Best way to watch downloaded videos on tv

[mitch1423]

What would be a good way to watch downloaded content on a TV? I've got tons of tv shows and movies on my computer, but I'm not really fond of watching them on it. Anyone know a way where I won't have to burn any DVD's?

[PhoenixEnigma]

It Depends(tm).

What does your TV have for inputs? Would it be practical to put your computer within a couple feet of the TV (ie, do you have a laptop)? Do any of the computer's outputs match up with the TV's inputs? If so, there's a good chance you're one cable away from plugging the computer straight into the TV. Maybe two cables, depending on specifics.

If that's not an option, you'll need something a touch smarter to plug into the TV. PS3 and Xbox 360 should both support media streaming (PS3 link, xbox link), so long as they are connected to the same network your computer is. It looks like the Wii can kinda-sorta be made to work, but it's far from ideal.

If you don't have one of those consoles around, either, you'll need to add a device to handle things. Exactly what you need is going to depend a bit on your needs - something like a Roku or WD TV Live type of device would work, or an Apple TV or even a full blown HTPC. Depending on the particular streaming box, it may or may not work over WiFi, but I'd suggest running ethernet if you're at all able to, as media streaming is a little more demanding than web browsing.

[Adacore]

In addition to all that stuff, if you have a new enough TV it could have USB ports which allow you to simply plug a memory stick straight into the TV itself and play video from that. Some high-end new TVs can even connect to a computer network and stream (either wirelessly or over a wired network) video from a PC without any additional hardware.

Note also that streaming HD video over wifi can sometimes have dificulties with running up against the maximum network data rate - HD video can be up to 25 Mbits/second, which will obviously run into problems if your network speed is anything less than that, which it could easily be, even with relatively new wifi.

[novax6]

Just wanted to second media center PCs. If you have some spare computer parts around, you can get a cheap mini case. XBMC is easily the best media center for the TV I've ever used, and it runs on almost any operating system.