Time Warner Cable (TWC) has finally taken the plunge and has begun testing out Roku TV in New York City.

On Monday, Nov. 9, TWC started its Roku Trial, that is, the Internet-only video test for users in New York City, New Jersey and Mt. Vernon. However, the trial is only available for existing TWC customers who can now sign up for the same.

"The TWC TV Roku Trial represents an important step in our evolution, giving customers more ways to view the content they love in ways that work for them," noted Peter Stern, TWC's executive vice president and officser of chief product, people and strategy. "This trial will help us build a better experience for our customers, while making cable television programming even more affordable, accessible and relevant to a new generation of consumers."

The IPTV trial makes available three video service tiers on the Roku platform to TWC customers who use the company's broadband service (the Extreme tier or above).

The cheapest Starter TV plan from TWC costs $9.99 per month on a 12-month contract. This plan gives a user access to over 20 channels such as CBS, ABC, Fox, NBC, etc.

The other two service tier plans are Starter TV with Showtime and Starz which costs $19.99 per month for a year, and the Standard TV with Showtime and Starz which will set consumers back by $49.99 per month for a year and will give access to over 70 channels.

Testers will get a Roku 3 player worth $99 for free as an incentive. Testers will get access to more than 300 TV channels and will be able to access online video streaming services such as Hulu and Netflix from the Roku box without any hassle.

TWC's trial is aimed at users who do not want to shell out set-top box fees and do not like the idea of a separate cable box. Thanks to TWC Internet customers will now be able to access the TWC TV app on several devices and not require a cable box to do so.

To check if you're eligible for the trial, head to www.twc.com/twctvrokutrial.

Photo: Erik Cleves Kristensen | Flickr