AppleTV a decent alternative to a MacMINI?

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I'd like to get streaming video to my 32" HDTV. I'm thinking an MacMINI would be a great solution when my pockets are deeper... However, wondering if the AppleTV is even a candidate for streaming from netflix, iTunes (I know this will work) and hulu.com... As a long term solution I'd like to rip my DVD collection (don't worry... I'll keep the originals in a box in the attic to keep the movie industry happier... not happy... just slightly.) to something like a drobo.

I guess a good "temp" solution would be to hook up my MacBook pro to "give it a try" huh?

Any other way to stream video to my TV w/o an AppleTV or a MacMINI that works decent?