The continuing saga of my TV-less world continues (new readers start here) as the nice man from DHL has just delivered my Elgato Hybrid, turning my 20″ iMac into, well, a tele.

Set-up took all of three minutes – gotta love Macs – and I’m now watching BBC News 24 from my Virgin Media box on my “new” flat screen TV (with built-in computer).

(The set-up is this: VM box, Wii, PS2, turntable and DVD player all go into an amp/receiver. Sound goes to the 6 speakers, video signal now goes to the iMac).

So – two vital questions: is the picture good? Oh, yes. Not as sharp as my old CRT perhaps but better than many LCDs I’ve seen. And – possibly more importantly – is everything in sync? So far, so good. There appears to be no timing issues with the tele, the PS2 works (on a quick test) and I now have the advantage of being able to watch all my media (online, offline, disc and download) through one device.

Ok, I’ve admitted it before, I am a geek but, ignoring that for a second, what’s not to like about this arrangement? Was it hard to set-up? No. Is it easy to use? Most definitely. Can I seamlessly switch between BBC News 24, YouTube and a video podcast I just downloaded? Yes – and so can my five year-old daughter.

The lines between delivery mechanisms are already starting to blur – look at the BBC’s iPlayer as one example – and the tipping point for this stuff to move from geeks to “Joe Public” isn’t too far.

So, about two weeks ago my TV stopped working. It switched on, well the button moved, but then there was just a clicking noise deep inside its bowels somewhere.

Deep inside? Yes, I still have an old-fashioned CRT TV. 32 inches of widescreen pleasure with a picture sharper than any LCD or plasma screen I’ve ever seen.

Yes it’s a big so ‘n’ so but such is the layout of my house that it fits nicely into one of the alcoves next to the chimney breast. Anyway, I digress.

So, the tele packed up and, being a busy chap, I needed something to use in its place whilst it got fixed – or condemned. Step forward my trusty 20″ iMac .

What’s not to like? 20″ crystal clear widescreen, the audio goes straight into my surround sound amplifier, it plays DVDs through the built in drive, it plays any video file I throw at it through software, it controls my enormous iTunes library, I can connect to Internet TV stations…. etc. The only downside is there’s no way of playing my PS2 or Wii (for the kids you understand) and my Virgin TV subscription is a waste.

Well, I thought it was anyway. Then I did some digging – and found the Elgato Hybrid. The USB connector connects to the iMac, the video from the PS2, Wii, Virgin set-top box etc. connect via composite (the yellow cable in the picture), turning the iMac into a very fancy flatscreen TV. It costs £70.

I know I’m a geek, I embrace my geek status but this could be a perfect example of what I always say about technology: that I don’t love it for its own sake but for what can be done with it. What’s not to like about a TV screen that plays anything and everything you throw at it – and for £70 that could be what I have.

Mmmm…. I wonder.