I sat down with Vizio CTO Matt McRae yesterday to talk over the company's huge number of CES announcements, from its CinemaWide 21:9 TVs to the $99 VAP430 Google TV media streamer to its entirely new lineup of laptop and desktop PCs. We also talked a lot about smart TV and the challenges of integrating live television with internet content, and Matt said something particularly interesting — he believes that a full internet TV provider that offers 50-100 channels to consumers will launch within 12-18 months. That's a bold prediction from the CTO of the number one US TV manufacturer, but it's also exciting: Matt says internet delivery will enable all kinds of new search and discovery methods and synchronized TV / PC / tablet viewing experiences. Unfortunately he wouldn't say who would be behind this new service, but at least there's hope.

Oh, and hey — the CTO of Vizio hates IR blasters just as much as I do.