RurrRooh!

You know there are just some days it does not pay to be a CEO! This is one of those days, if you happen to be General Instrument a maker of settop boxes. –

The set-top box, a necessary appendage for millions of cable television customers for decades, is moving toward extinction.

A leading television manufacturer, Sony Electronics Inc., and the National Cable and Telecommunications Association said Tuesday they signed an agreement that will allow viewers to rid themselves of set-top boxes, yet still receive advanced “two-way” cable services, such as pay-per-view movies.

In most cases, cable viewers also could dispose of another remote control since they could use their TV’s control rather than one tied to the set-top box.

The agreement marks a significant meeting of the minds between cable companies and one of the world’s dominant makers of consumer electronics. The two industries have been feuding for a decade about how best to deliver cable service to customers while allowing them to buy equipment of their own choosing.

I take this as a positive development for the delivery industry as a whole. Its one more appendage out of the way. The cable mavens aren’t out of the woods yet. But this is a good first step.

More here.