BERKELEY, Calif. (MarketWatch) — Not enough media pundits are extolling the virtues of the mini-series House of Cards, exclusively streamed on Netflix. It’s a prime-time example of how television is being revolutionized.

Netflix NFLX, -2.44% released this commercial-free offering in its entirety (13 episodes) on Feb. 1., giving producers of TV content one more dimension and a new option to pursue.

This is probably one of the most significant ideas since someone decided to package entire seasons of TV shows commercial-free on DVDs. And the irony of Netflix’s rollout is that it comes at a time when Fox is suing the Dish Network DISH, +1.52% over its Hopper DVR. (Fox is a unit of News Corp. NWS, -1.64% , the parent of MarketWatch.)

And the Oscar should go to...

The Hopper DVR is an advanced way to save shows for later viewing and eliminate TV commercials at the same time.

Fox and the other network TV providers can fight it all they want, but the future of TV will give viewers multiple threads in the ways shows are exhibited. The idea of rigidly scheduled programming, with the exception of live sports and special events, will fall by the wayside.

It’s 2013 and with today’s technology there is no reason that I have to be on my TV at exactly 8 p.m. on a Tuesday to watch my favorite show. And while the DVR is an intermediate fix, it’s not the answer. The answer is on-demand viewing for everything, period.

The television networks and their representatives in the consumer electronics industry are almost in complete denial regarding this sea-change. You get the impression that they actually think the public likes to be tied down to a rigid schedule.

And they are in utter denial regarding the advertising problem. For every 60 minutes of broadcast programming, 20 minutes are commercials. You get two minutes of content and one minute of commercials.

Users of the DVR spend 40 minutes watching the recorded shows while skipping the commercials. This is regaining 20 minutes of your life per show — not insignificant when you add it up.

The entire landscape of broadcast TV is going to change drastically and there is not much that the big network broadcasters can do about it. Technology has a mind of its own and is unstoppable.

The genius of Netflix is that the company can get in front of these trends — unlike the big networks that could never imagine rolling out an entire season of a show all at once. It doesn’t fit into any known model.

I have not seen House of Cards as yet. I’ll probably sit down for a marathon viewing. But what is interesting to me is the sheer number of people from all walks of life who have recommended I watch it.

This is yet another aspect regarding the genius of Netflix, which has become an alternative network in and of itself. Users with an Xbox360, or a Roku box, a WiiU or any other number of home entertainment devices can efficiently stream Netflix content via an Internet connection.

I know countless people who have eschewed all forms of cable and satellite in exchange for a Netflix subscription. It’s a cheaper and more versatile alternative to the old-fashioned model. It’s only incomplete as a total solution because you cannot get live sports, but how long will it be before they work that out?