Internet Television: The rabid dog in the wood shed

Since the cautious release of Apple TV (NASDAQ: AAPL), we've been waiting on pins and needles to see who will be the first to take Internet television to the next level. I'm thinking that the next phase of the video revolution might very well be knocking on our door right now in the form of Joost, the Internet television service being developed by the founders of the eBay service Skype. I'm a bit dismayed that there isn't a lot more noise being made about the wireless feed of Internet data into our home entertainment systems. Am I the only one who relishes the idea of sitting back on my couch and doing my digital image editing on a 72-inch HD flat screen on the wall?

The Commercial Alert website posted a nice article by Eric Pfanner of the New York Times . In it, Mr. Pfanner discusses the level of interest that big time advertisers have shown relative to Internet TV and its potential. He makes clear that major advertisers are waiting in the wings. The list of potential players includes, "the Purina division of Nestlé, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Motorola, the Opel and Vauxhall units of General Motors, Taco Bell, Lions Gate Entertainment and the United States Army."

The Unofficial Apple Weblog has reported that Apple TV units have begun to make an appearance in the Chicago area. Apparently, they can be had for under $300. Gadget Lab did a nice expose' on the units and provides an excellent snap shot of public feed back. While I can't claim that Apple TV has generated anything in the genus of excitement quite yet, it does appear to me that the proposition and its implications are being well received.

So sit back on your haunches for a while and watch this development as it progresses. Relax and wait for the major wave to hit. Be amused as Joost prepares for launch and ponder why Apple has built the launching pad. But, don't be surprised when this concept breaks loose and takes the world by storm. Internet TV on your home entertainment system is most assuredly "The rabid dog in the wood shed," and someone is going to let that puppy out.