Despite all the attention around Internet streamed primetime TV shows offered FREE on video players around the web (abc.com, myspace.com, Innertube.com, etc.), my attention is still squarely (or stubbornly!) on the developments in bringing online video to my television set.   Tom Rogers, CEO of TiVo summed it up in a NYT article last November…”Video is interesting for a certain segment to see on a laptop or PC.  But for a majority of people, it’s not going to be television until it’s on the TV set”. 

And frankly, I didn’t spend all that money (more than I care to divulge here) on a 42″ plasma TV to watch my favorite episode of The Office on my laptop or mobile device.  Don’t get me wrong…I love my video iPod.  A friend of mine described her iPod obsession perfectly, admitting to an almost unhealthy adoration of the device, much like Gollum from The Lord of the Rings…my precious….but, nothing compares to experiencing my favorite programs and movies on my over-priced television.  And as much as we’ve evolved into multi-tasking, media junkies, there remains a primal joy in gathering around a television with loved ones that can appreciate Michael Scott’s outrageous management style along with you.  

The full web and all the video it has to offer to view on your television screen is quite a ways off, so the main issue today is figuring out which players in the Internet video to TV space will provide the most seamless, robust and unfettered user experience.  All as an army of recent service, technology and content partnerships eagerly step up to take those very necessary, yet evolutionary baby steps toward a very real and exciting era of convergence.  The Holy Grail will have to wait.  For now, consider these new platforms a supplement to linear television and a good exercise in how the television screen may access Internet-based content in the not-so-distant future. 

CES 2007 showcased many new technologies or upgrades that are championing TV 2.0…Sony BRAVIA Internet Video Link, SlingMedia’s SlingCatcher, AT&T’s HomeZone, XBox 360, Sony PS3, TiVo and NetGear EVA 8000 to name a few.  All provide a limited library or access to on-demand, professional and/or user-generated content.  Of course we can’t forget the introduction of Apple TV which, not surprisingly, provides a seamless, elegant interface with your iTunes library.   Okay, the thing makes me drool. 

My personal experience with Internet to TV video has been largely via demos at conferences and vicariously through industry news and product reviews, but a recent television 911 incident (I forgot to set the DVR!) that left me in the doghouse for two days fortunately had a bright side.  Forgetting to set the DVR for the first two episodes of 24’s new season left me dumbfounded, not just from my gross mis-step, but in finding a way to get these episodes on my television….I couldn’t bear to watch Jack Bauer tortured in a Chinese prison on anything less than my 42 inches of flat screen goodness.  TiVo / Amazon’s Un-Box launched, coincidentally, at about the time of this disturbance.   After a quick registration and $1.99 per episode, Amazon.com sent the two episodes directly to my home-networked TiVo box.  There it was….with no extra hardware, software, cables or add-on subscription fees.  I was also impressed with the library of Movies and TV shows available, although not nearly as healthy as iTunes.   I am now looking at my Netflix account as a possible redundant service now that I’ve discovered the Un-Box.  I may just downgrade rather than let it go….I do love the Netflix!

Where the real excitement is brewing is how these developments will shake up the current television infrastructure ruled by the cable and satellite providers.  Josh Bernoff, my favorite analyst at Forrester Research, has some great insights on Internet-Delivered TV.   He is fairly bullish on how quickly these content ”bypasses” will impact the traditional television model and outlines the many barriers to competition in the short term (within 5 years). 

All in all, I’m intrigued by the recent developments in bringing Internet video to TV.  I may just “forget” to record LOST so I can experience it all over again.