Hey there; just wanted to let anyone who may be interested know that Comcast has started rolling out the new tru2way "no box" HD cable with the Panasonic Plasma (Z80Q's).

I got mine installed on Thursday 10/30 and was told I was the very first customer to have this! Kinda of cool to know.

So far this is working great, the guide is a little different, a bit smoother and sleeker. Quck channel switching and the On Demand is great and loads quick.

Got mine from Abt (I'm in Chicago) and Comcast had a great crew come out to get the cable card installed with the Abt delivery guy, made sure everything was working. I posted some in the Plasma Flat Panel Displays thread.

If anyone is interested in this service I'll keep you up to date how it goes, as I was told its still in its early phase and will likely get lots of updates as the go along. But so far I would recommend this TV (which is great) and the service from Comcast.

Thanks!

Please keep us posted, I'm sure more questions and other users will start rolling in.

Check out the thread in the Plasma section. He has posted this in greater detail.

I was the very first customer to have this!

Did a TV news crew come out to record the event? :D

Did a TV news crew come out to record the event? :D

LOL! Not even a t-shirt or plaque or anything! lol

The Abt delivery guy actually made a comment like this, and the Comcast rep said that they are doing a Media blitz with the guy who actually "bought" the first TV. Someone who lives downtown Chicago and getting installed this week sometime. Oh well... they probably already forgot about me to be honest.

From this topic, a few weeks ago: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14875531

From Multichannel News, By Todd Spangler

Panasonic Takes Tru2way HDTVs To Retail
Comcast to Switch on tru2way Support in Chicago and Denver

Panasonic said it has shipped the first tru2way-based HDTVs to a retailer in suburban Chicago, while Comcast's Chicago and Denver systems have gone live with tru2way.

The developments mark a key go-to-market milestone for the cable industry's interactive services standard for consumer electronics devices that has been more than a decade in development.

Panasonic's first tru2way-enabled Viera plasma HDTVs will be offered in 42- and 50-inch sizes. The sets include a tru2way cable receiver -- eliminating the need for a separate set-top box -- that should theoretically work in any cable system that supports the technology.

Panasonic said its tru2way-certified Viera HDTVs are now available at Abt Electronics in Glenview, Ill., and will be available in the Chicago area at Circuit City locations. In Denver, the sets will be available at Ultimate Electronics and Circuit City stores.

“We see tru2way technology as the gateway for our customers to experience the next generation of interactive television, and our work with Panasonic to develop and support the first fully digital-cable-ready HDTVs is an important first step in making that happen,” said Mark Hess, Comcast's senior vice president of video product development, in a statement.

tru2way also represents the cable industry's desire to provide its own technology for consumer electronics makers—including Panasonic, Sony and Samsung Electronics—to access two-way cable services, instead of the Federal Communications Commission imposing an alternate standard.

Earlier this summer, Panasonic's tru2way HDTVs reportedly failed CableLabs certification testing for the spec, leading to speculation that the products would not meet the target of shipping for the 2008 holiday season.

Getting the tru2way products into the retail channel has been a priority for Comcast and Panasonic. The two companies have heavily promoted their collaboration on tru2way technology, touting their plans at the Consumer Electronics Show in January and at the NCTA's Cable Show '08 in May.

The TH-42PZ80Q 42-inch model will have a suggested retail price of $1,599.95, and the TH-50PZ80Q 50-inch unit will list at $2,299.95.

Both TVs feature 480-Hz sub-field drive for sharp motion image focus, 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio and a built-in SD memory card reader for playing back digital photos.

Hey there; just wanted to let anyone who may be interested know that Comcast has started rolling out the new tru2way "no box" HD cable with the Panasonic Plasma (Z80Q's).

I got mine installed on Thursday 10/30 and was told I was the very first customer to have this! Kinda of cool to know.

So far this is working great, the guide is a little different, a bit smoother and sleeker. Quck channel switching and the On Demand is great and loads quick.

Got mine from Abt (I'm in Chicago) and Comcast had a great crew come out to get the cable card installed with the Abt delivery guy, made sure everything was working. I posted some in the Plasma Flat Panel Displays thread.

If anyone is interested in this service I'll keep you up to date how it goes, as I was told its still in its early phase and will likely get lots of updates as the go along. But so far I would recommend this TV (which is great) and the service from Comcast.

Thanks!
Can I use the DVR??

Yes if it's plugged in Via component or HDMI. Comcast is shipping out some new Panasonic HD-DVR's.

I thought tru2way did not use a cable card
why did a cable tech need to be involved?

DCAS isn't ready yet is what I'm told.

Comcast is shipping out some new Panasonic HD-DVR's.

Really? What happened to SA and Motorola boxes?

Really? What happened to SA and Motorola boxes?

They have a Cisco built RNG-200 but the OCAP/tru2way version is made by Panasonic. The Cisco version doesn't have OCAP support but a Cisco developed 2 way protocol. Expect some more non SA/Cisco, and Moto boxes. TWC is working with Samsung to launch an OCAP/tru2way HD-DVR. TWC is already deploying a 2 way HD STB. The Samsung HD-DVR has MPEG-4 capabilities. So does the Panasonic HD-DVR. The Panasonic RNG-200 has a 250 GB HDD.