Robert Safuto

In the age we live in now every year promises to be a big one when it comes to technology. In recent years past we've seen big innovations in computer and cell phone technology. Our computer hard drives have gotten much bigger, processing power is much greater and our monitors got flattened and supersized. On the cell phone front of course there is the iPhone and the resulting waves of iPhone wannabes including the promising Motorola Droid. These phones do crazy things like surf the net at fast speeds, take good looking photos and videos and much more. So what's next? I say keep an eye on your television.

Several different technological developments are converging in a way that makes me believe that your TV experience will be transformed into something very different. First off, there's internet access speeds to think about. The internet is getting faster for many people. I recently signed on for 15 megabytes per second (mps) download with Verizon. That's fast. It's at least 50% faster than my cable connection but the price is actually cheaper. That means I can access quality streaming video over the web. How to get that video to the TV though?

If you're ready to buy a new television you could pick up an LG 42LH50 that can connect you to your Netflix On-Demand account and YouTube among other options. In one fell swoop you've enhanced your TV viewing options. Or for even less money than a new TV you can pick up a Samsung Blu-ray player and also get access to Netflix, YouTube and the Pandora streaming music service. You get all that and you don't even have to call your cable company to order. Those are just two options. If you're feeling very techy you could pick up a Roku box which will give your TV access to HD content from various web sources, including Netflix and Amazon Video on Demand, for about $100. So you can upgrade your TV experience today provided that you have a wireless internet connection at home and somewhere between $100 and $1300 to spare.

Wait, there's more! An even better development involves the lowered cost of computers and hard drive space. As a result you can store more digital media than ever on portable hard drives (like this 500GB Western Digital portable hard drive) that cost around $100. These new hard drives will store your entire music collection, thousands of photos and digital home movies. Pair that up with something like the WD TV Live box and you've got all of your great memories and entertainment available right on your TV set. It's a wonderful thing.

And just when you thought it couldn't get any better...it does! As I write this a whole new class of devices are being unveiled at the consumer electronics show in Las Vegas. A couple of things to keep an eye on are the Boxee Box and PopBox. The Boxee Box (pictured at left) is an odd looking thing but what it does is beautiful. Connect it to your TV and it will give you access to loads of internet based content (including Netflix and YouTube) plus it will read media from a connected hard drive or even over your home wireless network. The video below gives you an even better look at the Boxee software. The box itself is coming within the next few months.

Then there's the PopBox which is coming soon and will compete with Boxee. PopBox will also offer access to Netflix, web video sources and media stored on your home network or portable hard drive. While the Boxee Box will cost around $200, the PopBox is supposed to be closer to $175 with a wireless connection. If you ask me either of them are worth it.

Lots of exciting stuff right? If you're a true geek (or just want to act like one) you can enjoy a new TV experience right on your home computer. Boxee is not only a box but it's also free software that runs on Mac and Windows PCs. So you can try out the interface and program before you consider the box. If you have a newer Windows computer you can try out Windows Media Center which offers similar features to the boxes mentioned above (yes, including Netflix) but right on your computer. In fact, if you've got a new PC with Windows 7 then you already have Windows Media Center. Mac owners can try out Front Row which is loaded on new Macs and also powers the interface for Apple's Apple TV product.

The bottom line is this. There are lots of options for upgrading your TV experience that don't involve forking extra $$$ every month to your cable company. And the options are getting better everyday. My recommendation to you is to think about it, but also wait a few months before committing to a technology. A lot of the new TVs and gadgets being announced at CES won't hit the market til then and it's likely that some might not live up to their billing. I've got my eye on the Boxee box myself since I've already tested the software. Enjoy!