Know anything about Wii?

you need:

console

internet connection

netflix subscription

and that's it. You don't NEED any games in order to watch netflix movies, but you do have to request the netflix software CD so you can install the channel on your Wii.

The console will run you around $200.

The internet connection obviously varies with your subscription to your internet service provider, so I have no way of telling you how much that would be. You'd need a wireless network in your home in order to get the Wii online, unless you wanted to buy a LAN adapter for the Wii and connect it to your wired network - so either way you need a network in your home, not just internet going to your computer. A router will run you probably between $30 and $100, if you don't already have one in your home.

the bare minimal netflix subscription is the $8.99 a month package.

EDIT: *facepalm* . . . sometimes I don't like having to go into so much detail.

The "$10 cable" that kI is talking about is an ethernet cable....the same cable that you have running from your high speed internet modem to your computer. You can NOT just run that cable and plug it into the bag of your TV - you NEED some sort of machine that can be connected to the internet. You MAY be able to bridge the connection from your laptop/ computer TO your Wii (which is what kI is suggesting) but it isn't necessarily EASY or effective.

OR you could possibly use your TV as an external monitor for your computer - if you have the correct connections. If that's the case then you would REALLY be streaming videos to your laptop/computer, but watching them "on your TV" as a monitor.

Also, kI is wrong, you obviously need more than just the console. Having a Wii and a subscription to Netflix will do you no good if your Wii can NOT get online.

The Roku player was only a suggestion if you were just looking for a machine to stream movies from Netflix to your TV - instead of gaming. There is no need to buy a Wii (or an XBOX 360, which also has a Netflix streaming capability) if all you want to do is watch movies from Netflix - there are many other things that can do that for you and are much cheaper.

so, to recap:

you need the Wii (or another machine meant to connect online and stream to your TV), a way for the Wii (or other machine) to get ONLINE, and a subscription to Netflix.

you can NOT just plug a magic cable from your computer to your TV and stream videos to your TV.

You'd have to buy the console ($200). That's it.

But for $80, you can get a Roku player, which just streams Netflix to your TV at the same resolution as your Wii. Or for $100, it'll stream in HD and look far, far better than the Wii streaming feature.

Or, if you have a laptop, you can probably just buy a $10 cable and hook that up to your TV.

So really, it all comes down to whether you want a Wii for anything other than streaming, or if you have a laptop/TV combination that would work. Otherwise, a Roku player might be your best bet.