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Archive for the 'Netflix' Tag

10 ways to watch TV cheaper

April 9th, 2010, 8:10 am by
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My prediction: This is going to be a big year for TV. But not because the last episode of “Lost”  airs next month. Or because yet another season of “American Idol” is one of this year’s highest rated shows.

What’s changing is how we watch TV. Hulu.com, which offers a ton of recently aired TV shows, is a mainstream hit. There are trials by Time Warner Cable offering subscribers access to some cable TV shows on the Web. Dish announced something similar (read: “Coming soon: Dish to let users watch TV online“).

Cable TV companies are losing subscribers. Online video sites, which allow users to pick and choose what they want to watch, are gaining viewers. And for the first time last fall, a major cable provider took its fight against the ever-increasing fees paid to networks to rebroadcast shows public. Something has got to give!

While the state of paid TV is undergoing a monumental change, several services are already available to help consumers pay for only what they want to watch. Now, there’s probably more than 10 suggestions on how to watch web TV on a TV, but you get the picture.

While you can hook up a computer to your PC (a la Windows Media Center or some other DIY software), I’ve tracked down some newer alternatives to pipe TV shows from the Web to your big screen TV.  I’ve listed some below, but I’m sure every reader has his or her own favorites. Please share with the rest of us in the comments and if I’m able, I’ll elevate them to the list below. Read the rest of this entry »

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Ditching cable for Xbox saves Seal Beach man $70/month

April 8th, 2010, 5:12 pm by

This is the first in a short series about alternatives to TV service. More coming on Friday.
DITCHING CABLE: Jeremy Baker gave up cable after he lost his job. But he still watches the latest shows thanks to services like PlayOn, Netflix and others. Photo by CINDY YAMANAKA

Everything changed when Jeremy Baker lost his job in November 2008 — including how he watched TV.

The Seal Beach resident  didn’t watch a ton of TV but his cable bill had crept up to $130 a month. Scrambling to cut costs, he canceled cable and bought a Microsoft Xbox 360 game console.

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“I know it doesn’t make sense but I did the math. After 6 months, the Xbox was paid for,” Baker said.

It’s what he did with the Xbox that helped him save money. By changing the source of his TV service, Baker was able to watch most of his favorite shows on his TV for half of what he had paid the cable company.

He purchased PlayOn software for $30 and got a subscription to Netflix. For $8.99/month, Netflix offers unlimited access to its online video library, which includes thousands of movies and TV shows, plus one DVD rental at a time. PlayOn gave him access to several TV shows plucked from sites like the popular Hulu.com, ComedyCentral.com (including ”The Daily Show with Jon Stewart“) plus an assortment of on-demand shows from MTV, Food Networks, HGTV, SyFy and Discovery Channel.

The best part? He can still watch it all on his regular TV, thanks to the Xbox.

“I got really into watching the old ‘Law & Orders’ and every ‘SVU’ and ‘Criminal Intent,’”  Baker said. “I’m probably paying $60 a month.” Read the rest of this entry »

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Netflix movie rentals coming to Nintendo Wii

January 13th, 2010, 10:09 am by

Wii getting Netflix compatibility.Noted: Nintendo Wii owners can start downloading movie rentals to their TV this spring, thanks to an agreement between movie rental king Netflix and the game console.

Movie watchers don’t have to pay extra for the service but must have a Netflix plan of at least $8.99 per month.

That should take care of the bulk of U.S. gaming households, which can also use a Sony PlayStation 3 or Microsoft Xbox to watch Netflix rentals almost instantly.

Wii owners will need to run a special Netflix disc through the Wii console to prep the Wii for movie viewing. The disc is free and can be ordered at www.netflix.com/Wii. The discs will be mailed in the spring.

More on Web TV:

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Popbox turns your TV into a Web TV for $130

January 6th, 2010, 12:16 pm by

The Popbox web TV device.Another contender is jumping into the pretty crowded area of Web TV in a box. Popbox, from Fremont’s Syabas Technology, is a small black box that uses an Internet connection to stream videos and other content to a home’s TV.

This device — like the Roku, the Boxee Box, networked TVs…  — appears to have many of the same content partners as everyone else: Netflix, BlipTV and Revision 3. There are also a bunch of widgets available, including Twitter, WeatherBug.

Here is Popbox’s full list of content options. The box also can stream photos, videos and other media stored on computers in the home.

And possibly due to the fact that Syabas has facilities in China and Malaysia, its partner list includes CCTV “the largest media content and television programer (sic) in China,” and MalaysiaKini: Streaming video Malaysian news and views.

When asked if it had any content partners that no one else had, the company said it was too hard to say since everyone is getting new partners all the time.

I guess we’ll have to wait and see what is exactly in the Popbox when it becomes available at the end of March 2010. The box plus software is $130 with no subscription fee to maintain (other than separate fees charged by content partners). A box with Wi-Fi will be $149.

Consumer Electronics Show 2010 with The GadgetressFor more CES 2010 coverage, visit the Gadgetress CES page at gadgetress.freedomblogging.com/ces2010. Most recent headlines:

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Netflix users can start renting videos on PlayStation 3

November 10th, 2009, 11:08 am by

Netflix begins streaming movie rentals to PlayStation 3 owners.Update: As mentioned in my earlier story “TV shows, movies via Netflix coming to PlayStation 3,” Netflix said the service begins today!

The online movie-rental service allows Netflix members to download movies straight to the game console and watch them on a big TV.

