The way you described your personal preference made me recall the introduction of the Sony Profeel in the '80s. The idea was to sell TVs in the same way as Hi-Fi - you buy just the components you need/want to connect to a high quality monitor. It might have been a good idea but given the limited options it never really took off. In most cases, Profeel monitors were generally used at trade shows as simply a high quality monitor that could accept a video feed. Had the different service options we have now been available back then it might have taken off. However, I don't think so. Although people might want a PVR and access to several internet or satellite feeds the majority do not want the plethora of boxes and cables that might be associated with such services. In practice, as demonstrated by Sky in the UK, people want a one stop shop. In this respect, integrating the available options into the TV is probably the most satisfactory option. It may not suit us nerds (I have an HDDVD player, Laserdisk player, PS3, VHS video recorder, Mythtv box and a Wii huddled under my TV) but I expect it is the way forward for many. In fact, I expect that the TV of the future will simply be a tablet PC where the screen happens to be 40 or 50 inches in size and sits on the wall instead of your lap. No one seems to mind having the myriad of services available in an Ipad.