GLENVIEW, Ill. -- Comcast, with the help of Plasma high-definition television manufacturer Panasonic, today kicked off its tru2way cable television service in the Chicago area, starting at the massive ABT appliance store here. Designed to simplify the living room by eliminating set-top boxes and additional remote controls, the service will be available first in the Chicago and Denver metro areas and to all Comcast markets by April 2009.

The tru2way technology enables an equipped TV set to be connected to a cable service without a set-top box. The technology is a Java-based middleware layer serving as a single platform on which software companies and developers can create innovative applications and services. The services are then added to the TV set via a simple software upgrade. Creative implementations of the bundle – caller ID on the TV, American Idol-inspired voting directly on the TV set and scheduling DVR recordings from the PC – are all potential new apps, according to Comcast senior vice president of product development Mark Hess. These services are all available today from many IPTV providers, namely AT&T, but – like over IPTV – the applications can potentially be improved and added to on a daily basis.

“Television will always have software downloads for new applications, so that the applications can change daily,” said Dr. Paul Liao, chief technology officer at Panasonic. “As Panasonic, we are focused on customer needs. Customers don’t like to have the set-top box and the monthly fee for it. They like the simplicity. Most of the calls we field at our call center, which is a cost to us, are about setup and making the service work.”

With tru2way, the only real installation is connecting the cable service’s coaxial cable to the TV set and installation of a conditional access card that verifies the user as a paid subscriber.

Hess agreed simplicity is key, adding that people love Comcast services but are not enamored with having the extra STB in the home, especially as they wall-mount HDTVs. As such, he expects tru2way to have a tremendous impact. The service can be deployed in any TV set, or via an STB where the TV is not tru2way-ready, and will be sold in Comcast’s existing retail outlets. Panasonic, LG, Samsung and Sony have all committed to putting tru2way in their TV sets in time for the holiday season.