tru2way might not be entirely without issues, but add one more major ally to CableLabs' two-way technology, as LG (and Funai) both signed onto the same Memorandum of Understanding ratified by the six largest cable operators and a slew of consumer electronics manufacturers. Ideally, this means tru2way rollout will be speedy, and there will be plenty of hardware on shelves over the next year. LG prez Woo Paik expects HDTVs planned for '09 and beyond to include tru2way support, hopefully their compatibility testing will go a little bit better than Panasonic's.

Joining Sony & six major cable companies in signing a memorandum of understanding of understanding regarding tru2way technology this week were Intel, ADB, Digeo, Panasonic and Samsung. As these companies have already announced work on compatible technology, some of which we've seen recently at The Cable Show, the names there aren't the surprise, it's the one that isn't (yet), LG. While they -- and presumably other companies -- look over the agreement, details haven't yet been released, but Multichannel News notes some elements include that the MSOs (Comcast. Time Warner Cable, Cox, Cablevision and Bright House) deploy at least 20% tru2way set-top boxes until 10 million are deployed and they've committed to supporting the technology by specific dates. Another element that might concern some companies, according to Cable Digital News, is a "monitor application" that the cable company uses to control how devices use processing resources. All the same, once these details have been hammered out and are out in the open, it should lead to a much smoother roll out of tru2way than its CableCard 1.0 predecessor and ensure everyone's equipment works as planned.

[Via Multichannel News and Cable Digital News]