# Which digital streaming is better?



## ctenidae (Mar 29, 2011)

Netflix vs Blockbuster vs Hulu vs CinemaNow vs whatever other one you can think of...

Seems like Netflix has the shows, Blockbuster has a decent interface, CinemaNow has new movies faster, not sure what Hulu has/does.

What do you use, what do you like?


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## severine (Mar 29, 2011)

Has anyone tried Amazon's yet?

I should do that today.


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## ctenidae (Mar 29, 2011)

Didn't know Amazon had one, even. Still ahven't figured out (though haven't tried very hard) how to get services on the bluray devices that didn't come pre-loaded. Usually because by the time I start fiddling with that, I'm pretty loaded...


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## RootDKJ (Mar 29, 2011)

Fancast (Comcast) and Hulu.


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## severine (Mar 29, 2011)

ctenidae said:


> Didn't know Amazon had one, even. Still ahven't figured out (though haven't tried very hard) how to get services on the bluray devices that didn't come pre-loaded. Usually because by the time I start fiddling with that, I'm pretty loaded...


The only way I could get it to work would be through the computer, either on the laptop screen or by connecting to the TV with the HDMI. BUT I questioned it because it was mentioned in the Netflix thread that they offer free streaming for Amazon Prime members... and discovered it's only for those who have a paid Amazon Prime membership. Mine is a free student version and does not qualify. Since I already pay for Netflix, I'm not paying for streaming elsewhere.


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## ta&idaho (Mar 29, 2011)

Netflix streaming over TiVo and Apple TV stopped working for us, and neither Netflix nor Comcast seem to be able to fix it (each company blames the other), so we're in the market for a new streaming service.  Do any of the others work through those devices (we have both since we got the Apple TV as a gift)?


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## severine (Mar 29, 2011)

ta&idaho said:


> Netflix streaming over TiVo and Apple TV stopped working for us, and neither Netflix nor Comcast seem to be able to fix it (each company blames the other), so we're in the market for a new streaming service.  Do any of the others work through those devices (we have both since we got the Apple TV as a gift)?


Doesn't iTunes work with Apple TV? I thought they had downloadable rentals. Not really "streaming" but an easy way to get a movie.


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## ta&idaho (Mar 29, 2011)

severine said:


> Doesn't iTunes work with Apple TV? I thought they had downloadable rentals. Not really "streaming" but an easy way to get a movie.



Yes, great for movies but not for TV shows (which is what we have primiarly watched via Netflix streaming).


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## wa-loaf (Mar 29, 2011)

ta&idaho said:


> Yes, great for movies but not for TV shows (which is what we have primiarly watched via Netflix streaming).



Do you have a Wii?


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## ta&idaho (Mar 29, 2011)

wa-loaf said:


> Do you have a Wii?



Nope.


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## Geoff (Mar 29, 2011)

The Comcast VoD product has by far the best video quality.   I just wish they had more free HD content.  I'd rather buy the Blu Ray than pay for streaming video.


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## RootDKJ (Mar 29, 2011)

Geoff said:


> The Comcast VoD product has by far the best video quality.   I just wish they had more free HD content.  I'd rather buy the Blu Ray than pay for streaming video.


There's a ton more content available online.  HD content seems to go in cycles.


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## Geoff (Mar 29, 2011)

RootDKJ said:


> There's a ton more content available online.  HD content seems to go in cycles.



I have Netflix and I often get streaming deals from Amazon because I buy Blu Ray discs from them.   

Netflix is all about quantity over quality.   

Amazon is pretty good when you stream HD but I would never pay for it.   Their pricing OK for compressed video but the HD pricing is nuts.

The Walmart/Vudu is also priced at a point where I wouldn't consider it.   I don't understand why they charge a huge premium for HD.   Their distribution contract must somehow force them to do this so they don't eat into Blu Ray sales.


