The representatives of the US-based Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and the National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA) have entered into an agreement wherein new cable-ready HDTV's to be introduced in the next few years would be 'plug-and-play'; they will not need a separate box to receive digital broadcasts, HDTV versions of pay services or any other available basic cable or pay-TV programming.

A report in the New York Times states that the representatives of the consumer electronics and cable television industries in the US have initiated a process wherein a new set of rules negotiated last month will accelerate the transition from analog to high-definition TV (HDTV).

The report adds that the US-based consumers who purchase HDTV sets will be able to receive programming through their cable systems as easily as they now can with an analog set, by plugging a standard cable into the back of the television. Currently, most HDTV sets require a separate set-top box to receive digital cable programming, and the transmission standards differ from cable system to cable system.

The report mentions that a crucial part of the agreement guarantees that if a set-top box has both the older analog and newer digital connectors, the signal must be sent through both. This would enable the owners of current HDTV's with older connectors to receive the signals.

The report cautions that there are no industry standards currently that determined how the cable companies transmitted high-definition programming and therefore an HDTV-capable set-top box designed for one system may not work with another.

In the US, the consumer electronics industry has long argued that consumers have delayed buying digital televisions because they did not know how to connect them to their cable services; did not know if they could record HDTV programs; did not want to use a separate converter box; or feared that the sets would become obsolete.

"This agreement breaks down the biggest obstacle to the transition to HDTV," said CEA president and CEO Gary Shapiro was quoted as saying in the New York Times. However, the report added that the agreement would still have to be approved by the US Federal Communications Commission.

Certain offerings like video-on-demand movies and interactive programming will still require a separate box under the accord, but that is expected to change as well once another agreement is reached between the two industries, the report stated.

The report also adds that a set-top box could be also attached to an HDTV with a type of digital connector called DVI that is beginning to appear on HDTV models. A DVI connector is for viewing digital programming; to record a digital program in a digital format, users will also need what is known as an IEEE 1394, or FireWire, plug to connect the TV and the recorder.

The digital fire wall connection will allow program providers to restrict the number of times that a program can be recorded. Under the agreement, HDTV programs from network broadcasters sent through cable or satellite companies will be completely unrestricted and recordable. Subscribers to pay services could be restricted from making more than one copy of programs from those services.

While the agreement allows program providers to prevent any recording of pay-per-view or video-on-demand programs, users of hard-disk-based recorders like TiVo would be allowed to record and then watch such a program up to 90 minutes later.