I'm a TV person, too. But on its own, my TV lacks processing power and the slideshow transitions aren't the best. Therefore, I typically use it via a PS3, which has great slideshow features and special effects.
Alternatively, I use a blueray player that's connected to a networked hard drive. Its not as feature packed as the PS3, but I have access to all my photos and it runs silently (wheras the PS3 has a noisy cooling fan).