Like you, we're sick of our cable company. Recently we broke down a gigantic list of online video streaming services that'll help lose the cable addiction, but there's one key problem: you're still tethered to your monitor instead of sitting on your couch. It's obvious that the networks see online video as the future, but how do you connect the future with your current living room? We've got a list of hardware streaming solutions that'll help connect an HDTV with the vast set of online streaming video resources.

The last time we talked about media streaming devices, we focused on playing back media downloaded to a DLNA server. DLNA is more akin to DVDs and VHS tapes, in that you already have the media locally and don't need to stream it from the internet. Today, we're talking about the TV analogy: Video you don't know exactly how or where you want to watch till you're watching it. There are a plethora of video players that promise to push internet content directly to your living room.

Netflix player by Roku

The most inexpensive method for streaming internet video to the living room comes in the form of the Roku Netflix Player. The diminutive box hooks up to an HDTV through HDMI, component or composite, and then connects to the internet through either wired ethernet or wireless WiFi. To set up the box, the user simply enters in their Netflix account information and starts watching items in their Instant Queue.

Despite the video connections for HD, all the Netflix content is currently offered in SD only to the Roku box. We expect HD content to be added after the holiday season, as Microsoft likely made a deal with Netflix to get exclusivity of HD content to sell more game consoles (more on that in the next section).

The Roku Netflix Player is $99, and as we told you yesterday Netflix service ranges from $7.99 to $16.99 which includes the DVDs by mail service. Roku says they're not stopping at Netflix; the company hopes to expand the Netflix Player's content library to add other content partners soon. At its bargain basement price, we haven't seen too many video streaming gadgets with more promise than this little guy.

Xbox 360

Gamers have known about the media server streaming on the Xbox 360 for the better part of almost three years now, but the Xbox 360 adds its key Internet streaming functions on November 19. Microsoft, like Roku, is partnering with Netflix to deliver Netflix's Instant Queue service to the game console. Current and future Xbox 360 owners will be able to link their Xbox Live accounts with their Netflix account, and stream content from Netflix's servers. Unlike Roku's Netflix Player, the game console will offer Netflix's video content in HD, of course depending on Netflix's HD library. We don't think the HD exclusivity will last after the holiday season, which makes the Xbox 360 hard to recommend as a streaming only solution. However, users looking to ditch their cable box and who also like to play games should definitely consider making the purchase, and current 360 owners can expect the added functionality when the new dashboard hits on November 19.

SlingCatcher

The SlingCatcher is the yin to the SlingBox's yang. Instead of sending content out over the internet like the SlingBox does, the SlingCatcher receives internet content and displays it on a TV. While the SlingCatcher is primarily sold as a method to receive SlingBox content, the box can also "screen scrape," meaning the box can show whatever is being shown on a networked PC, allowing the box to watch any content that can be displayed on a computer. Hulu, NBA.com, Netflix's Instant Queue and all the websites we previously mentioned can be displayed on an HDTV. We can't vouch for video quality, as we haven't had a chance to see one in person, but users looking for a solution to get the most video content on their TV should definitely look toward the SlingCatcher. The best solution won't come cheap though — its $300, which is still only about 6 months of cable.

AppleTV

Another pricey, yet elegant solution, is the Apple TV. Out of the box, the Apple TV isn't particularly internet friendly, though it'll play podcasts and other media from local media servers. Internet streaming fanatics can really only watch YouTube videos as an option, which gets old after about 10 minutes, however, people who aren't afraid to do a little bit of hacking can install a third party software solution called Boxee on the device which adds all sorts of internet playback functionality (we'll talk a bit more about Boxee later on). The starter pack costs $229 which includes a 40GB hard drive, component and HDMI outputs — no SD video outputs here — as well as WiFi support, while the $300 version includes a 160GB hard drive. Personally, we'd stick to the starter box since streamers don't need the extra storage, however users looking to buy music, movies and TV shows from the iTunes store might appreciate the extra space.

Laptop / Home theater PC

After thorough research, the best current solution for ditching the cable box in the living room, in our view, is still a home theater PC of some flavor. There are a variety of machines out there whose sole purpose is to augment a home theater and offer things like Blu-ray playback, DVR functions and of course, playing back computer-only content like internet video. The machines can be pricey though, especially depending on options. While we'd love to see an HTPC get enough inputs to replace an A/V receiver, we just don't see it happening. An HTPC needs to be the media center of a home theater, not an all in one solution, just yet.

That being said, we're partial to spending as little cash as possible. Many people looking for a solid home theater PC are actually opting for an underpowered demon machine: The Mac Mini. At $600, it's not cheaper than any of the other streaming options we've shown, but it will perform the full functions of the rest of the boxes we've mentioned, plus have the ability to rip DVDs and CDs, and act as a media server itself. Nicely enough, the Mac Mini also includes a remote control and FrontRow media software. Couple the Mac Mini with Boxee, and a serious media streaming system is born.

In our own setup, we're opting for using an older MacBook laptop which we've got lying around, and are going to use that machine in lieu of a Mac Mini. We'll show you how we're setting it up from start to finish next week, including all the components needed.

Boxee

We've mentioned it a couple times, but it's worth mentioning again. Boxee is the most impressive video streaming solution we've seen to date. While it does a great job of aggregating a media library, since it's based on Xbox Media Center (XBMC), the software truly shines in its playback of online video. Boxee has created channels which play Hulu, CNN, Revision3, and others through a streamlined interface. Users can also add custom RSS feeds through a web browser to add any channels that Boxee missed.

The software is still in an alpha invite phase, so if you head to their site, you'll have to sign up to download. We've got a few invites, so if you leave a comment on this post requesting an invite, we'll do our best to send one your way.

Over-the-air Antenna

Regardless of which box you end up purchasing, we'd still recommend pairing any of these solutions with an over-the-air HD antenna to catch the crucial shows and events that just won't show up online till after they air. Digital TV is free, and with its crystal clear picture quality, who needs cable anyway?

[Image: Killmore]

Go to part 3: Setting up your laptop as a media server »