Back in August 2005, I wrote in MacUser that

‘Apple has so many of the pieces of the jigsaw already in place – iTunes, QuickTime 7, the Mac – that it would seem almost a no-brainer for it to become the premiere conduit through which Internet TV is delivered to our homes.’

Three announcements this week make me think that we’re getting very close to that prospect.

1. AppleTV can now connect directly to the Internet to download content from the iTunes Store, view YouTube, and subscribe to video podcasts.

2. Ashley Highfield, director of the BBC Future Media and Technology Unit is apparently very enthusiastic about Apple TV’s new feature. He’s reported in MacUser as saying on the BBC Internet blog

‘This, coupled with Apple’s (long anticipated) move to a rental model, means that the we can look to getting BBC iPlayer onto this platform too, as we should be able to use the rental functionality to allow our programmes to be downloaded, free, but retained for a time window, and then erased, as our rightsholders currently insist.’

3. Digital Spy reports that Joost chief technology officer Dirk-Willem van Gulik has been appointed chief technical architect at BBC Future Media and Technology.

The Digital Spy story quotes Eric Huggers, controller of BBC Future Media and Technology as commenting

‘the BBC recognises that IP connectivity is quickly moving beyond the personal computer.’

And so say all of us.

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