Remember that tru2way-related Memorandum of Understanding that was all the rage about this time last year? It appears the 6 cable companies haven't lived up to at least one part of their agreement, collectively missing the deadline of July 1 to have 100% of their digital cable headends compatible. No word on how close they got, but Comcast, Cox, Time Warner, Charter, Cablevision and Bright House still insist it's "not that far off" though we don't see how missing important milestones is helping move the technology forwards.

Among the financial details (net loss of $4.1 million, yawn) of today's earnings call, TiVo had big news about its Comcast TiVo product, announcing that remote scheduling will be available this summer in the New England area, the planned Chicago launch is "close," that the cable company will soon offer customers in areas switching to all digital the option of a TiVo HD retail box instead of a digital terminal adapter and in one yet-to-be-named tru2way market, will make TiVo its primary DVR option. That's the word from CEO Tom Rogers, who also said Comcast is going to aggressively roll TiVo out, while its still looking for the "best path" of distribution. Non-Comcast interesting developments? The SeaChange partnership has lead to one independent cable operator, Comporium, offering its service, while the Stop||Watch ratings service is expanding to 300,000 subscribers, 75 times the size of Nielsen's DVR sample. Check the read link for the (.PDF) press release or listen in on TiVo's website for all the info, we're busy pondering a bleep & bloop enabled future for our boring old cable DVR boxes.

Update: The transcript of the call is available on Seeking Alpha [Via Davis Freeberg]

Cox Communications will be bringing its own multiroom option to its DVR lineup, but it's keeping quiet about some significant details -- namely, the debut market and timing. Aside from our inability to get excited about a feature that may not be coming to our service area for an undetermined price, Cox is at least hitting some key points for the new multiroom option, including support for HD, larger hard drive capacity and sharing content around your home using MoCA technology. Tru2way was not mentioned specifically for the "next generation guide" software also promised for the DVR, but we wouldn't be surprised to see that make the cut. So yeah, Cox is ticking off some checkboxes, and we'll keep hoping for a really good cable company DVR; but as most folks who have compared a TiVo with the cable co DVR will tell you, usability isn't necessarily spelled out in the feature list.

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.

Ok, we've seen multiroom setups, mostly from IPTV providers, and tru2way has had a limited rollout so far, but Time Warner Cable and Motorola are teaming up to be the first to bring the two together in customers homes. Follow Me TV is already available on FiOS, but the Dolby Digital Plus-supporting DCX3400-M DVR we saw at CES in '08 and DXC-3200M set-top box will make it happen on cable, shifting high definition video around the house via Multimedia over Coaxial Alliance (MoCA) connections. Hopefully tru2way's interoperability lets customers choose what equipment makes up their home video network, not just the cable company, but we should find out more after launch later this year.

At the Cable Show this week Macrovision is showing off its new tru2way Passport software, which we have to say is pretty cool looking. Of course it isn't the coolest looking software we've seen, but it is the best looking tru2way option so far and at least it is widescreen. But maybe in what might be bigger news to Comcast fans customers around the country -- or anyone who uses the Passport of iGuide software really -- is the that like the Passport tru2way software, the new Passport and iGuide software will also support multi-room viewing. So you'll finally be able to have your content follow you around the house and automatically pick up where you left off. Unfortunately like other solutions based on the Motorola boxes it's limited to two tuners throughout the house -- because a DVR can only act as a server and not as a client -- and we'd bet our old friends at the cable company will continue to only offer DVRs with puney 160GB hard drives, which really makes it hard for most families to get by with a single DVR.

Panasonic has consistently been one of the companies backing tru2way with the most hardware, and this year's Cable Show is no different. First up, its tru2way compatible plasma HDTVs are now on sale in Atlanta, with additional rollouts planned for the rest of '09 -- put host city Washington D.C. on the list for sure, since since Comcast has hooked the booth up to a live feed for demonstrations as previously seen in Denver. Don't have the scratch for a whole new TV just to experience the new tech? Say hello to the PCH2180 Advanced Multi-tuner tru2way set-top receiver (pictured) that's now shipping, an HD-DVR ready for multistream CableCARDs and includes a DOCSIS modem, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 and VC-1 compatibility plus MoCA networking capabilities. Panasonic's taken the time to tie it to a prototype Easy Touch multitouch remote (video embedded after the break) that we were digging at CEATEC and CES alike, with this kind of investment the NCTA might be able to make us forget January's disappointment.

