I just got off the phone with someone from Cablevision in their "digital" department. I questioned them about the upcoming Sony cable box and the potential for obsoleting all current HDTVs because of the firewire output. This individual insisted that the new box would have absolutely NO impact on current HDTVs. She indicated the box would provide "digital" quality (she emphasized "digital" and not high definition) on the premium channels. The box would essentially mirror the offerings on DTV (many HBOs, Showtimes etc.) and provide numerous other features, but NOT high definition. She said high definition would continue to be provided in the current manner, and a conventional high definition tuner would still be necessary.
She also mentioned the box has component outputs in addition to firewire. Supposedly the firewire output's only relevance is to support computer applications. The component connections would also be good news, since it's conceivable that high definition could be output through those connections. She emphasized the fact that Cablevision is "not out to obsolete existing HDTVs". She also mentioned that would be foolish considering their ownership of The Wiz.
I guess what I'm still finding difficult to believe, is that this box has nothing to do with high definition. Let's hope this information is accurate!
She also mentioned the box has component outputs in addition to firewire. Supposedly the firewire output's only relevance is to support computer applications. The component connections would also be good news, since it's conceivable that high definition could be output through those connections. She emphasized the fact that Cablevision is "not out to obsolete existing HDTVs". She also mentioned that would be foolish considering their ownership of The Wiz.
I guess what I'm still finding difficult to believe, is that this box has nothing to do with high definition. Let's hope this information is accurate!