Yesterday morning's CES keynote with Panasonic President Toshihiro Sakamoto brought big news to the world of cable with the announcement of Panasonic's new line of HDTVs and set-top boxes integrating tru2way technology. Joined onstage by Comcast's CEO, Brian Roberts, Sakamoto said, "Panasonic will not only deliver a Panasonic Viera Plasma HDTV with tru2way technology later this year, we are also announcing the first portable DVR and digital cable set-top boxes powered by tru2way technology, all of which truly allow consumers to maximize their enjoyment of digital cable television programming.”

The Viera televisions equipped with tru2way will eliminate the need for a set-top box and will eliminate clutter and confusion that stems from multiple components. The Viera Plasma HDTV is expected to be available at retail later this year.

Also announced was a portable DVR which will allow users to record programs at home and then watch them later, acting like a portable DVD player. The tru2way device has a fold-up 8.5" screen and speakers, and docks with a set-top box. Named the AnyPlay, it is expected in Comcast markets in early 2009.

I personally like the idea of the portable DVR, though I doubt people will choose a large portable DVD player-type device over the smaller pocket-sized digital media players they most likely already own. However, it's not hard to imagine the technology spurring a new movement in bridging the gap between those smaller media players and the home DVR.

by Tony Brown, a junior at the University of Missouri