esocid writes "Sony and the National Cable and Telecommunications Association, two industries which have been feuding for a decade about how best to deliver cable while allowing customers to buy equipment of their own choosing, have signed an agreement that will allow viewers to rid themselves of set-top boxes, yet still receive advanced "two-way" cable services, such as pay-per-view movies. A decade ago, when Congress ordered the cable industry to allow outside electronics makers to compete for the boxes, the cable industry developed the "cable card," inserted into competing boxes to unscramble the cable signal, but was the source of frequent customer complaints and never proved popular. Under the new system, customers will still need to get a cable card from their provider, but according to the agreement, technical glitches will be eliminated, "two-way" services will be available and there will be no need for the clunky boxes. The agreement is between Sony and the nation's six largest cable companies: Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications, Charter Communications, Cablevision Systems and Bright House Networks, which serve more than 82 percent of cable subscribers, and is in hopes of heading off action by the Federal Communications Commission to impose a two-way standard on the industry." Link to Original Source
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