Hi--First: hard wiring is not what I want. What I want to accomplish is to stream Netflix from my PC to my HDTV AND to be able to stream TV shows from my PC to my TV. I think I could get two adapters to plug into the wall, one near the PC and the other near the TV to use my electrical wiring to 'move' the movie, and a wireless (or would it be wired?) router. If I do this, would it matter is I get a wireless BD player OR would getting a wireless-ready BD Player eliminate the need for a wireless router? Once I'm Ok with getting what I need to stream from netflix, would the same equipment allow me to stream internet tv shows to the same TV? Thanks...if you could keep it simple, that would be good..I barely know how to change my digital clocks.
The long answer would be that anything is possible given enough time, effort and money. The short answer is you don't want to do what you seem to want to do in the way you seem to want to do it (maybe that's the long answer, I dunno).
The simplest solution to your problem it to put a Home Theater PC near your TV as a source and stream Netflix, Hulu and so on to that PC. You will need a PC with MS Windows OS (for Netflix) a decent processor (Dual-core Atom or better) and 2 gigabytes of memory. You will need a PC that has decent video support (on the motherboard or on a separate card) with an output compatible with your TV's PC input. Not all TV's work well with computers on HDMI in (some Sony's for example) so read the manual. If you TV is an older one with no PC in your best bet might be the Netflix box from Roku, which has component/composite outputs for about $99. It won't do Hulu.
You'll need a router to attach both of your PC's to the Internet.
If you know someone who can build a PC you shold be able to put a unit together for a reasonable price.
Xbox 360 streams Netflix...probably not much cheaper than an HTPC as Alex suggests, and definitely not as versitile, (you would not be able to surf the web)...although you CAN use it as a dvd player, it's not the best one out there...I would not recommend wireless for ANY HD feeds, however, Playback issues, stuttering, drops...all are compounded by wireless. The 360 is introducing wireless N connectivity in the near future, but as MS has announced...it ain't gonna be cheap...TV shows, ain't gonna happen, unless they are seasons on DVD...
Another alternative, if you really want to mess with it, is a modded original Xbox. It is very economical, and there are some cool plugins out there, one of which transports Netflix, I am setting up my first one as we speak, so my experience is limited, maybe someone else can chime in here...(thusfar, the mod process and XBMC are buggy, and you really have to love setting up utilities and the like...)
Planar PD 7060 Projector Technics SH AC 500D KLH R 5100 5.1 Onkyo DVCP 701 6 disc Xbox 360/ Orig. Xbox/Softmodded Paradigm Focus B and CC 270 Dayton "Tiny Mighty" 10" subwoofer Bose 201 v 5
Modding Xbox's definitely violates MS's EULA on the Xbox - we probably shouldn't recommend it on here per the board's policy on "not conveying illegal or unethical info".
OTOH, if we just mention it as an option and don't recommend doing it or recommend anything otherwise illegal, I'm okay with it.
(In a recent post, it was mentioned on noise laws and car stereo, so to some extent if we tell someone how to wire up a 1000W RMS amp we are accesssories to their violating noise ordinances, although if we don't tell them to or know that they will crank it up, we are likely safe).
</ legal disclaimer>
More to the point - many older video cards will support S-video and often composite adapters from S-video, so that might be a less expensive option than the box that Alew W mentioned if you have an older TV.
Hope This Helps!!!
2002 Ford Focus Sony CDX-GT410u Sony XT-100HD HD Tuner Stock speakers, no amp, no subs
Not great to take legal advice from another forum, but this poster seems like he knows what he is talking about:
you bought it it's yours you can do what you want with it.... it's the how you use it after the mod that causes most problems if you go online with your modded system then your violating the terms of agreement that you agreed to when you sign up with live. somewhere in there is says you can't do modifications to you console. if you do your console can be banned. and once you play a non - legit backup then your breaking the law.... your allowed to make 1 archival backup per original disc you own. but to play these you have to mod your system which again violates the terms of agreement you agreed to with microsoft. so it's a catch 22 your damed if you do and damned if you don't. so even if your modding it to play your own legit personal backups your original game you own then your ok, but you are violating the terms of agreement with microsoft & your console can be banned. so what do you do? now what gets in trouble with the feds is when your start modding systems and charging a fee for doing it!!!! this falls under the (Digital Millenium Copywrite Act of 2000) thank Bill clinton for this one!!! circumnavigating copy protection - now your enabling other systems other then just your own for archival purposes and now profiting from it. big no no with the feds..... and if your selling backup's for profit that's even worse!!! then you can be fined for every backup you've made (i think it's like up to $50,000 per copy you've made......) what it comes down to is piracy is illegal don't do it, the only one you hurt is yourself and other legit games, buy driving up the costs of games. and even putting companies out of business because they are not making any money. go legit and buy your games, treat your games like gold so they don't get damaged and then they will last you a long time.
To me, his post is a bit fuzzy on whether only playing non-legit backups is illegal, or playing legit backups as well, but my take is:
Nobody ever said the legal system was supposed to be logical!!!
Xboxes can definitly be modified to access the Internet directly. I've seen them running Linux and MythTV as HTPC substitutes, and as media extenders and in-car media PC's.
Thanks Alex.
The consoles are $300 at CF. You'd be hard-pressed to build a better PC for that, but it could be done, and with better expandability. If you wanted to use LIVE with it and stay legal, you would probably need an unmodified XBOX for LIVE and the modified one for streaming NetFlix. If you don't care about legality or only want to game offline, it's probably a good option. If you don't care about gaming, you're likely better with a dedicated HTPC (or if you can use the same PC for general purpose and HT, you are likely better with that option).
Tiger,
I think you're talking apples to orange's here, Although the 360 CAN be modded, and backup games and still be an extender, I have not seen where they are the "Media Center" that the (read) Original Xbox is...
Not too many people are going on LIVE anymore with the Original Xbox...I do not, I have not, nor do I plan to....I have an Original 1.6 unmodded, that is as new as the day my wife purchased it for my birthday...As well as my first modded XBMC 1.2 machine... My hopes are to integrate it into my HT, allow my kids to play emulated NES and original ATARI games...I MAY put a larger HDD in, but I am having enough trouble with my first mod...(softmod..) let alone hotswapping Drives....
I REGULARLY game on LIVE with my 360 and NEVER cheat, mod or hack, into any games, servers, or IP's...(wish I could say the same for the rest of the LIVE community... Good Luck playing one cheat free match of Gears 2 these days...)
All of the extensions and plugins I mentioned are freeware and developed for the XBMC community all for easy access to movies TV and streaming content...Shoutcast...(Free) RSS feeds (free) Personal Internet TV (free) ...I am uncertain how well the Netflix compatible plugin works...I have not tried it.
Valid points - I wasn't up on the distinctions between different Xbox variants. Thanks!