Getting video from the Internet onto your TV is the Big Issue now. This world changes radically every week, and is wide-open for pioneers and hobbyists. There are a few limited off-the-shelf solutions, but the situation is comparable to where cars were a hundred years ago. So, how to bridge the last 10 feet from your PC to your TV?

Watching video on your PC is fine, but there are two big problems: (a) your desk chair is probably less comfortable than your couch, and (b) you can't conveniently invite all your friends or your family to sit in front of your PC. Sure, while you're watching the latest cretinous dog-surfing or backyard wrestling video on YouTube, you can IM your posse, or text your clique, or whatever. But there is still something to be said for everyone gathering around the happy, magic picture-box with chips, beer, and Hostess Snowballs. In-person socializing still satisfies the inner primate, as opposed to swapping strings of text, however larded with emoticons.

So, how do we get a downloaded or streaming movie, sitcom or viral video from our 12 inch laptop screen to our 42 inch TV?

Easiest? Burn a DVD. Easy, but not quick. I mean, you've just waited a few hours to a few days for the torrent to finish downloading, and now you've got to wait two more hours for the video file to convert to DVD format, then to burn the whole mess onto a disc. Also, it isn't foolproof. I have frequent problems with audio sync, making the whole process futile. If all does go well, you end up with a durable copy you can keep for your grandchildren (should DVD players still be around, instead of the much cooler instant satellite-to-retina beaming that they will prefer), but this technique lacks the kind of instant gratification to which we Americans are entitled.

Of course, the above only works with downloaded, as opposed to streaming, video. It won't bring YouTube or any of the exploding number of video websites to your TV. An exception is Stage6.com, which lets you download the video to your hard drive, whence you can burn it to DVD. UPDATE - Stage6.com is dead. They are now Veoh.com. They claim they will also allow downloading.

Use your TV as a Secondary PC Display. If your PC has an S-video output, and if you have the appropriate cable (i.e., S-Video to S-Video, or S-Video to RCA for older TVs), you can configure your TV as a second display. I have tried this, and it can work. A bit of a pain in the ass, so make sure you do your initial configuration when nobody is waiting to watch anything. Forget using the remote control, though - you have to control the whole deal from the computer. And if the cable is long enough to reach the couch, someone will trip on it, and you'll have Doritos and salsa all over the rug, and a trip to the emergency room for a broken collarbone. Of course, you could get a wireless keyboard/mouse combo (but get a skin for it in case of spills!). If your TV has a DVI port (Digital Video Input), there are wireless alternatives for a couple hundred bucks. Or just duct-tape the cable to the floor. You're resourceful, you'll work something out.

Build a MythTV box. This is a home-built Linux box dedicated to running your TV. If that sentence gave you a chill, skip the whole paragraph. This is a great alternative for those unafraid of screwdrivers, with a few hundred dollars to spare, and with some time on their hands. You get open source software which downloads the TV schedule, so you can use the box as a DVR but without a monthly subscription. It connects to your network for Internet access, so you can watch whatever is on the web. You can play DVDs, rip them to hard drives for archival purposes (but Big Brother sez, No Sharing!). And, as a bonus, you can put in hard drives which serve as network storage. Since it is powered by Linux, it is not subject to Microsoftian crashes. It seems like the Holy Grail. But there is no tech support, except for user forums. I haven't tried this yet, but I intend to, and I'll share the experience with my loyal reader base - you there, Mom?

Get a Neuros OSD. OSD stands for Open Source Device. Very intriguing piece of hardware, again for a couple or three hundred bucks. You plug an external hard drive into it, and a DVD or VHS player, and it digitizes the programming. Then you can play that on your TV or PC or iPod or Palm or whatever handscreen you prefer. While this device does not yet connect your TV to the internet, it is an "open source device," which means smart folk the world o'er are working at that. I recommend taking a look at the various support forums on the Neuros Technology website. If you like open-ended tech full of possibilities, this one is for you.

For patient hobbyists, a ReplayTV unit when connected to your home network, will permit you, after some frustrating fussing, to use your television to watch video files resident on your PC. There is a shadowy subculture of ReplayTV hackers out there with forums galore.

And, of course, Apple TV. Maybe this is the best plug-in off-the-shelf solution, especially if you are already invested in the Apple-verse (which I am not). While it doesn't allow (as far as I can tell) Internet browsing on your TV, it does permit YouTube viewing (how exciting). It also allows movie rental, as long as Apple has a deal with that studio. And, with an additional software package from Roxio called Crunch, it allows you to watch video stored on your PC's hard drive on your TV. I don't know if Steve Jobs likes that or not, and whether he will permit that to continue. Apple is a notoriously closed system - perfect within its confines, but strictly controlled. A little like Disneyland.

And I'm sure there are more. Please tell me about your favorite online video sites and your favorite hardware solutions for bridging that gap between your desk chair and your couch!

Peter Basch