The New High-Def Streaming Tools

The HD Streamer You May Already Own

If you own a TiVo HD, xBox 360, or Sony PlayStation 3, you already have an HD streamer. The xBox 360, in particular, can double as an HD Media Center extender, connecting to your Media Center PC over a network and streaming HD video, photos and music, among other features. To turn your xBox into an extender, you just download the necessary software and install it. And good news if your computer doesn't have Microsoft's Media Center software installed: you can still stream media from your PC to your Xbox 360 using Windows Media Player 11.

Alternatively, the combo of a networked TiVo HD and the TiVo Desktop Plus software lets you stream unprotected photos, mp3s and videos from your PC, as well as Amazon Unbox movies from the Web (although those are not yet in HD).

The PlayStation 3 also streams unprotected movies, music, and photos from networked PCs using Windows Media Player 11 or another DLNA-compliant media server.

You won't find fancy slide-show effects or other bells and whistles on these dual-purpose boxes, but the price is right, and their capabilities will be all most people need for the occasional show of family photos and home movies.

Sorry, Wii fans, the little console isn't HD-capable, but there is still a way you can use it to stream media from your PC to your TV.