Television without the set

I am on the road traveling for about a third of any calendar year. Increasingly, I find myself not turning on the television in my hotel room; I use my laptop instead.  Apparently my experience is not unique.  According to recent article in the New Orleans Times Picayune , millions of Americans are substituting their computers for their tv sets. 

As broadband becomes more ubiquitous this trend will become more and more widespread.  Younger Americans and Net savvy Americans are used to watching what they want, when they want.  The concept of "appointment" television is as outdated as paying long distance charges.  And, websites such as Hulu, Fancast, Veoh and others are providing stronger programming offerings and increasingly improved consumer interfaces.  I thought I was a pioneer in my use of my computer as my television.  It's exciting to know that not only am I not alone, but the computer viewing experience is going to get better and more compelling, if only because that's where much of the television audience is migrating.