A "C" change on the horizon?

In the next decade, we will see new versions of all of those familiar services delivered over broadband. We are already seeing voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, starting to get traction. Radio over the Internet is routine, and now that iPods have replaced Walkman-type devices and portable radios, consumer electronics companies are racing to deliver that music to home stereos.

Guess how it will get there? TCP/IP over your wireless or wired home network.

Flat-screen TVs connected to Internet-capable boxes like TiVo or a host of new emerging appliances will deliver movies, TV and even your home

videos right to your television, and that will set the stage for the biggest changes we have seen in TV yet.

With video, telephone, music and data all flowing into your home over a single network in digital form, we will

see an explosion of new applications. Planning a vacation? Not only can you see pictures of your desired destination, you can read reviews written by previous visitors,

then book your reservations and airline tickets.

Now think about a TV version of the Internet. Just as anyone can have their own Web site or blog, you will be able to have your own "channel." Today, you can go to iTunes and instantly buy songs; soon, you will be able to buy movies and TV shows on demand. And yes, when the phone rings, you could have a video phone session either on your TV or VoIP video phone--or right on your laptop computer.

The biggest problems will center on navigation and interface issues. If indeed there are hundreds of millions of choices of video content, how will you decide what to watch? Google TV? Perhaps Steve Jobs' next bombshell is "iTV."