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## Nick (Mar 29, 2011)

severine said:


> The only way I could get it to work would be through the computer, either on the laptop screen or by connecting to the TV with the HDMI. BUT I questioned it because it was mentioned in the Netflix thread that they offer free streaming for Amazon Prime members... and discovered it's only for those who have a paid Amazon Prime membership. Mine is a free student version and does not qualify. Since I already pay for Netflix, I'm not paying for streaming elsewhere.



I didn't realize it was only for the paid version, although I suppose that makes sense. 

I use Netflix almost exclusively, but every now and again I will want to watch a new release that isn't out on Netflix yet and I don't feel like making the drive to the Redbox so I just rent it on Amazon for $3.99 or whatever it is. It's still not that bad considering I dont' have to move from the comfort of my couch


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## hammer (Mar 29, 2011)

Nick said:


> I didn't realize it was only for the paid version, although I suppose that makes sense.
> 
> I use Netflix almost exclusively, but every now and again I will want to watch a new release that isn't out on Netflix yet and I don't feel like making the drive to the Redbox so I just rent it on Amazon for $3.99 or whatever it is. It's still not that bad considering I dont' have to move from the comfort of my couch


What hardware do you use to connect to the TV?

I purchased Inception through Amazon and can watch it using our xBox 360, but it's actually playing the movie from my PC.


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## Nick (Mar 29, 2011)

hammer said:


> What hardware do you use to connect to the TV?
> 
> I purchased Inception through Amazon and can watch it using our xBox 360, but it's actually playing the movie from my PC.



I have a Logitech Revue that I actually got for free as part of a developer's incentive (yay!) so I normally use that. Prior to that I used to plug my laptop in via HDMI.

For netflix I use either the Revue or my PS3.


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## mlctvt (Mar 30, 2011)

Amazon has over 2000 movies that are free for Amazon prime members although they are they are mostly older movies. The newer more popular stuff still costs $.

I've streamed some movies from Amazon using a Roku HD box at our condo in VT but we have an older CRT TV there so I can't really comment on the quality. It seemed as goood if not better than Netflix. 

The Roku box is cheap and it allows you to search and select through Netflix on the box/TV itself. On our much higher end Sony Blue Ray player you must put the selections into your "instant queue" from a computer first.


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## ctenidae (Mar 30, 2011)

mlctvt said:


> The Roku box is cheap and it allows you to search and select through Netflix on the box/TV itself. On our much higher end Sony Blue Ray player you must put the selections into your "instant queue" from a computer first.



I think you need to get the software update for your Sony- you can search from thee now.


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## hammer (Mar 30, 2011)

I'm considering the Roku so that I can stream content to other TVs in the house.  We may "need" one if our son is successful in taking the xBox 360 with him to college in the fall.


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## gmcunni (Feb 21, 2015)

what device would be best for streaming *any* video from a Windows PC AND Ipad/phone?  i know google chrome has options but last time i tried it the problem was only specific apps worked... for example I don't believe i could stream from Windows Media player... i could have downloaded a different video player (VLC??) but i'm not looking for extra hassle.

basically, in addition to the streaming services like netflix, hulu, amazon, i'm looking to stream a MP4 or AVI from my PC while i'm sitting on front of the tv also using same PC for work/play on internet.

Apple TV?


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## deadheadskier (Feb 21, 2015)

I use Google chromecast for that.  It works great with say YouTube that has the app built in, but not so great with other services


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## Edd (Feb 21, 2015)

deadheadskier said:


> I use Google chromecast for that.  It works great with say YouTube that has the app built in, but not so great with other services



Have you tried the Chromecast at any hotels on trips?

I'm thinking of picking up a Roku stick for traveling. If the hotel has decent wifi, I can't think of a reason why it wouldn't work.


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## gmcunni (Feb 21, 2015)

$30 for vizio

http://electronics.woot.com/?ref=gh_el_2


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## deadheadskier (Feb 21, 2015)

Edd said:


> Have you tried the Chromecast at any hotels on trips?
> 
> I'm thinking of picking up a Roku stick for traveling. If the hotel has decent wifi, I can't think of a reason why it wouldn't work.



