[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by rlparker

Thanks both for your suggestions. The projector is an InFocus, I think the model is x1. It's several years old so it might not have the most "modern" inputs.

If this is the projector you have, then you can use regular SVGA cable (probably same cable you use to connect your computer to your monitor). Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like your projector has digital inputs (DVI, HDMI).

Originally Posted by rlparker

The other thing someone mentioned yesterday that sounds interesting is a Blu-Ray player (which would be an upgrade for our system) with streaming support. What do you think? Do these things literally only stream--or can you download a file to the Blu-Ray? I think we have pretty good bandwidth on our DSL connection, but I'm not sure that it's good enough to support streaming a movie....

So far, the ones released can only stream. You can't download a file for burning to Blu-ray, yet (legally, at least). I don't think you'll be able to do it ever if the MPAA has its way. As for bandwidth, I've been able to stream two simultaneous movies from Netflix just fine on a 5mbps cable internet connection.

Originally Posted by rlparker

The next time the bulb burns out, we might consider switching to a large LCD monitor. (IF we can find a monitor without a tuner). We'd miss the huge "screen" size that our projector throws on the wall, but I think the improved brightness/contrast/resolution of the lcd would probably make up for it....

Why don't you want something with a tuner? You can always opt to just not use the tuner... Really large monitors are more expensive than TVs of the same (physical) size. Granted, you're paying for the increased resolution on the monitor but for use in the living room, it's unlikely you'll need those extra pixels.

Originally Posted by pilotbob

That's really depends on what you want to spend. You can get a Roku or a Popcorn Hour for $100 or so. But, I think they are a bit limited. The other option is a Media PC...

The Roku is $100 before tax and shipping but the total still comes out to a fairly reasonable price. The more capable Popcorn Hour (you need to go through hoops to get Netflix on the thing, though) is minimum $179 (A-100), not including taxes and shipping from China. The default interface on the Popcorn Hour is pretty ugly and the device is somewhat prone to crashes. Firmware updates to improve stability and add new features are pretty regular which is one of its good points. Still, if you have a lot of content already on your computer (DVD rips, etc), the Popcorn Hour is one darned good playback device.

First, consider, what service you will be using for streaming. So far, it seems Netflix has the widest selection of "buffet" content. For Netflix, the Roku player is extremely simple to set-up and use. It's the cheapest one, too. One complaint I have about it is you need a computer (there's also several apps for the iPod Touch/iPhone ) to add movies to your instant watch queue before it will appear on the Roku player. There are no hierarchical/categorical views as of the moment so if you have 300 shows in your queue like I do, it can be a pain to find a movie you want to watch. The Roku also has the added benefit of supporting Amazon's video-on-demand service. The Amazon VOD interface, I found to be very good (hoping they adopt something similar for Netflix). You can even buy content directly from the device (you link the device to your Amazon account and movies are purchased/rented via 1-click). I believe Roku is in talks with other companies to add more services, too. Who knows, maybe it'll support Hulu in the future.

For other content, the most fool-proof method is to use a computer. Post your computers specs here. Maybe all you need is an SVGA cable to connect your computer to your projector.