Boxee vs Cable

There is a fun little argument over at the Boxee blog between Mark Cuban and Boxee CEO Avner Ronen. I have to say I generally think Cuban's arguments are pretty solid (basically that the fight is a lot tougher than Boxee may care to admit and if the cable companies pull their heads out of their asses they can have a knockout punch pretty quick). I thought this point from Cuban was especially interesting:

The concept of "users always want choice" really really sounds nice. It makes for a great panel argument. But the reality is that its not true. Ultimate choice requires work. Consumers like to think they have choice, but their consumption habits say they prefer easy. Youtube is the perfect example. Millions upon millions of choices that never get seen. The videos that get posted and expected to be seen are the ones from traditional media and providers that already have an audience, ala jon stewart. The rest have to fight for an audience.

Oh, and while we're on the topic, here's an article I'm sure I've pointed to before where Joe Nocera points out the issues with a la carte pricing.