Microsoft, Linksys, Niveus, D-Link, and HP recently announced the next generation of media extenders for Windows Media Center users. But here's the thing. If you've got a Mac, these things are useless and you'll probably need an AppleTV or similar device to watch downloaded movies and TV shows on your TV screen. And if you've got Windows XP (the non-media center version), you might prefer a different kind of box altogether for your streaming needs.

And that, in a nutshell is why you probably don't watch streaming or downloaded videos on your TV. It's just too complicated. If your computer is next to your PC, you probably need to buy a new video card that will let you run a cable from your PC to TV. And if you're like most people your PC is in a completely different room and you'll need to get a $300+ box which plugs into your TV so that you can stream video over your home network.

But as Techdirt's Tim Lee points out, shelling out the money for additional hadware is only the tip of the iceberg. You also need to find the right hardware for your operating system and software. If you download your movies from iTunes, Amazon, MovieLink, or Vongo, you'll need to make sure you have the right hardware to support your online video store of choice. And if you use multiple services, good luck. Oh yeah, and good luck trying watching Joost, VeohTV, Vuze, or Babelgum using a media extender.

While we don't expect everyone to start using the same video codecs anytime soon, it's interesting to note that Amazon, Apple, and other online music stores are starting to offer DRM-free music. Maybe one day we'll see the same thing happen with online video and as long as your hardware can support a wide selection of codecs, you'll have no problems playing any video on it.

OK, I was wrong, CBS won't be joining iTunes. According to an article over on Yahoo!, an unnamed source within Google has informed The Wallstreet Journal that Google is going to be making video content from both CBS and the NBA available for purchase from their video search, sometime in the near future.  Now, that was a lot of "maybes" and "I heard it from her who heard it from him who....," but you get the picture. Regardless, I could still see this becoming a reality. CBS seemed to test the waters last September when they released the entire premiere episode of Everybody Hates Chris for free in the search giant's video download section. That doesn't mean I like it, though. First off, I don't like that Google is charging for content that just strays too much from what they're about. Plus, I'd much rather have all of my content in one place ala iTunes or the newly launched (and Bill Gates endorsed) Vongo from Starz. That's just my two cents, but let me know what you think.

Now, knowing me - and just reading that title - you'd think this article was something perverted, but believe it or not, it's a little on the technical side. The Starz premium cable channel has just launched a new service named Vongo, hoping to be the "iTunes for movies." You can download and install the program for free and have access to a number of movies, TV shows, and concerts on up to three portable media devices. There is a $9.99 subscription fee, which allows you to download as many of their offerings as possible. On top of that, there's also a $3.99 charge for "first run" movies that have just been released. This announcement comes just in time for the Consumer Electronic Show (CES), starting this week in Las Vegas, and is, I'm sure, timed to give those new devices a little extra "presence" there.

Personally, I love my Windows Portable Media Player and Windows Media Center Edition PC, so I can't wait to play with this new service more. I just downloaded it a couple of minutes ago, and will get back to you in a week or so and let you know what I think of it. In the meantime, let me know what you think.