So the wait is over, this month digital cable-ready TVs hit the shelves. The new models will accept a credit card-sized circuit card that lets them receive digital television signals from a cable provider without the need for an expensive and bulky set-top box. All you will need to buy is the TV, then contact your cable service operator for the proprietary digital cable card. Installation is as simple as pushing the card into a slot in the television. This should mean lowered costs for cable companies, and ultimately for us, the consumer.

However, since the first generation of DCR TV cards only offers one-way communication, it’s not going to offer everything your cable provider currently offers. Expect pay-per-view and VOD ready cards available end of next year or mid-2006. Great… get us all excited and then make us wait another year to two!

[ via ABI Research ]