I just finished watching episode #1 of Systm, and the first two “boxes” of From The Shadows. If you’re a fan of TechTV, you’ve probably already heard about them, since they feature many former TechTV personalities.

Watching shows like these, and other downloadable content like thebroken and THE.SCENE has convinced me that IPTV is the future. It’s like TV-on-Demand squared.

Thanks to cheap production equipment and file-sharing applications like BitTorrent, I envision a day not too far from now, when we no longer have cable TV or TiVo, and instead opt to download high-definition versions of our favorite shows for viewing anywhere at any time on any device.

Even with major studio involvement, I don’t think they can prevent this revolution from happening. They will simply have to adapt or die. Satellite Radio, MP3 players, and Podcasts have already put the hurt on commercial radio, and the same thing is going to happen to conventional broadcast television.

The recent success of Battlestar Galactica proves that changes are underway. It was being shared on various torrent sites by tens of thousands of people, who then told their friends to tune in for themselves. This word-of-mouth advertising has made Battlestar Galactica the most popular program to ever air on the SciFi Channel. (Link)

I envision a day when we will pay around $1 per episode for a popular program like 24, and probably less for niche programming like Battlestar Galactica. I even see them having specials, like say, $1 per episode of 24 or $20 for the entire season – presented in high-def without commercial interruption. As long as they don’t DRM us to death, I think this could be a win-win situation for us all.

Would you rather pay $30 a month (or more) for cable or satellite, or 25 cents to a dollar per episode of your favorite TV show?

But I digress. If you’re a geek, a couch potato, or just into technology in general, I highly suggest you check out some of these shows. The future is near. But don’t take my word for it…See it for yourself.