Sony Signs Agreement With Cable Providers

TVPredictions.com is reporting today that Sony has signed an exclusive agreement with Comcast, Cox, Time Warner, Cablevision, Charter and Bright House Networks to create a two-way television that will eliminate the need for a set-top box when used with one of those carriers.

I'm writing about this because it's news that is interesting regarding TVs on the consumer end. However, a quote perked my interest.

According to TVPredictions.com, Dave Clark, a Cisco director for product strategy, says, "It's going to be providing the functionality coming into the house to be able to decode High-Definition content, move it around the house, and ultimately, out to other places -- your hotel room, or what have you," Clark said.

Does this mean we'll have portable TVs that use a sort of wi-fi and grab the signal out of the air? Will you lug a 42" LCD or plasma from room to room?

I think that this is a novel idea that could help wall-mounting but I think we'll be at the mercy of the coaxial coming from the wall. I'm not sure if these TVs will have built-in recording devices or if a set-top will still be needed to use a DVR?

These are just a few questions needing answers. It's nice that Sony has an agreement with six cable providers but I'm curious to see how this impacts other TV manufacturers. If you buy a brand other than Sony will you need a set-top box?

No word yet on when these will hit the market.