The term “couch potato” is more than just a cute nickname for television consumers. Though we talk a lot about how to win over those couch potatoes, we too often forget what the term really means: lazy, shiftless people. It's an important distinction — one my parents have emphasized repeatedly over the course of my life, sometimes while yelling.

When asked in a recent Ovum-RHK survey about factors guiding consumer electronics purchase decisions, 78% of respondents said “ease of use” was the most important factor — more important than price. Most people might think that's a plea for less complexity, but I think it's an honest admission of laziness. Digital video recorders (DVRs) are able to kill VCRs because few people who own VCRs actually use them to record shows. That's not because recording shows on a VCR is too complex; it's because it's just too much work. DVRs require less work and less thought, so they win.

To make consumers fall in love with new broadband services the way they fell in love with TiVo, providers need to craft their offerings with someone like me in mind — someone who buys mayonnaise in squeezable bottles because, man, I don't want to have to clean a dirty knife so I can use it, and then clean it again after I use it.

I'm looking for providers that can give me that same squeezable convenience in my IPTV service. Here's an example: I don't like managing the storage of my digital photos and home video. Give me a home network that automatically detects the presence of new photos or video on my camera as I walk in the door and immediately pulls it onto the network, sending a backup copy to an underground vault in the Rockies. I don't even want to know about it. If I want to bring videos with me outside the home, I'll select them using an intuitive display on the camera or remotely using my laptop or phone.

Verizon already is talking about such a service, and if they're able to do the hard work of making it a reality, they are clearly more motivated than I am.