Agreement pushes two-way television

WASHINGTON, May 28 (UPI) -- Sony Electronics signed an agreement with six U.S. cable companies Tuesday that binds them to adopt two-way digital television, industry association said.

The memorandum of understanding signed by Sony and cable companies Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox, Charter, Cablevision and Bright House Networks moves the industry towards a "plug-and-play" system that could eliminate one remote from about 105 million U.S. homes, the National Cable and Telecommunications Association said.

The platform is being heralded as a interactive, including video-on-demand and "a robust, two-way retail market," the association said in a statement.

Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Va, said the agreement "will ensure that consumers will have broader access to … navigation devices from commercial retailers."

The agreement has the potential to affect 82 percent of U.S. television viewers, the association said.