Nothing strikes fear in my heart greater than the possibility of having to program the television remote controls in our home. These tricky little items overwhelm me and I get a headache just thinking about the process of getting a remote control to actually work. I have enough trouble remembering which unit goes with which appliance.

I can’t count how many times I have been stuck with a television that won’t work simply because I can’t keep the television remote controls in order. Now that we have a small child who loves to push buttons the whole problem has escalated into epic proportions.

The basic idea that the iPad so successfully took advantage of was that people need their Internet access and their movies just about anywhere they are. It's piece of insight that's been used by manufacturers of other kinds of devices as well - TV makers, especially. It's only natural when you're in front of a huge screen a good part of the day, to wonder if it can't be made to beam the Internet in as well. It's a thought that hasn't escaped the makers of televisions and the providers of cable and satellite connections. Turning to the Internet business is a natural step for those in the television business. As they continue to lose viewers to the Internet, they do need to try to adjust to the new market. The entire television industry, all its players included, agree on one thing - television Internet is the future. Remote controls in the future are going to have to come with features that mimic what you get on your computer. You need your Facebook, and you need at least some Internet functionality.

Television has come a long way in the last ten years. The bulky sets with pictures tubes are well on the way out, and if you still have one, it is probably in a playroom or perhaps in a guest bedroom. The one in your living room or den is probably a high def set that is attached to high definition cable. If you have yet to take the plunge, you don't know what you are missing. You have to get the right television, of course, but you also have to have the right cable service and the right cables to get the signal to your set so you can enjoy one amazing looking picture.

The battle for the remote is a staple of family life. Throw a games console into the mix and older family members can find themselves consigned to the spare room. But because the living-room TV is the gateway to the digital home, today's 'gaming device' is tomorrow's gesture- and voice-controlled media centre.

Right now, tech-savvy people such as you and I find our information on the web and, along with a little iPlayer, catch our entertainment from the tellybox. We access the services of Google, via the technology of BT and Virgin. In the mobile world, Apple has its share of technophiles consuming media via iTunes, while Sky is the big beast of pay-for TV. Microsoft has fingers in most of these pies, but is master of only the window by which you access the web from your PC.