Cablevision offers a new channel, your computer

Cablevision has thrown in it's lot with the Internet. They will begin to offer a service that allows users to send the content of their computer screens to their television sets.

Many households have a video game console, Roku, Slingbox, Apple TV or computer hooked to their televisions but not all families have the tech savvy or interest in adding Internet content that way. So, here comes Cablevision with a solution that allows their customers to click a button on their computer to send the contents of the current screen to their TV. Naturally, the main reason to do such a thing would be to watch video on a site like Hulu or through Netflix streaming video.

It sounds like a good idea for customer retention. Just as many Americans are dropping their landlines because they already have cellphones, an increasing number of us are disconnecting cable TV and satellite connections for a computer and an Internet hookup. I know my provider, Dish Network, just offered a couple of hundred dollars worth of discounts in exchange for a contract to stay with them for two years. This could be the beginning of a number of consessions from pay TV services, so keep your eyes open.