The new ActiveConnect DisplayPort RDK provides a turnkey design capability that shortens design time enabling faster time-to-market.

ENGADGET: Gennum develops in-wire technology for 100-foot DisplayPort cables

Additionally, manufacturers can leverage a complete ActiveConnect reference design kit (RDK) that enables fast integration for cables, as well as wall plates, dongles and booster products that support DisplayPort.

ENGADGET: Gennum develops in-wire technology for 100-foot DisplayPort cables

Other cable companies like Time Warner Cable are said to be interested in RDK hardware, which could spur the development of new and better set-top boxes -- we can hope, can't we?

ENGADGET: Humax's take on an IP-connected TV box for Comcast passes through the FCC

The gateway allows cable operators to offer their subscribers new features and services such as streaming of live linear television to IP connected devices, whole-home DVR, and a remote user interface on an RDK-compliant platform.

ENGADGET: Intel confirms partnership with Comcast, brings Xfinity TV viewing to Intel-based devices

Comcast isn't opening up its set-top boxes (UI and all) in the way we'd like, but it has established a reference spec (RDK) for potential hardware partners to build their own versions of its next generation setup.

ENGADGET: Humax's take on an IP-connected TV box for Comcast passes through the FCC

Finally, there's some hope that the CE and cable industry can actually work together, as seen in Comcast's RDK program that's pushing the development of this box and others (like that Humax box we spotted floating through the FCC) with similar capabilities.

ENGADGET: Intel demos 'headless' 6-tuner cable gateway for Comcast