Hello neither my husband nor myself are particularly electronics-savvy. Currently we have a set up with a tv, that is connected to a dvd player, a video cassette player, a wii, and converter box+rabbit ears for regular tv. We also have a computer.

We were thinking of streamlining, and after getting a bigger screen for the computer, just use the computer for everything (computer/internet, audio, and tv). Has anyone done this or something similar? Downsides/upsides? For one it seems we would have to give up the video cassettes, and don't know if it is too limited to have 1 tv/computer for 2 adults and 2 kids. If so, I don't know if it is more optimal to still have a tv set up somewhere, or get a lower end laptop with internet access.

There are 4 people in the house. For the computer I use it for email, surfing the internet, and writing. Husband uses it for music, surfing, and playing computer games (not so much anymore). Kids watch some regular tv, some netflix and also use the tv with Wii. We are not big tv watchers but we turn it on most days. Probably the biggest demand for whatever we use, is watching netflix, and playing the Wii.

A friend of mine got rid of his Direct TV and switched over to internet only TV. He says they like it BUT...the process of finding what you want to watch and then watching it is still kludgy. But to say $70/month he says it is worth it. The interfaces will probably improve quickly.

As for getting rid of the VHS, you might not need to. You can get a TV tuner card for your computer for next to nothing or your computer may already accept analog video input - my laptop does. I've seen them for $10-$25.

Finally, you could look into something called an Archos tablet. It's one brand of Android tablet computer that you could use if you needed more than one. They cost about $100 and can do most of what you said you might need to do. But that is just one brand. I do not know how good they are but they get great reviews.

well if your family does not need the video cassettes anymore, then you may give them away. If you're aiming for a practical living, just keep the electronics which you badly need.