access to all your channels and features w/out having the box.

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