video out to tv or xbox

[bballnut]

we are building a new house and i am in the process of wiring it now. i have run cat 5 to 8 locations throughout the house. i am not a network guru, so how do i go about using these locations? i have a wireless router with four wired slots. any info or links to related forums would help greatly.
i would like to be able to watch video from the computer on my lcd tv. i have an xbox that we can use to do this for video on the hard drive but what about video from the web? what is the best way to watch web based video from computer to lcd tv?
thanks

[edDV]

First the network.

Ideally all Ethernet cables feed to a central location. You can plug these into your router for now but save for a Gigabit switch large enough to feed all locations + local computers + router + servers or NAS drives. Figure a ~12 to 16 input switch similar to this.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817111450

Then you are in business with all rooms active and connected. At each room you can plug in a computer, a media player, an MCE extender or universal plug and play device, a game box or other Ethernet device. The switch will create fast and slow paths as needed. One slow device won't slow all down.

[edDV]

i have an xbox that we can use to do this for video on the hard drive but what about video from the web? what is the best way to watch web based video from computer to lcd tv?
thanks

Live connections are possible through an XBox360 but in general you will need

A web connected TV (see DLNA http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Living_Network_Alliance )

or a Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) device with web connections
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Plug_and_Play

or a media player with web connections

or a media server with web connections

or a proprietary device.

Many ways to skin the cat now and in the future