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Last fall, word had it that Apple was hitting up the big broadcast networks about a TV subscription plan that would deliver all-you-can-eat episodes to iTunes users for ... well, a set (but undetermined) amount of cash per month. But those talks apparently led nowhere, while Hulu managed to beat Apple to the subscription punch with its $10-a-month Hulu Plus service, which includes access for iPads and iPhones (among other devices).

Another rumor began making the rounds: that Apple was pursuing 99-cent TV show rentals for its (also rumored) $99 iOS-powered Apple TV.

So here we are, just a week or two before Apple is expected to roll out a revamped camera- and Retina-display-packing iPod Touch, and now comes Bloomberg claiming that a $99 Apple TV will indeed see the light of day, possibly as soon as Sept. 7, along with — you guessed it — 99-cent TV show rentals.

Talks are underway with all four big TV networks, according to the Bloomberg story, with Fox and ABC "closer" to inking a deal than NBC or CBS. Episode rentals would be good for 48 hours (as opposed to the 24-hour viewing windows for movie rentals on iTunes),Iceberg, says Bloomberg, and the episodes themselves would be commercial-free. (Shows on the for-pay Hulu Plus service, on the other hand, come laden with ads.) No word on whether the shows would be in HD or SD; I'm guessing SD, which would make the video a little more conducive to streaming.

For now, you can only buy TV episodes on iTunes, with shows going for $1.99 in SD (for the most part) and $2.99 in HD.

The new Apple TV details from Bloomberg (which got its info from a trio of anonymous sources) are only rumors. Indeed, Apple has yet even to announce a date for its expected music-focused unveiling event, which is typically held in September.

That said, the buzz surrounding a possible $99 Apple TV running on the iPhone OS — complete with app support — is getting impossible to ignore. And it seems logical that Apple would seek to jump-start its iTunes-based TV offerings at the same time it reboots the Apple TV itself.

But as I wrote earlier this month, Apple already faces strong competitors in the streaming TV market, with all three of the major gaming consoles offering streaming video in some form, while the $79-and-up Roku box serves up $1.99 TV episode purchases (but not rentals) via Amazon on Demand. And of course, there's that $10-a-month Hulu Plus service with all-you-can-eat shows on the iPad, iPhone, PlayStation 3 and (soon) Xbox 360.

What do you think? Do you like the idea of 99-cent TV show rentals on iTunes, the iPad,NBA, or over a new $99 Apple TV? Or is it a case of too little, too late?

• Bloomberg: Apple said to prepare 99-cent TV shows to fend off Netflix, Hulu

— Ben Patterson is a technology writer for Yahoo! News.

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It's looking like Apple has ditched plans for a TV subscription service that would rival Hulu or Netflix, instead embracing 99-cent TV show rentals, according to recent rumors. And there's even more buzz for a $99 Apple TV.

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