Easily stream online movies to your big screen TV

Did you know that you can finally stream online content, like movies or YouTube videos, to your big screen TV without using a computer or having to buy some special box designed to do this? Internet TVs are now available, as well as a new line of Blu-ray players that will do this for you as long as you have a fast broadband connection.

There are around 20 TVs selling for around $ 1000 and a half dozen Blu-ray players for around $ 150 that will stream movies online. All of the newer TVs hitting the market soon will have the webcasting feature and will be out sometime this year. And some tech folks predict that all newer Blu-ray players will have it on all of their models. They will also include this feature on lower priced models.

There are other electronic devices such as the popular game boxes on the market that also have internet streaming functions.

While one of these TVs or Blu-ray players does not offer a full Internet browser that can go anywhere on the network, it will allow streaming movies and TV shows from various companies online. You can watch YouTube videos, news, sports and more from Yahoo! and view some digital photos stored on selected online sites or enjoy music from Internet radio stations. Of course, movies and TV episodes will be charged for a subscription or they can be pay-per-view.

Video streaming is easy to set up for use on your TV or Blu-ray player. Most services will provide a good quality picture, but don’t expect it to be the same as an HD Blu-ray disc.

When you’re looking to upgrade your DVD player to a Blu-ray player, you should consider one of the internet-capable models or one that comes in a home theater package. DVD players will get the same content from the Internet as televisions. The benefit of doing it this way is that you can modify or adjust the TV settings so that it does not receive content from a DVD player.

When you get a Blu-ray player for Internet content, look for a BD-live model. These models require a broadband connection, but some also come with wi-fi which can disconnect your home wi-fi signal. It’s worth the extra money if you can go this way and you don’t have a broadband cable connection where your entertainment system is set up.

Also note that each brand of TV or Blu-ray player has partnered with a specific streaming service. Your content will vary, so look for the services you would like to have and then buy the player that carries them.

Once you connect your TV or Blu-ray player to your network, you will use your remote control to access your applications. You will see some icons or widgets appear at the bottom of the screen. This is similar to the widgets or icons on your computer, but it will be for the services that came with your device.

You will have thousands of movies at your fingertips. You can browse a library and order with just a few clicks. Rates vary, but are about the same as driving to the local video store. And no late fees! Some services offer a monthly fee, others with unlimited services.

Picture quality can be similar to standard definition, and high definition broadcasts are more like DVD quality. As more and more equipment comes to market, we can also expect services to improve in the not too distant future.