Cheapest device for streaming online content to TV?

[rgG]

What is the cheapest device that will stream free online content, movies, news, TV shows, to an HDTV. My daughter and her roomates don't have cable and can't receive any local channels OTA with rabbit ears. They have a Wii that can stream Netflix, but I was thinking of getting them some type of box, as cheap as possile, so they could at least get some free online content. They have a pretty fast DSL connection, as the Netflix through the Wii seems to work fine. I am open to refurbs, discontinued models, etc. The quality doesn't need to be anything better than 720p, as that is what their TV is.

This is strictly a price driven transaction, so price trumps features. If the box lasts a year, that is all I need. Any suggestions would be welcome. The TV has HDMI, component, and composite connections.

[hal]

DANGER WILL ROBINSON

be sure to check ISP rules for download max...

I think the previous generation WD TV Live should be under $60 by now...

[rgG]

hal wrote:
DANGER WILL ROBINSON

be sure to check ISP rules for download max...

I think the previous generation WD TV Live should be under $60 by now...

Yeah, I mentioned that to them when they signed up with AT&T, but so far they don't seem to have gone over. Now, if they get more options, that might change.

I was looking at the WD TV, but I was hoping to spend less than $50. I was surprised that I didn't see any cheap previous generation Roku boxes on Amazon. I thought there would be plenty of them, since the new boxes start at $60, but I didn't see any.

[davester]

The cheapest would be to get a DVI-HDMI adapter and audio cable for their laptops. That's how we have our TV hooked up to the mac mini. The downside is that you have to unplug it when you take your laptop somewhere, but otherwise there's way more content available through a computer than there is through one of those boxes.

[rgG]

davester wrote:
The cheapest would be to get a DVI-HDMI adapter and audio cable for their laptops. That's how we have our TV hooked up to the mac mini. The downside is that you have to unplug it when you take your laptop somewhere, but otherwise there's way more content available through a computer than there is through one of those boxes.

Yeah, but I don't think that will work for them. This needs to be a stand alone solution. Their TV isn't in a good place for hooking up a laptop, and they need to be able to use their laptops while someone is watching the TV.

[decay]

used Roku, unless i'm missing something.

even the new models start at $60!

[freeradical]

I don't see why the cost of the box is the only consideration, since when you're bottom feeding you're probably only looking at price differences in the range of around 10-15 dollars. I have a Roku box, and with that box you get a fair number of free channels.

[rgG]

decay wrote:
used Roku, unless i'm missing something.

even the new models start at $60!

That's what I was thinking, but I don't see any used ones for cheap. It seems they are almost as much as the new ones. The new one for $60 is the best thing I have seen, but I was hoping to get something for even less. Maybe some of the old ones will start showing up soon.

[rgG]

freeradical wrote:
I don't see why the cost of the box is the only consideration, since when you're bottom feeding you're probably only looking at price differences in the range of around 10-15 dollars. I have a Roku box, and with that box you get a fair number of free channels.

I don't want to spend much because my daughter will only be there for probably the next 9 months, and after that who knows what she will need or want. I would love to get an older Roku for between $25-$50, any more than that and it makes more sense to get a new one for $60. Since this is just a gift from me to them, and I just gave them our old TV, which required me to buy a new one for us, I want to spend as little as possible. If I can't get a cheap, under $50 solution, they will probably just have to make do with the Wii.

[Seacrest]