There’s been some interesting people talking about the future of TV, which got me commenting and thinking. Here’s what I was reading today.

• A post on Contentinople discussing how Boxee CEO Avner Ronen says pay TV systems will move to a la carte.

• Mark Cuban’s post on how Internet people must think content people are stupid for wanting to push a la cart pay TV.

• Jim Louder’s response to Mark Cuban’s post.

LG announced a new TV with the ability to stream movies from NetFlix without a set-top box. Essentially, the TV comes with an Ethernet connection and Linux operating system to run applications and stream content right to the TV.

Other TV manufacturers, like Sony, have said they will include Ethernet ports into their sets, but this is the first time that any application has been enabled directly into a TV set.

According to Gizmodo, the TV sets will cost about $200 to $300 more than similar TVs without NetFlix streaming. That’s rather interesting since you can buy the Roku NetFlix Player for $99. I imagine the disparity is because Roku is taking a loss on every Roku box they sell, and are making money from NetFlix somehow.

The other downside is that the LG TV sets will probably not have Wi-Fi. If that’s the case, you’ll need to run an Ethernet cable into your living room and connect it to your TV. (Actually, I’ve already done this because of the set-top box clutter, but that’s another story.)  The Roku box comes with an Ethernet port, but also comes with Wi-Fi.  If you’re into high quality video, you should probably connect with the Ethernet cable, because quality via Wi-Fi isn’t as good. There’s a longer start buffer, and seeking to different parts of the show is also very slow.

In effect, the only advantage to these broadband enabled TVs is avoiding another set-top box. That’s a noble goal, but it’s not very compelling or earth-shattering to most users. Another box vs. another $300 for your TV.

GigaOm has a post about Broadband TV, as he calls it, but he’s looking at it from NetFlix’s point of view.  And he makes a pretty good point about NetFlix. First of all, NetFlix already has the main ingredients to success as a primary VOD supplier. They have agreements with Hollywood, and they also have the technology to deliver movies over broadband connections.  Plus there’s the stand-alone Roku NetFLix Player box, and now broadband TVs.  So NetFlix needs to weather the storm now, and wait until the world (and technology) catches on to Internet-delivered entertainment into the home.

Eventually, I believe all HDTVs will be broadband enabled, so this is a good start.It’s a good bet that set-top boxes will disappear eventually, but not for a very long time.  Hopefully, future HDTVs will have broadband connections and an open source TV platform for running and creating applications. Imagine what creative applications we can experience on our TV screens. Imagine all the Internet companies that would rush to create applications. There would be Flickr, YouTube, Facebook, Google–anything on the web delivered to the TV. Think about the iPhone App model, except on the TV screen.

Interesting eh?

Ars Technica is reporting that hundreds of Microsoft Zune devices have stopped working as of midnight December 30th. Users are flooding the Zune forums trying to figure out why their devices stopped working and there’s no easy answer. Apparently it affects 30GB Zunes and not others.

Why did they stop? At that specific time? One blog calls the event: Z2K or the Day Zune Music Died.

A Microsoft spokesperson wrote back to Ars saying:

“”We are aware that customers with the Zune 30GB are experiencing issues with their Zune device. We are actively working now to isolate the issue and develop a solution to address it. We will keep customers informed on next steps via the support page on zune.net (zune.net/support).”

Ever since it was released as an answer to Apple’s iPods, the Zune has been a second (or third) string music player. Perhaps this is a great time for Microsoft to admit that they screwed up with the Zune.

Perhaps it’s time for Microsfot to kill the Zune.

The most compelling thing Microsoft can do is kill the existing Zunes and release brand new music players. I mean, Apple has continued to evolve their players with different sizes, screens, and now even touch. Microsoft has been slow to innovate and release new features.

Just about the only thing I like about the Zune is the wireless synching in your home so that music and podcasts and videos are synched up without a cord of any kind. That’s a feature that Apple should steal for the iPods.

Other than that, can anyone seriously say that the Zune was a success for Microsoft? Does anyone believe that Zune is the best media player out right now? Does the Microsoft music store compare well to iTunes?

Seems like the Zune Apocalypse is here and it may be a good thing.

With the election in full swing, and lobbying playing a very key role in both campaigns, it’s interesting that lobbyists are also hating on white spaces. What are White Spaces? Essentially, they are the empty frequencies between the public airwaves currently used to send TV channels.

This article on Huffington Post says that DC lobbyists are trying to stop anyone from using those white spaces to deliver Internet connectivity to millions. New technology can now open up the unused portions of this spectrum to deliver high-speed Internet services. However, the National Association of Broadcasters and cell phone carriers “have been blitzing Washington with misinformation to prevent white spaces from being used to benefit millions of people” according to the article.

Too many Americans have been left on the wrong side of the digital divide — sidelined in a nation that increasingly demands high-speed Internet access to get things done, keep up in school and find out what’s happening in the world. The answer to this problem is right in front of us.

This week tens of thousands of people have signed a letter urging Congress and the FCC to skewer the industry spin and serve the public by opening white spaces to unlicensed, high speed Internet services.

Today, September 24th, has been designated “White Spaces Day” by members of the Wireless Innovation Alliance in order to urge Congress and the FCC to push back against these lobbyist.  The U.S. already has a very low broadband penetration rate, compared to other country’s. (This story says we are number 16 in the world.) So closing the digital divide seems like a compelling story.

If you’re a fan of Google, perhaps they can convince you. The company has started a “Free the Airwaves” campaign, to help spread the word, and where you can sign a petition.

Hi, I’ve been busy integrating my multiple blogs into one flagship blog: Digital Media Bulletin. I’ve decided to shut down DVR Bulletin, which has focused on DVRs like Tivo. Instead, I am incorporating all DVR stories into this blog. So I’ll be covering the world of Tivo and DVRs here and will also begin covering mobile digital media. Thanks for being patient! Exciting things happening soon!

Cheers!