I have not.  The only thing I usually stream are live concerts from Phish, Widespread Panic etc.  So, I bought the Chromecast for that because I wanted to be able to watch the stream on TV, yet use my lap top on another webpage at the same time.  You can't do that with a straight HDMI hookup.   Ustream is the webpage / company that hosts these live shows and they don't have the Chrome app and using Chromecast works very poorly without it.  I do have horrible wireless though.  The building needs to be rewired by Comcast.  It's 30 year old cable in the walls from the building was first built.


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## Glenn (Feb 24, 2015)

Apple TV can mirror most anything on your device. You may have to adjust the TV resolution (normal, expanded, widescreen) to get the picture bigger, but mirroring can be a good work around for apps that don't support AirPlay. The Comcast app won't work via mirroring; very sneaky. 

Chromecast is difficult to set up at a hotel using their wifi since you usually have to log into the wifi via a browser to gain internet access. 

Roku is another option. They've gotten better with their apps in the more recent devices. They have Netflix and Amazon. They now also have History, PBS and a few others.


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## benski (Feb 24, 2015)

Also you can't mirror dvd's on Apple TV. Mirroring also does not work with Mac OS 6. 


Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone


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## Geoff (Feb 24, 2015)

benski said:


> Also you can't mirror dvd's on Apple TV. Mirroring also does not work with Mac OS 6.



Yeah, that magically stopped working on WinDoze 7 with some update about a year ago.  I used to use my laptop as a DVD player and push the video over HDMI with a DVI to HDMI converter to the hotel room flat screen.  Then it stopped working.   I can put my laptop display on the flat screen so I can stream Netflix but not DVDs.   With the typical hotel room crappy WiFi performance, I want to be able to watch a DVD.

I have a large DVD/Blu Ray collection.  I keep saying I'm going to set up a home theater PC with a big disk array, rip all my discs, and use DLNA to stream to an upgraded AV receiver.   It probably won't happen until I upgrade to 4K and a much bigger panel several years from now.

For the moment, I'm fine streaming Netflix and Amazon Prime to my plasma using my Panasonic blu ray player.


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## Edd (Feb 24, 2015)

Glenn said:


> Roku is another option. They've gotten better with their apps in the more recent devices. They have Netflix and Amazon. They now also have History, PBS and a few others.



Roku has the largest app selection by a long shot over the other boxes. The interface is outstanding putting blu-ray and smart TV software to shame.


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## gmcunni (Mar 10, 2015)

roku 4 announcement due soon.  as a result you can pick up a roku 3 for $79.99 @ Best Buy (and probalby elsewhere).

i did


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## Edd (Mar 10, 2015)

I'm guessing it will support 4K. If so, I'll probably pick it up.


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## gmcunni (Mar 10, 2015)

Edd said:


> I'm guessing it will support 4K. If so, I'll probably pick it up.



rumor yes, will actually be called Roku 4K.


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## o3jeff (Mar 11, 2015)

Apple TV is $69 now.


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## HD333 (Jan 25, 2016)

Netflix users.  It seems that I can't get Netflix to stream in HD on my TV, Samsung 4K.  I can stream in HD on another non smart tv with Chromecast. 

Any ideas ?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Edd (Jan 25, 2016)

Stream in HD? Are you saying that it's streaming in SD?


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## HD333 (Jan 25, 2016)

Yes. Shows are playing in SD on the Smart TV, Samsung, but on another TV they stream in HD through Chromecast. 


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## danimals (Jan 25, 2016)

Internet bandwidth may be an issue. Sometimes the smart tv software will just downgrade it to sd if bandwidth is bad


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## Edd (Jan 25, 2016)

Is it hard wired to the router or are you relying on a wifi connection? If it's wifi, you could try to hard wire it to eliminate wifi issues. After that, the obvious is to look at settings on the tv, which I'm guessing you've done. 

