Panasonic has announced that they'll be teaming up with Nuance to bring Dragon TV voice control to their sets. If you've heard of or used Dragon Naturally Speaking you know just how far voice recognition has come.  What was once a chore is now a slick way to get things done.  It's not perfect, but it's far better than it used to be.  The addition of that voice recognition as a way to control televisions is another step forward.

It’s strange to see a one giant and seemingly unstoppable chain like Blockbuster in such bad shape, but it seems brick-and-mortar is on the way out.  After purchasing Blockbuster last year, Dish has been working to make the brand into something of its former self, but it seems the future of Blockbuster is not in traditional retail.  500 of the existing 1,500 stores will be closing in the first half of 2012.  Execs say that these are specifically underperforming locations, but it’s a clear sign of things to come.

If you're rocking an Android phone and a Google TV you may be in luck.  There's an app in the works that would allow you to control your Google TV with your voice.  The app will utilize the phone for capturing the commands and display the results on your TV using information like the time, date and your GPS data.  If you ask "When's the game on?" for example, you'll get results for local teams.  It's a pretty slick setup.

NBC and the NFL made headlines across the internet when they announced that Super Bowl XLVI would be streamed online.  The planned coverage was impressive, giving fans access to different commentary, alternate camera angles and more.  It brought in 2.1 million unique viewers which certainly made the folks that put it on very happy indeed.

Netflix has been sitting at the top of a heap of one.  Though other similar services exist, Netflix dominates the space - at least for now.  Later this year, Redbox and Verizon will be revealing a joint venture that will offer both streaming movies and movies on disc with a low price of entry. The service will be subscription based, but it sounds like the companies are going to offer a little bit extra for those willing to shell out more cash.