My colleague Paul Sweeting makes a strong case that Microsoft is in the poll position in the race for the digital living room. He outlines how Microsoft could be setting up a highly disruptive future pay TV offering. It’s a must-read. But I wouldn’t be surprised if Microsoft also has its eye on some other objectives. Right now, it’s creating a very carrier- and big media company-friendly model, somewhat in contrast to Google’s and Apple’s platforms. Microsoft could gain industry support and head off challengers trying to use living room platforms as a wedge versus Windows. (And there are plenty of other threatening wedges: tablet, phone, cloud.) Microsoft could build a supportive ecosystem with APIs and the “coolness factor” of Xbox, Kinect and voice services. That would be a big defensive win it could build off of. And then there’s targeted TV advertising….