Netflix has recently released a new set-top box that streams movies from the web directly to your TV. The device is neither revolutionary nor a game-changer—but it continues to cement the fact that video distribution is growing more and more confusing and disparate.

It's hard to believe that Netflix has been around now for a decade. I can't remember exactly when the video rental-by-mail trend caught on, but I've been a dedicated Netflix user for close to five years. The rental process is still an odd one for a movie viewer like myself. I'm rather spontaneous with my viewing habits—never sure what I want to watch until I'm actually getting ready to pop in a disc. Netflix must love this about me, because when I get stuck with a DVD that I'm not in the mood for, it can sit on my desk for weeks...okay, sometimes months, without being watched.

That's why instant viewing is so compelling to viewers like myself. Watch what you want to watch when you want to watch it. No rentals, no late fees, no mailing delays. Netflix's catalog of video-on-demand is still relatively small, but constantly growing. And to have that library of films and television shows instantly available to audiences transforms the very way we consume media.

Netflix has had their instant viewing available to subscribers for almost a year now, but the feature has been limited to Windows—which leaves Mac users like myself out in the cold. The delay for a Mac version comes down to digital rights management—the studios are desperately trying to ensure that their films don't get pirated and Apple, Netflix, and the studios haven't been able to settle on an appropriate standard. Of course, Apple probably is in no rush to collaborate with Netflix, considering that the iPod/iPhone manufacturer has their own video-on-demand business to watch out for.

Enter the new Netflix set-top box. It fits in nicely with this new set of devices like the Apple TV—which is to say, it's an overly-priced, niche piece of technology with a proprietary catalog of films, proprietary access and pricing schemes, and proprietary streaming and encoding technology. What does all of that mean? It means that aside from both devices delivering Hollywood films from the internet to your TV, there's hardly any other similarities between these devices.

I'm still quite curious about how consumers will react to these new devices. I mean, right now if you want a DVD player, you go to the store and you choose one. Doesn't matter if you get a Sony or a Panasonic or the store brand player—they'll all play the normal discs you buy.

Not so with these new machines. Buy the $100 Netflix player and you'll have to maintain a monthly account with Netflix in order to watch anything. The films aren't downloaded and you don't own them. They can only be played through this device.

Or with the Apple TV, you have a higher price for the device itself, but no monthly charges. There's a fee for each rental, but you can also buy films through the device and transfer them to your computer, iPod, iPhone, etc. Because it can be wirelessly connected to your Mac as well, the Apple TV will play your music library, display your photo albums, or showcase your home videos. Plus, it has special access to YouTube, if that matters to you.

And there are other devices on the way. TiVo has a video-on-demand system in the works. All of your cable and satellite companies are experimenting with how to give you more options. Then there's websites like Hulu.com that currently provide instant access to films and TV shows for free, along with some ads. It probably won't be long before Hulu and similar providers partner up with a hardware manufacturer to stream their content to your TV.

Confused yet? I am. And I love this stuff. In my business, I deal with video distribution every day, but I couldn't tell you where all of this is headed or what it's going to look like five or ten years from now. Obviously, we're on the way towards some sort of convergence between the computer, internet, and television. But the question is, will there be any semblance of consistency in how we get there? Or are we destined to have a hundred devices from a hundred manufacturers that all do the same thing in a hundred different ways?