Netflix, the Internet-based movie distributor, has figured out a way to deliver movies to you without going through the mail. It’s called the Netflix Player, and is made by a company named Roku.

The Player delivers movies to your TV set through your broadband Internet connection (if you’re on dial-up, you’re unfortunately out of luck). Through an onscreen guide, you decide what movie you want to wach. Pick the movie, start the download, then start watching! You set up a Queue, just you like you do with your normal Netflix service (note that you need an Unlimited Netflix account to use the Player. They start at $8.99 per month.) Netflix says it has more than 12,000 movies and TV shows ready to go, with many of them in HD.

The Player, which retails for $99, comes with multiple inputs, so you can hook up an HDTV, plasma, or an old barker of a set with ancient analog outputs.

I haven’t used the Player. I have, however, used Netflix often in the past, and found their service to be top-notch. If you’re a movie addict, it’s definitely worth checking out. It beats ordering movies online, then having to wait several days for the little red envelope to show up in your mailbox.