The Real Macworld Scoop: Video Podcasts on Apple TV

Thin laptops and online movie rentals got the hype, but NY Times blogger Saul Hansell says the real news from Macworld is the inclusion of video podcasts on Apple TV. This opens up a new world of free, ad-supported, on-demand programming on our televisions, which he predicts will eventually outperform paid show downloads from iTunes.

The format could do for television what blogs did for writing, Hansell writes, and is a step closer to the "browser for television that many TV watchers have been wishing for." It isn't just wannabe lonelygirls who make video podcasts—networks are starting to release some of their content for free with ads, which could usher a whole new strategy for distribution. (More Apple stories.)