I haven’t owned a television in over 5 years, but often think about what my optimal television configuration would be. In lieu of a TV, we’ve watched videos on our laptops a la Netflix (DVDs and Instant), Hulu and YouTube. It’s not optimal for more than two people watching something, but it works. Since our family doesn’t structure our time around television show schedules, nor do we care to watch most of the programs studios are trying to pass off as entertainment these days, owning a television so we can watch regularly programmed shows just doesn’t make sense. For me, the draw for owning a television set is watching something with others. Back when we owned one, each Tuesday we hosted a movie night where anyone could come over, share some food and watch a movie. It’s a bit difficult to do that now. With the introduction of Apple’s latest Apple TV (the little black box), Google TV, and the Boxee Box, streaming content directly on your television and bypassing the typical broadcast and cable operators is becoming a reality. The difference in these new options, however, is pretty interesting. Boxee’s approach is all about providing a glorious and consistent interface to the multimedia content you already access online. You can watch YouTube, Netflix, Hulu (when they aren’t blocking it), view Flickr photos and listen to music via Pandora. It’s pretty neat. ![[my-imaginary-television-IMG_0015.jpeg]] <small>Boxee Box</small> Apple’s recent move to stop storing content on the Apple TV and focus on streaming is also pretty interesting. The limits are now no longer on how much room you have left on your Apple TV’s hard drive, but how much your willing to spend on rentals. I hear the Netflix streaming UI is also top-notch. There’s also Apple TV’s one more thing: AirPlay, which allows you to push video to the device from your personal computer. ![[my-imaginary-television-IMG_0016.jpeg]] <small>Apple TV with AirPlay</small> The Google TV, on the other hand, seems to be leaning in the direction of turning your television into a computer. Images of Sony’s Google TV remote controller illustrate this well. ![[my-imaginary-television-IMG_0017.jpeg]] <small>Sony</small> While this remote has received a lot of criticism (from myself as well), it makes a lot of sense if you need a way to control a personal computer from your couch. Thing is, I don’t want my imaginary television to be another computer; I want it so I can watch videos of my choosing with others. I want to do all other personal computing… personally. This is where Apple’s AirPlay approach makes a lot of sense to me. I already have an iPhone, iPad and laptop. I’m already using them to check email, read news, Tweet, catch up on Facebook, view photos and find funny videos. But now, with a little black box, I can display those videos for all to see on a bigger screen. I don’t need or want my imaginary TV to be the center of all my online or social activities, but I do want it to be readily available to kick back with my family and friends to watch something together.