• TV service-provider box (cable box): This is probably the simplest method for most Americans who get TV service from a cable, satellite or telephone company. To watch on-demand movies, most customers won’t have to set up a different account or buy and install additional set-top boxes. But if you have minimal service, you might need to upgrade your service and your set-top box. Depending on your provider, on-demand movies often cost about $5 each, sometimes more for a high-definition version.

On-demand services can also offer a selection of free movies

• Video boxes : Apple TV ($99, apple.com/appletv) and Roku ($60 to $100, roku.com) both released updated versions of their black boxes recently. After hooking these devices to your TV with cables, you can browse and order movies on your TV with a remote control. Movies for Apple TV come from the iTunes store, and content for Roku comes from a variety of sources, but current movies will be primarily from Amazon Video on Demand. Both require wireless Internet access, and both will also stream Netflix movies if you have a Netflix subscription.

• Gaming consoles : Wii, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 video game machines all can stream movies from Netflix if they have wireless Internet access. PS3 and Xbox also have their own built-in movie rental stores. Playon (playon.tv) is software you can add to your gaming machine, and some other supported devices, to stream Internet content. Playon costs $40 for the first year and $20 per year after that.

Computer

You can use your computer to download movies and play them, or to stream online movies. Often, this means hooking a laptop computer to your TV. Newer computers and TVs can use a single cable for video and audio, called HDMI. You can get one online from places like Amazon.com and Monoprice.com for less than $5. ITunes and Amazon VOD movies will play on a computer, as well as those at a variety of Web sites, including hulu.com and YouTube (youtube.com/movies). Some on-demand boxes can help stream content wirelessly from your computer to your TV.

So, what’s the best way to get your movies? It depends on what you want, when you want it and what hassles you’re willing to endure.

If you want to dip your toe in the world of online movie delivery, get a free trial subscription to Netflix or Blockbuster By Mail, which gives you DVD deliveries plus the ability to stream movies to your computer and TV via devices you might already have. Find trials and introductory deals on each service’s Web site or through a deal aggregator, such as Savings.com.