If you push down on what people think is attractive about “connected TVs” (television sets with an Internet connection built in), the use cases seem to boil down to apter another kind of “convergence”: in this case, convergence between television programming and online programming.

Do you need a connected tv for that? No, but it should be a nifty medium in terms of screen real estate. Unfortunately not so nifty in terms of input device(s) unless you happen to enjoy spelling things out with a remote control or cuddling a qwerty keyboard on your lap. But maybe voice input will take care of that: the gadget-oisie is gushing about Siri, forgetting that Siri is witty but not that great at voice recognition (like a URL, say). Those of us who broke our hearts trying to do natural language stuff in the ’70s and ’80s appreciate the difference between wittiness and understanding.

In any case, I’m excited about the coupling of Internet interactivity and social connection with tv production values. Get ready for a great ride.