NextBox 2.0 another step in the journey to personalized TV - an idea with many meanings

TORONTO – Rogers Communications’ announcement on Friday of NextBox 2.0 is not “the next big thing,” but just the next new fork in an ever-fragmenting road. While the telcos roll out their IPTV offerings running Microsoft Mediaroom’s whole home PVR functionality and slick, flexible on-screen guides and web applications, Rogers NextBox 2.0 (Cisco’s much-touted Videoscape) is an utterly necessary upgrade to the cable experience, bringing it to a more even footing with the growing competition of Bell’s Fibe TV in Toronto. While about 300,000 of Rogers existing digital cable boxes will be able to handle the new guide upgrade, to...