Getting rid of Comcast, need suggestions for internet based TV

[Shack70]

I'm planning on getting rid of Comcast TV and just having the internet. I would like an easy way to watch internet TV on my TVs. I plan on getting Netflix and streaming that as well as using something like Boxee or Playon. Any suggestions for hardware? I am trying to keep this cheap and easy.

In my bedroom I have an original Xbox running XBMC. On my main TV I have an Xbox 360, but I don't want it to become the main thing we use to watch TV. It's a game machine and I would like to keep it that way. We also have a Wii on the main TV that can run homebrew. I've looked at a few things like Roku as well.

Thanks in advance for any help/suggestions!

 

[tjaisv]

Check this thread out: http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=3177

 

[Shack70]

Thanks, that thread is huge. I have lots of reading

 

[Tifababy]

I dropped down to basic cable (channels 2-26, basically the networks and a couple other local channels) and got a tivo HD. Cable bill is only $16 now with the cable card and any videos I download, I can transfer to the tivo using pytivo. I transferred some mkv files and they look great on a 50" plasma.

Last night I just discovered kmttg which is a tool that transfers programs from the tivo to your PC and then can remove commercials and reencode to mp4 or mkv.

I'm going to try to convert my tivo shows to mp4 to see if they will play on the xbox 360. Although I think it will have troubles since the mp4 files have 5.1 audio and the xbox 360 only handles stereo audio on mp4s.

 

[dfn]

Tifababy,

I use PS3 Media Server to stream MKV files to my xb360. Occasionally, I get sync. issues (audio ahead of video). A few days ago, I came across xenonmkv. I've since started converting all mkv files to mp4 with it, and they stream flawlessly once converted.

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

The upcoming Boxee box looks promising:
http://www.boxee.tv/box
Zinc is worth checking out as well:
http://zinc.tv/