said by Shrapnel64 :

If TV Manufacturer's were smart, they would make the box sort of like a Cable Card -- where it is replaceable if something should go wrong with it. It would be pretty sad if after a year of using the TV the built-in cable box device died, and you had to buy another $2,000 TV.

said by Qumahlin :

Actually the TiVo software has been in testing for quite some time. I wish Comcast had just decided to release a special "tivo" version box, but the reason it has taken so long is because the software had to be modified to work on the motorola hardware already in place.

You also don't need to put a harddrive in the TV. Nowadays you can spend less than 300 bucks for a 1 terabyte external drive. Hell cable boxes currently support certain external drives for DVR add-on, but the ability to use them has been disabled for the most part...which is one of the most annoying things about the cable receiver industry. Year after year they roll out receivers with tons of fancy features and ports...most of which are disabled due to fear of how thier use may enable piracy and cut into the bottom line of both the cable co's and the entertainment industry.

said by JPL :

Third, these types of deals tend to take a long time to go through (when exactly is Comcast rolling out it's Tivo-enabled DVR around the country?) - so I wouldn't go unplugging my STBs anytime soon. Finally, unless they put harddrives in these TVs, people will still opt to have DVRs on their TVs.

said by Jafo232 :

Could it possibly lead to at least one less remote? Oh please, that makes it worth it by leaps and bounds..

Now, if they would just make a deal with DirecTV and Dish Network!

said by patcat88 :

Outlet fee, digital duplication fee, fact you get digital cable (digital navigator) fee. All of those still apply.

said by KrK :

Are you kidding? The lease fees, rental fees, and access charges they make using these things are the windfall.... if that was eliminated, a major cash cow of the cable companies would go away..... Don't look to see them rushing to do this in a hurry.... **unless** they find some way to continue the fees without actually providing you with a boxen.

said by Shrapnel64 :

If TV Manufacturer's were smart, they would make the box sort of like a Cable Card -- where it is replaceable if something should go wrong with it. It would be pretty sad if after a year of using the TV the built-in cable box device died, and you had to buy another $2,000 TV.

said by person9998541 :

They will not have to pay rental fees but they will have to pay massive service fees for anything that goes wrong or the cable prices will suddenly jump more than the usual 10% a year that is definitely beyond the inflation already.

said by Corydon :

You know, I hear about people having trouble with cable boxes, but my experience has been that they're pretty solid. There's not really all that much that can go wrong with a plain digital cable box (as opposed to a DVR that has a hard drive that can fail).

said by KrK :

**unless** they find some way to continue the fees without actually providing you with a boxen.

said by SRFireside :

On both sides of the process. This also means the consumer doesn't pay cable box rental fees or have to deal with another device to hook up to their entertainment systems. It's a win/win if it's done right (and nobody exploits the savings with trumped up fees).

said by SRFireside :

On both sides of the process. This also means the consumer doesn't pay cable box rental fees or have to deal with another device to hook up to their entertainment systems. It's a win/win if it's done right (and nobody exploits the savings with trumped up fees).