Want a taste of the SlingLoaded DISH Network 922 DVR (pictured), without switching to satellite? Echostar, as expected, is ready to show off a tru2way compatible version of its latest box, the T2200S, this week at the Cable Show '09. The T2200S contains the 1TB hard drive, expandable storage and of course, Sling Media's placeshifting technology ready to send live or recorded TV to your Internet connected device of choice. Since it's tru2way, it's also capable of running either the SlingGuide software, or whatever middleware is chosen by the provider, and enabling remote video diagnostics, hopefully making many truck rolls unnecessary. Like the 922, we've no price or release date yet but hopefully all that work on tru2way and M-CARD means whether or not our cable company signs up, we'll still have the choice of purchasing one at retail.

Update: Looks like the box is planned to start testing June, and go into production in Q4 of 2009, the specs from the PR are after the break. [Thanks, Justin]

Although it flew beneath the radar at this year's CES, tru2way looks to be spooling up the PR machine in advance of The Cable Show in April. Leading the charge, Cox Communications has announced its agreement to use NDS tru2way software starting this summer; and since the field of tru2way-equipped TVs is slim pickings, you know the delivery mechanism -- set top boxes. Grousing aside, technology has to move forward, so Cox is going to start introducing Cisco (Scientific-Atlanta) and Motorola manufactured boxes with NDS software, with plans to do a market-by-market rollout later this year and continuing in 2010. We're all for more media-rich experiences on the TV, but not nearly as enthusiastic as we were about getting rid of STBs altogether. Absent TV manufacturers hopping onboard the tru2way en masse, this situation is taking on some CableCard overtones.

Yes, we were disappointed by the lack of tru2way at CES. Luckily, next month's The Cable Show should give a bit of a lift, with interactive program guides, games, chat, web browsers and more on display. Samsung is the most notable hardware name we noticed on the list, but with only set-top boxes, home networking and portability apps on the menu our question of when its compatible TVs may go one sale will likely remain unanswered. Check out the release for the full listing, whether 2009 is the year of tru2way or not should certainly be more clear once the show is underway from April 1-3.

While many are still eagerly awaiting their tuning adapter for utilizing tru2way on their existing TiVo box, said company has announced two partnerships today that look to solve issues with cable carriers that don't currently have an OCAP / tru2way deployment plan. The tie-up with SeaChange will enable those lagging carriers to bring cable VOD services to the TiVo HD DVR experience, giving them the option to highlight offerings on a TiVo guide, for instance. The second partnership involves Alticast, and while details are a tad fuzzier here, we get the impression that TiVo's looking to possibly push its heralded interface out onto other devices, such as embedded within a Blu-ray deck or other set-top-box. Or as Joshua Danovitz, Vice President and GM of International at TiVo puts it: "[We need to make] the TiVo experience available on a broad range of platforms, both in the United States and around the world." Hit the read links for more on each, and don't be surprised if you dig the vibes you get.\

[Via Yahoo! / PC World]

Read - Alticast partnership
Read - SeaChange partnership

There stands a good chance that you've never heard of Zodiac Interactive nor Alticast, but if a Cisco / Scientific-Atlanta tru2way set-top box ends up in your abode in the near future, there's an even better chance that those two firms will play a crucial role. The duo has just announced plans to plant its embedded software within tru2way STBs, with the combined solution enabling cable providers to "deliver interactive services and applications including next-generation interactive user interfaces, guides, messaging and advanced VOD." Additionally, MSOs will be able to more easily offer subscribers "advanced services such as TV widgets," though there's currently no timetable for when a completed box will be made available. Did we mention that the widget race was officially on?

If you were waiting for CES to see all the great new tru2way devices then you probably noticed that there really weren't any. In fact we spent some time towards the end of the show looking for tru2way and was very surprised to see that there was actually less tru2way this year then last.

Although you wouldn't know it from the big press events at CES, tru2way is still on track for mass deployment and July 1st is the big day. The six biggest MSOs, signed on to that date some time ago -- it should be noted that Verizon still hates the idea -- and both Time Warner Cable and Comcast are proud to re-iterate that it's actually going to happen. Ten of TWC's 22 divisions have already deployed tru2way boxes -- no 3rd party device support yet -- which is about half of its customers. Comcast has already started supporting 3rd party tru2way boxes in Chicago and Denver back in October and also expects to have every market ready by July. The MSOs also agreed -- in the same Memorandum of Understanding -- that by July, 20% of its own new boxes would be using tru2way as well. So while it appears the MSOs will be ready for tru2way in 2009, based on the announcements at CES, we'll all have to wait until 2010 before we really see the TV manufacturers fulfill their end of the deal.

In a CES surprisingly slim on new tru2way information, Thomson's revealed that it's working on a new set-top box for cable operators. Until it gets through CableLabs certification, what's on display is an OCAP / MoCa (Multimedia over Coax Alliance) set-top box running enable TV widget software pulling news info from the Internet to a TV. Further down the line a triple tuner tru2way DVR is expected, but not until 2010 so patience will clearly be key.