Smart TV interfaces are a disgrace compared to Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV, ect...My advice would be to ditch smart TV usage and use it as a dumb TV with a box or Chromecast hooked up.


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## VTKilarney (Jan 28, 2016)

Netflix is going from $8 to $10 per month.  Not a big deal, but I hardly ever watch Netflix so I am thinking of ditching it.

Can anyone compare Netflix to Amazon Prime Video?  Since I am a Prime member, I am thinking that there is no reason to have Netflix.

We are cord cutters.  Right now we have Hulu, Netflix, Amazon, and Sling TV - all through Roku.  Sling TV is temporary because we have a friend who is appearing on a reality show.  Once that's over we will get rid of Sling TV.  

I also have a Plex Media server on my home network.  I am a huge fan of Plex.  Of course everything on my media server has been legally downloaded.  

Lastly, I pay $25 a year for a VPN spoofing service.  This allows us to directly stream BBC shows, ITV shows, CBC shows, etc.  We are at the point where we watch just as much British content as American content.  

I don't miss cable one bit.  If you are a sports fan you really need cable, but I'm fine without it.  We now watch less TV, but just as much quality TV.  We just don't watch the mindless crap that we used to watch.

And thanks to cord cutting I have become a huge rugby fan.  Rugby is SO much better to watch than American football.  Way more exciting, just as much strategy, and a lot more action.  For those interested in checking out rugby, the RBS Six Nations tournament begins on February 6th.


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## Edd (Jan 28, 2016)

Amazon, like Netflix, has some great original content. I think Netflix is superior to Amazon as far as the rest of the shows go. Far more variety. 

If you order from Amazon regularly, the Prime membership seems worth it to me. We get packages weekly, on the average. I'm even using the Prime streaming music stations at work, because my company is blocking every other service out there.


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## ctenidae (Jan 28, 2016)

I flip between Netflix and Amazon for binge watching purposes (though, usually 1 episode a night, so not really binging). I can't ever remember which thing I was watching what show on, so that's a problem.

For daily/normal watching, though, still can't get over the hump of having to decide what to watch. We just don't invest that much effort in it. Sit down, turn on HGTV, turn on computer, zone out for an hour, go to bed. I hate paying $100+ a month for that. Kids watch "more" though still very little, and their needs are entirely manageable with the iPads.

Just have to decide to rip the cord out.


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## Cannonball (Jan 29, 2016)

ctenidae said:


> I flip between Netflix and Amazon for binge watching purposes (though, usually 1 episode a night, so not really binging). I can't ever remember which thing I was watching what show on, so that's a problem.
> 
> For daily/normal watching, though, still can't get over the hump of having to decide what to watch. We just don't invest that much effort in it. Sit down, turn on HGTV, turn on computer, zone out for an hour, go to bed. I hate paying $100+ a month for that. Kids watch "more" though still very little, and their needs are entirely manageable with the iPads.
> 
> Just have to decide to rip the cord out.



RIP it out!  We did for 2 completely different reasons that seem to line up with yours:
1) For me:  I never even think to turn on the TV. If I'm home alone I'm either listening to music or doing something on my computer.  The only time I watch TV is to sit and spend time with my wife. So I had virtually no need for a cable subscription/cost. 
2) For my wife:  She always turns on the TV and watches whatever is on regardless of quality. She got sick of that time suck and wanted to cut the cord to prevent her from wasting time with the TV. 

Now we stream everything through Netflix, Amazon,  or network apps.   We watch less total TV.  When we do watch,  we choose the content and timing.  So much better.  So much cheaper.


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## hammer (Jan 29, 2016)

This would help with the cost some...when I had 4 TVs connected the rental charges were about as much as the service.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2498543,00.asp


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## ctenidae (Jan 31, 2016)

Okay, doing actual research now. Our cable bill is $146/month. $40 of that is equipment rental, and we have the most basic of packages.
We watch about 15 channels with any regularity, often 1-2 shows per.

