"Google could be getting a position that will worry Cupertino and others."
Huh? Because they get support from players like Hulu and Netflix? You mean the same providers that already let you view their stuff on the web? And via apps? And via smart TVs? And via set tops?
The breakthrough will come when someone becomes the first to make a deal with a major network and lets you live stream say ESPN and ESPN2, or stream AMC or stream HBO. Not programs on those channels, but the live network feed. Then you'll have something major and noteworthy and it really will worry the other players that they don't have such a deal. Otherwise it is all just method number 234 to view pretty much the same content everyone has access to in innumerable ways.