KUOW-FM's noontime news call-in program, The Conversation, is planning a segment today on a subject close to our hearts: alternative ways of getting TV content, without paying a huge monthly cable bill.

No, we're not talking about illegally siphoning your neighbor's signal. That's so 1980s. In 2010, there's a boom in cheap, creative -- and legal -- ways of watching television shows, movies and other content without a cable box. We've gathered some of our current favorites below, but we're interested in hearing from the geeks in the TechFlash audience, as our collective contribution to the discussion. What are your best cable workarounds? How are they working out for you? Feel free to post your latest tips and tricks in the comments below.

Tune in at noon today to hear the Conversation at 94.9 FM in the Seattle region or online at kuow.org. The segment on cable workarounds is scheduled to start at 12:20 p.m. You can also call KUOW's pre-recorded listener line to leave a message for the show in advance, at 206-221-3663, or live during the show at 206-543-5869.

Probably the most simple solution right now involves using a big (or moderately sized) monitor or TV screen connected directly your computer. This is my current setup in my downstairs den. Most weekends we spend an hour or two on Hulu, cbs.com, Comedy Central, and mtv.com to catch up on episodes of The Office, Survivor, The Daily Show and, yes, I'll admit it, The Hills. At the local level, KCTS-TV has lots of good programming online, as does the Seattle Channel.

I've gotten into the habit of always looking for the icon in the browser to play the video full-size on my secondary monitor. Our Internet connection (through Comcast, for the record) doesn't always allow for stutter-free playback, but if you have the patience to sit through a little buffering, it's a workable setup.

Here's a helpful video tutorial from Howcast explaining how to connect a laptop to a television to watch any video from a computer. Also see this TechFlash guest column by Paul Andrews last year. And tools such as the Media Center PC functionality in Windows PCs allow for a navigational experience more conducive to a living room -- with a large, remote-controlled on-screen interface.

Another increasingly popular solution is Boxee's free software for playing Internet video from a computer on a television screen. At the Consumer Electronics Show, I was impressed by upcoming Boxee Box from D-Link, which goes a step further by eliminating the need to use a computer. (It's slated for release in the first half of this year for around $200.)

The VUDU streaming service for movie rentals and purchases has also been getting lots of attention lately, in part because Wal-Mart has agreed to buy it for a reported $100 million.

Video-game consoles such as the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 also provide an interesting alternative, offering movie and television downloads and rentals, plus the option of Netflix streaming, which is also coming to the Nintendo Wii. Netflix streaming is also available via the Roku Digital Video Player.

On the subject of game consoles, the $39.99 PlayOn computer software, from Seattle-based MediaMall Technologies, also streams content over your home network from Hulu and many other sites to TVs via the Wii, PS3 or Xbox 360.

And finally, I'm still a big fan of using my converter box to get free, over-the-air digital television on my older television set. No, it's not the same thing as a premium cable package, but combined with one or more of the many options above, what more do you really need?

That's a pretty basic overview. We know many people are doing far more creative things. What have you been trying lately, and how has it been working out for you? Looking forward to hearing everyone's ideas here and on KUOW later today.

Update: Here's the audio playback of the show.