No set-top required: U.S. cable commits to two-way cable card

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The American cable industry Thursday told the Federal Communications Commission that it would commit to a path where digital cable set top boxes could disappear. The National Cable Telecommunications Association submitted a package of voluntary commitments and proposed regulations that would enable consumer electronics manufacturers to bring digital TVs and other devices to market that would deliver interactive digital cable services without the need for a set-top box. Instead of using a set-top box, the new Interactive Digital Cable Ready (IDCR) devices would utilize a CableCARD - which is inserted into a slot in the TV -...