Seems like Sling gets 6 of them, with 1 more for an extra $5. Hulu seems to have the other shows. So now we're up to $33/month.

Questions, then:
1) How many different apps/services do you have/need to replicate your particular viewing range? 
2) How annoying is it to try to remember which show is on what app?
2a) Given 2, I presume it's best to use a consistent device across all TV. I'm leaning toward FireTV for the living room, FireSticks everywhere else (Sling has $50 off the FireTV)


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## Cannonball (Jan 31, 2016)

ctenidae said:


> Okay, doing actual research now. Our cable bill is $146/month. $40 of that is equipment rental, and we have the most basic of packages.
> We watch about 15 channels with any regularity, often 1-2 shows per.
> 
> Seems like Sling gets 6 of them, with 1 more for an extra $5. Hulu seems to have the other shows. So now we're up to $33/month.
> ...



Don't forget that bundled Internet/TV does have different pricing vs Internet only.  So sometimes the provider savings aren't huge.  Plus you may want top end Internet speed (ie cost) to handle a family's worth of streaming. 

With that said... 
1)  we pay for Netflix.  We also pay for  Amazon Prime, but we mostly do that for the free shipping,  the streaming content is a bonus.  We also have lots of network streaming apps but they are all free.  Every random sitcom or drama that my wife likes is available through network apps.  Usually within a day or two of initial airing.  Then there are some pay-as-you-go services like Google Play ($1-$5 per show/movie).  I equate those to on-demand you might purchase even when you pay for cable.  

2) not at all. They each have "watch lists" that keep track of what you've seen and are very easy to come back to. 

3) this is a little bit trickier.  We have chromecast on each of the TVs we watch (only 2). They are ~$35 each.  That works great for Netflix,  YouTube,  and many network apps.  Amazon Prime will mostly not stream to chromecast because they want you to buy their Fire-thing.   But there are work arounds.  Google Chrome browser on a computer can stream to chromecast.  So we usually watch Amazon that way.   Different phones also offer different work arounds (iPhone is pretty limited).  I have a Motorola Maxx.  It can cast it's whole screen to chromecast and other devices.  So I'm able to  cast Amazon,  NFL Network,  and other services that typically prevent casting. 

In the end you lose somethings you gain somethings.  But most of that is in the noise of garbage that you only watch because it's there.  Some random program on free streaming is no worse or better than some random program on paid cable.  

The biggest thing for me is timing.  I don't always feel like watching something at the top of the hour.  And I don't like getting stuck watching something until the top of some other hour.  On any given night maybe I only have the time and interest to watch TV from 8:47 to 9:32. I can do that with streaming,  I can't do that with scheduled cable programs.


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## VTKilarney (Feb 1, 2016)

ctenidae said:


> Okay, doing actual research now. Our cable bill is $146/month. $40 of that is equipment rental, and we have the most basic of packages.
> We watch about 15 channels with any regularity, often 1-2 shows per.
> 
> Seems like Sling gets 6 of them, with 1 more for an extra $5. Hulu seems to have the other shows. So now we're up to $33/month.
> ...



I'm a big fan of Roku.  Roku is not a content provider, so they don't prevent you from accessing any streaming competition.  It's the best device for one stop shopping, so to speak.

Sling allows you to watch past episodes of shows that have aired in the past week or so, which is a really nice feature.  No need to record them - just pull them up in the archive.  (I'm not sure if this is available on all channels.)

To answer your questions:
1) We use about three apps regularly.  I have a couple more, but they are RARELY used.
2) It's not at all hard to remember which show is on which app.  You get used to it VERY quickly.
3) Using the same device is not necessary, but it makes things easier.  

You can't get the full cable experience if you cut the cord.  There will be compromises.  But we find that there is plenty to watch, and that we have primarily eliminated stuff that we didn't need in the first place.  I've never regretted cutting the cord.


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