Over on one of my favorite websites, Slickdeals.net, the PlayOn $20 deal was posted, which has led to a forum thread full of excellent discussion on how people are streaming Netflix, Hulu, etc. to DLNA and UPnP capable devices…and Windows Media Center.

With broadband being more and more prevalent in the home, so is the the wave of streaming internet content into the home.  But instead of sitting at your computer watching a video in a web browser, you can install and run DLNA/UPnP server software that “routes” internet content (videos, music, pictures, etc.) to DLNA/UPnP compliant devices.  Some of the DLNA/UPnP server software can also stream video and audio files stored on your computer.

Check out this thorough comparison table of DLNA/UPnP server software.  It looks like PlayOn, TVersity, and the PS3 Media Server are the favorites.  I haven’t tried any of them yet.  A few years ago, I was avidly using the free Twonky Music UPnP Server, which worked flawlessly, to provide internet radio and stream my mp3 collection to Netgear MP101.

Now for the DLNA/UPnP compliant devices, which more and more Home Theater devices are becoming every day.  There’s gaming consoles (PS3, Wii, Xbox 360, XBMC running on the classic Xbox), televisions (Many Samsung LCDs/Plasmas, Sony LCDs), A/V Receivers (Denon, Yamaha) and more!

And even though it sounds like it’d be really easy to setup and run with, just like most of these Windows software A/V solutions, each combination has its own set of limitations and issues.

Now onto Media Center!  Out-of-the-box, Windows Media Center does not contain a DLNA/UPnP client.  But, there are two plug-ins out there to provide that capability: vmcPlayIt and tubeCore.  vmcPlayIt connects to the PlayOn server software, while tubeCore can connect to PlayOn, TVersity or Twonky Media to provide audio/video/pictures to Windows Media Center.  vmcPlayIt/PlayOn can even provide internet content (Hulu, etc.) to the Linksys DMA-2100/2200 extenders!  Here’s the active TheGreenButton thread on VMCPlayIt and tubeCore.  Looking through that thread, it looks like both solutions unfortunately have their share of problems.

Lastly, as a side note, when scouring the web for information on DLNA/UPnP with Windows 7, I ran across the REALLY interesting article by Barb at Barb’s Connect World, where she used the new Windows 7 Play To DLNA-based technology to push media to her Samsung TV.