There’s an interesting article over at BusinessWeek.com entitled "I Want My iTV". It’s a great look into the current state of affairs between television and the web.. and how technology is in place to deliver content via the web to our homes yet no one can agree on how to make it happen.

Yes.. it ultimately boils down to control doesn’t it? Everyone knows that the company or set of companies that figure out how to make this all happen will ultimately be the one to rule the roost. As a result, you have hardware manufacturers, software companies, content providers, broadband providers, and startups all looking for a piece of the action – yet no one is seeing eye to eye.

I remember recently taking a look at my Windows Media Center box (which I haven’t touch much of lately) and noticed that Microsoft added an Internet TV option to the mix. It was still in beta but it was clear that Microsoft had every intention of pushing content to the home via Media Center.. and it made me think – gee – how many different ways will we the consumer have to deal with when it comes to viewing content from the net? Choice is definitely good for the consumer but choice can also lead to a great deal of confusion. Consider the different ways I can watch a movie from the net:

1. I can find the movie on iTunes (hopefully), buy it, download it to my PC and sync it to my Apple TV to watch on the TV set

2. I can hope and pray that it shows up on Time Warner Cable or is at least on my OnDemand listing

3. I can look it up on Amazon and download it via the their unbox service

4. I can find the movie via the multitude of Windows Media Center applications that let me purchase and download directly to the MCE

5. I can see if the movie is available via Xbox Video Marketplace and try and purchase a rental there. (I must admit I do enjoy the video marketplace)

6. I can try and pirate the movie and play it on my Windows Media Center box (NOT RECOMMENDED OF COURSE)

And yes.. there are a few other methods but as you can tell – there are many ways and no one good way to get iTV – at least not yet. It’s clear the future of media is the merging of traditional television and cable and the delivery mechanism of the Internet. What’s not clear is who will be the ones to make it happen easily and successfully.

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