Of course, it’s not free but it’s cheaper than any paid TV service out there. Members must pay a minimum of $8.99 per month. That fee gets viewers access to an unlimited number of movies and TV shows that are available on Netflix’s streaming service.

Netflix offers the video streaming service to certain electronic devices, including the Roku players, Microsoft Xbox, TiVos and a few TVs and Blu-ray players. But that means you have to buy a device in order to get access. Adding the PS3 opens the service up to 9 million PS3 owners.

In order to activate the service on a PS3, users must order a special DVD from Netflix and run it through the console. Here’s the link: www.netflix.com/NRD/PS3.

Earlier on web TV:

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Roku adds 2 more toys for watching Web TV on home TV

October 27th, 2009, 7:12 am by

Spreading the word: Roku added two more devices today to stream Netflix movies, Amazon Video on Demand and MLB.TV and other content to your TV.

The Roku SD player starts at $79. The Roku HD-XR, $129, adds Wi-Fi’s 802.11n technology plus a USB port for future use.

These join Roku’s existing $99 HD player, which came out in May 2008. All have Wi-Fi. You can compare the three products HERE on Roku’s site.

Some early reviews:

Click images below to enlarge:

Roku player Roku HD-XR, rear Roku SD, rear Roku HDXR digital video player

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TV shows, movies via Netflix coming to PlayStation 3

October 26th, 2009, 2:57 pm by

PlayStation 3 owners getting Netflix serviceNetflix is openings up its online movie and TV-show streaming service to PlayStation 3 owners next month.

The popular DVD-rental company announced the PlayStation deal today and notes that thousands of movies and TV shows will soon be available for anyone with the game console and a Netflix account.

Streaming movies and TV shows from Netflix won’t cost a penny more if you’re already a Netflix customer, where subscription prices start at $8.99 per month. That rate gets a Netflix user access to stream an unlimited number of movies and TV shows right to their big-screen TV, plus the usual rental DVDs by mail.

The main gripe people have with Netflix’s streaming service is the lack of titles, and most particularly, lack of high-definition content. But the service is still relatively new, so, hopefully, the company will soon have its entire catalog of movies and TV shows available online. No more messing with mailing back envelopes.

And as free TV services like Hulu ponder whether to charge, Netflix is one alternative to the millions of paid-TV users who are wondering if paying $50 to $100 or more per month for TV is worth it. Netflix streaming includes TV shows from ABC, CBS, NBC and the Disney Channel.

Netflix says PlayStation 3 owners will need a special Blu-ray disc to enable the free, instant streaming. The disc will be available to all Netflix members. Netflix users can reserve the disc today by going to www.netflix.com/ps3. It will mailed as soon as it’s available.

The Netflix streaming service is also available on TiVo HD players, the Roku digital player, Samsung networked Blu-ray players, LG networked TVs and Blu-ray players, the Xbox 360 and the upcoming Vizio Internet HDTV.

Recent stories on Web TV:

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First Netflix TVs powered by Broadcom

June 15th, 2009, 10:43 am by

LG's Netflix TVs have Irvine's Broadcom inside.The first HDTVs that can stream movies from Netflix’s online movie service do so thanks to technology from Irvine’s Broadcom Corp. 

The LG Electronics TVs, which have LG’s “NetCast Entertainment Access” feature, just hit stores like Best Buy. They include an Ethernet port leaving it to consumers to supply Internet service. Once plugged in, the TV can access a handful of online services, like Netflix. 

Broadcom, which has been working with LG for three years, is supplying its BCM 3549 digital TV system on a chip for LG’s new “Broadband HDTVs.”  The Irvine chipmaker’s specialty is processing high-quality video without too much effort by the machine’s other components. While the LG TVs were announced in January, Broadcom wanted to wait until TVs were available before announcing its partnership with the electronics company. Watch Broadcom’s video on YouTube HERE.

The LG TVs are the first to integrate the Netflix instant streaming service, which allows Netflix subscribers to order movies on demand and watch them instantly on TV. Netflix streaming offers a limited number of movies and TV shows and is included with any monthly membership.  That service has been available with LG’s Blu-ray player plus a number of other gadgets including Xbox 360, the Roku player, some TiVo boxes and a Samsung Blu-ray player. With the new LG TVs, no additional devices are needed to stream Netflix movies.

LG's 'Broadband HDTV' can access online services from Yahoo! Widgets.

Internet TVs were big trends at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this year.  And, it seemed, every TV brand planned to offer its own version of a Web TV, including Toshiba, Sharp, Panasonic and Irvine’s Vizio. But don’t get too excited. An Internet TV doesn’t mean a user can actually access the Internet. Depending on the manufacturer, only certain online services are available to users. 

In LG’s case, users will have access to specific online content, such as YouTube, NetFlix, Flickr and Yahoo! Widgets (to add Twitter, news feeds, etc.). The TVs can only “access Internet” via Yahoo! Widgets. Users won’t be able to sit on the couch and surf the plain, ol’ Internet. However, the Broadcom chip will also let the TV access video, photos and other files stored on PCs or other devices attached to the home computer network.

LG TVs with the Internet chip include the 47-inch 47LH50 LCD TV, priced at $2,100, and the 50-inch 50PS80 plasma TV, priced at $2,100. A 42-inch LCD (model 42LH50, for $1,700) and 60-inch plasma (model 60PS80 for $3,200) are expected to go on sale this summer.

Images courtesy of Broadcom.

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