Panasonic stated at CEDIA that there will be tru2way HDTVs available before Christmas and that dream just got one step closer with CableLabs’ approval. The two undisclosed HDTVs are not going to need a pesky cable box or cable card to receive everything cable has to offer including: a guide and video on demand. The tru2way technology is the holy grail for cable interaction ’cause the cable companies do not have to worry about cable boxes and users do not have to deal with them either. The standard is being embraced by most manufacturers but it seems that Panasonic is going to be the first with an HDTV available.

Remember way back when Cable Card 2.0 promised us all the frills of a cable box, but with the actual damn box? Tru2Way, or OCAP in geek speak , is finally going to delivery guides, VOD, and even 3rd party apps. Cable Labs and Panasonic have been working on this open standard for years and both companies just announced availability before Christmas in Panasonic HDTVs. What TVs, we don’t know, but can you imagine a world without cable boxes? It’s going to be dandy.