I'd like to playback things from my video equipment directly on my screen, but I'm doing it all wrong.

Good luck, I'll bet someone here knows. I'll K & R to get it up on the top.

Longer answer: if you can access it on your Mac, you can stream it through your AppleTV (I've been using one since they came out with a hard drive; I have the current version now).

My brother has everything in his house networked through Airport Expresses, AppleTV, a MacBookPro and uses Shuffles as remotes. It's pretty sweet.

I'm in the same situation as REP. I want to be able to watch professional tennis & other stuff which isn't even played live on cable channels, usually. I've been so disgusted by the meager coverage of the Olympics on the TV; back in the "olden days" when ABC had the olympics, the games would be run most of the day, as well as at night, and you could choose what you wanted to watch. Now, there are just snippets of this and that, and nothing is really scheduled as a whole event. I'm looking forward to learning how to watch what you want all the time through online streaming, and do away with cable. Any advice people have please share.

Second, I don't know what a Roku box is and third, and I'd rather trepan myself than watch sports

But if you can stream it on your computer, yes, you can connect to your computer via your AppleTV and watch it on your big TV instead of on your monitor.

I personally have every cable package known to humans in high def + AppleTV because I am married to a dude, and if it's not in high def, it don't get watched And we both are not sports people.

It hooks up to your Internet connection either through wi-fi or Ethernet and then is hooked up to your TV like a DVD player.

It has a "Channel Store," which includes Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Amazon Video (you have to be a subscriber for the first two and have to pay on Amazon or be an Amazon Prime member), as well as a bunch of other channels, most of which you will not be interested in (fundie channels, channels in various Middle Eastern, African, and Indian languages). Some of the channels are free and show old movies and TV shows on which the copyright has expired. You can also stream Democracy Now and a channel that has news reports from around the world. New channels are being added all the time.

I watch Netflix and Hulu Plus almost exclusively.

I like the idea of streaming directly from the computer, though, and when my old analog TV finally dies, and I buy an HD set, I'll switch to Apple TV, because I'd probably watch my iTunes purchases more often if I could see them on a big screen.

I do know we can get NetFlix through the AppleTV as well as all the cable series (pay for play). I can get them and others through the TV and BluRay player - Hulu+, Netflix and some other things as well.

I think we still have a DVD player not part of a computer - probably built into the TV

If you want to stream straight through apple tv, and not use an ipad or iphone app to watch most sports packages. I have this confirmed from multiple sources. So I will wait until the new iMac comes out and will but the apple tv at the same time and hopefully kiss directv goodbye.