Yes, yes, we've done plenty of stories about this already. We've highlighted "." A couple of weeks ago, I went into detail about using a $40 software package to . But what really clicked is when . (You can .) This stand-alone software wins on a couple of levels, even though it's only in the beta stage as yet.

For starters, it has a first-rate interface that helps you quickly find whatever shows you want--from the popular to the obscure. In fact, it found a couple of shows that I've subsequently gotten hooked on. In the second place, it has most of the shows that I want to see. And as a bonus, it works with the remote control I already use with my media center. Today, I'm watching the episode of Burn Notice that originally aired last night.

For many people, picture quality is a sticking point. It's true that a lot of the streamed content isn't the best-looking video around. But I'm okay with that for now--even when I stream it to my HDTV. Over time, I hope, bandwidth will go up, thus allowing me to stream more high-definition content. Heck, if with updates coming this year, I should be all set. Oh, and Microsoft spokesfolk are quick to point out that Windows 7 incorporates even more broadband content.

Meanwhile, I'm sitting here, praying to my couch potato gods that the day will come quickly when Hulu content marries Windows Media Center software. (Neither party has formally announced a Microsoft-Hulu deal yet, but seeing the Netflix integration got me thinking about the possibilities.) Truth to tell, I don't care where my content comes from; I just want it funneled into one simple place. Is that asking too much?

In my opinion, no. And that's what settled it for me.