In this episode of The 5, we take a look at simple set top boxes that harness the power of the internet to deliver the goods to your big screen.

http://techvi.com/shows/the-5/2009/08/five-net-connected-tv-movie-boxes/

BLOCKBUSTER ONCE COMMANDED THE RENTAL MARKET...
BUT IT'S ONDEMAND PLAYER ARRIVED ON THE SCENE A BIT TOO LATE.
THE COMPANY TEAMED UP WITH MEDIAPOINT TO OFFER A DIGITAL SET TOP BOX THAT WORKS ON BOTH STANDARD AND HIGH DEF TV'S.
THE SIMPLE PLAYER HOOKS UP TO YOUR NETWORK USING A WIRED OR WIFI CONNECTION.
MOVIES ARE PROGRESSIVELY DOWNLOADED AND PLAYED SO VIDEO IS CONSISTENT AND DVD QUALITY.
THERE ARE NO MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION COSTS - YOU PAY 99 BUCKS FOR THE PLAYER AND THAT INCLUDES 25 MOVIE RENTALS.
AFTER THAT, RENTALS START AT 2 DOLLARS.

THE WESTERN DIGITAL TV HD MEDIA PLAYER LETS YOU PLAY JUST ABOUT ANY POPULAR MOVIE FILE ON YOUR BIG SCREEN.
THE WD TV HD MEDIA PLAYER DOESN'T DIRECTLY CONNECT TO THE WEB, BUT DOES LETS YOU PLAY THE AUDIO, VIDEO OR PICTURES YOU'VE DOWNLOADED TO YOUR COMPUTER.
THE DEVICE CONNECTS TO YOUR TV AND ADDS NOT ONE BUT 2 USB PORTS SO YOU CAN CONNECT A HARD DRIVE OR PRETTY MUCH ANY STORAGE DEVICE WITH A USB CONNECTION.
THE WD TV HD HANDLES VIDEO UP TO FULL 1080P AND PLAYS POPULAR FORMATS INCLUDING MPEG, H-264, QUICKTIME, AVI AND MORE.
IT WON'T PLAY PROTECTED FILES LIKE THE ONES YOU GET FROM ITUNES OR AMAZON UNBOX.

BOXEE SOFTWARE IS THE MOST FLEXIBLE AND EXPANDABLE WAY TO WATCH JUST ABOUT ANY TYPE OF MEDIA ON YOUR TV SCREEN.
THE FREE, OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE TAKES A BIT OF TECH-KNOW HOW TO GET UP AND RUNNING - THAT'S BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO INSTALL IT ON AN APPLE TV OR COMPUTER CONNECTED TO YOUR TV SET.
ONCE YOU GET OVER THAT HURDLE, YOU'LL BE GLAD YOU DID.
THE SOFTWARE PULLS TOGETHER MEDIA FROM YOUR HOME NETWORK, CONTENT FROM THE WEB AND TOSSES IN A LITTLE SOCIAL NETWORKING.
THAT'S RIGHT - IT'LL TWEET OUT THE NAME OF THE MOVIE YOU'RE WATCHING - IF YOU WANT IT TO.
IF THE CONTENT IS ON THE WEB, CHANCES ARE YOU CAN WATCH IT WITH BOXEE.
THE SOFTWARE IS SLEEK AND SIMPLE TO NAVIGATE - IT WAS DESIGNED TO BE USED WITH A REMOTE CONTROL.

WITH ALL OF IT'S EXCELLENT QUALITIES, IT'S A SURPRISE THE COMPANY IS STRUGGLING TO GAIN A FOOTHOLD IN THE SET TOP SPACE.
THE DEVICE HAS A HUGE HD MOVIE LIBRARY, NO SUBSCRIPTION FEE AND THE ABILITY TO STREAM IN 1080 P.
THE REMOTE CONTROL DESIGN RIVALS THE FORM AND FUNCTION OF TIVO'S FAMOUSLY HAND-FRIENDLY REMOTE.
STILL, THE COMPANY HAD SOME EARLY STUMBLES, INCLUDING OVERLY EXPENSIVE HARDWARE AND MOVIE PRICES AND NO BUILT IN WI-FI.
PURCHASED MOVIES STILL WON'T PLAY ANYWHERE ELSE.
VUDU'S CLAIM TO FAME IS IT'S ABILITY TO INSTANTLY STREAM MOVIES IN HD - BUT YOU'LL NEED A FAT NET CONNECTION TO MAKE THIS POSSIBLE.
THE ROKU DIGITAL VIDEO PLAYER IS COMPACT, CHEAP AND IT'S STREAMING ABILITIES ARE ENDLESS.

FOR STARTERS, THE DEVICE STREAMS CONTENT FROM TWO MAJOR PLAYERS - NETFLIX AND AMAZON - BUT SERVICE CHOICES ARE EXPANDING FAST.
THE BOX IS SUPER SIMPLE TO SET UP AND WORKS WITH STANDARD OR HIGH-DEF TVS.
BUILT IN WI-FI MEANS YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT HAVING A NET CONNECTION NEAR YOUR TV.
THIS IS THE PLAYER YOU'D BE COMFORTABLE GIVING YOUR GRANDMA TO USE - IT'S THAT SIMPLE.
YOU CAN CHOOSE FROM THOUSANDS OF NETFLIX INSTANT STREAMING SELECTIONS OR FROM AMAZON'S VIDEO ON DEMAND LIBRARY.
THE SECRET HERE IS IN THE STREAMING - VIDEO QUALITY IS AUTOMATICALLY ADJUSTED TO SUIT YOUR INTERNET'S SPEED - IT CAN EVEN HANDLE HD.
THE DOWNSIDE OF NETFLIX'S INSTANT STREAMING LIBRARY IS THAT MANY TITLES ARE OLDER - YOU ALSO AREN'T GUARANTEED HD.

APPLE TV IS BASCIALLY A GIANT IPOD FOR YOUR HDTV - IN FACT, IT'S ONLY MEANT TO CONNECT TO WIDESCREENS.
APPLE HAS DEALS WITH ALL OF THE MAJOR STUDIOS, AND MOST MOVIES ARE AVAILABLE TO RENT WITHIN 30 DAYS OF THEIR DVD RELEASE.
IF YOU CAN'T WAIT THAT LONG, YOU CAN DOWNLOAD TO OWN.
THE INTERFACE IS SLICK, AND THE DEVICE ALSO HANDLES TV SHOWS, PODCASTS, MUSIC, PHOTOS AND YOUTUBE.
THE NEAT THING HERE - MOVIES YOU BUY ON APPLE TV CAN ALSO BE PLAYED ON YOUR COMPUTER OR IPOD OR IPHONE.
YOU CAN ALSO LOAD YOUR OWN MOVIES ONTO THE BOX, BUT COMPATIBLE FORMATS ARE LIMITED -
THERE'S ALSO NO EXPANDABLE HARD DRIVE.
STILL, APPLE TV IS A GREAT ALTERNATIVE TO FUMBLING WITH DVD'S.