New research from Lovelace Consulting and informitv finds that broadband based TV services (IPTV - Internet Protocol Television) could begin to dominate within a decade:

TV will be much more web-like, with millions of shows to download. Within five years, the authors predict, many households will have their TV piped through a satellite dish, rooftop aerial or cable network, and through a broadband phone line.

TVs will be hooked up to set-top boxes which are in turn hooked up to the broadband pipe too. The broadcast and on-demand programmes it will be able to receive will be in standard as well as high-definition formats.

But now, the two are very much converging and some even suggest that the majority of video and audio content will be received in households over the net in the longer term, according to the report.

It's certainly an appealing vision of the future (for some), although much would need to change in the industry for the proclaimed dominance of IPTV to exist.

For starters every home would require access to higher speed technology (at least 4Mbps) and the present usage restrictions also hamper the ability to watch such content. Both act as major technical and economic hurdles.

Similarly those uninterested in the Internet are unlikely to embrace having to pay for a broadband connection on top of TV and phone license/rental. Despite this we look forward to seeing how the industry develops. More @ BBC News Online.