Gail Simone
06-28-2009, 10:31 AM
This thing is amazing. I'm going to sound like a commercial here. But I can't think of any set-top service we have enjoyed as much as this.
For those who may not know, if you have Netflix and an Xbox (and high-speed internet), you get access to something like 15000 movies and television series to watch for free on your television, any time you want, as often as you like.
I was skeptical. Our cable service sucks. Picture and sound are bad. Channel selection is spotty. And past attempts to watch films through the internet were dodgy at best, with lots of breakage and poor video quality.
Additionally, the first selection of stuff available seemed a bit meager with a heavy emphasis on crap.
That has changed. Now, the streaming service offers remarkable picture and sound quality, far, far superior to what we get from cable. Many movies and shows are offered in true HD, with great sound and no break-up. We watched the first nine episodes of Harper's Island on NF streaming with amazing hd picture and sound, compared to last night where we watched the latest episode on regular cable and it looked like it was being shown through someone's butt, it was so bad in comparison. AND it had commercials.
We have cable and a tivo, and barely use either anymore.
There are thousands of movies available...lots of crap, surely, but lots of classics and foreign films, and even some very recent stuff that just hit dvd shelves. I live in the boonies and it's difficult for me to see a particular older film if I get the urge. I have to use Netflix as the stores and rental places don't have much selection here. But often, NF streaming will have it and I can be enjoying the movie in seconds. Tons of documentaries, tons of Imax films (we love those).
Even more interesting is the television series. Whole series are available for some of my favorite shows ever. Dexter, Both versions of the Office, 30 Rock, all of South Park, Monty Python, Red Dwarf, Vicar of Dibley, Outer Limits, Twilight Zone, Star Trek, Harper's Island, Heroes, Sanctuary, CSI, Mythbusters, The Avengers, Bullshit, Dr. Who, Fawlty Towers, League of Gentlemen, Friday Night Lights, Jericho, Californication, on and on and on, just tons of my favorite series, complete, to watch any time I want without even the fuss of finding the DVDs.
The thing is, I have purchased almost all of those series already in dvd form. Some, like the South Park seasons and Monty Python complete set and Dr. Who stuff, have run into some serious cash just for those series alone. Add it up and it's easily many thousands of dollars. Add in the movies I've bought that I would NOT have purchased if I'd had NF Streaming at the time and it comes out to be a terrifying amount of money I could have saved. Because now, even when I own the dvd, I still prefer to watch it on NF streaming. Great picture and sound, and the best possible convenience.
It has reduced clutter in my home, it has cut my dvd spending by a huge percentage, and now when I do take the time to watch something on television, it's almost always something I know I'll enjoy.
And it came free with my 15 dollar-a-month Netflix service and my X-box.
Add Hulu (free) and Playon (30 dollar lifetime membership one-time fee) and you expand your on-demand options even further.
I can't recommend it enough. I have had so many subscriptions to entertainment services (online games I don't continue playing, a tivo service I barely ever use, Sirius radio I haven't even turned on in weeks) that didn't really provide much value for me. This thing is RIDICULOUS and I use it almost every day, for fifty cents a day. And it's saving me likely hundreds of dollars a month.
I know I sound like a commercial, but it actually is worth buying an Xbox and Netflix to have this service, in my opinion.
For those who may not know, if you have Netflix and an Xbox (and high-speed internet), you get access to something like 15000 movies and television series to watch for free on your television, any time you want, as often as you like.
I was skeptical. Our cable service sucks. Picture and sound are bad. Channel selection is spotty. And past attempts to watch films through the internet were dodgy at best, with lots of breakage and poor video quality.
Additionally, the first selection of stuff available seemed a bit meager with a heavy emphasis on crap.
That has changed. Now, the streaming service offers remarkable picture and sound quality, far, far superior to what we get from cable. Many movies and shows are offered in true HD, with great sound and no break-up. We watched the first nine episodes of Harper's Island on NF streaming with amazing hd picture and sound, compared to last night where we watched the latest episode on regular cable and it looked like it was being shown through someone's butt, it was so bad in comparison. AND it had commercials.
We have cable and a tivo, and barely use either anymore.
There are thousands of movies available...lots of crap, surely, but lots of classics and foreign films, and even some very recent stuff that just hit dvd shelves. I live in the boonies and it's difficult for me to see a particular older film if I get the urge. I have to use Netflix as the stores and rental places don't have much selection here. But often, NF streaming will have it and I can be enjoying the movie in seconds. Tons of documentaries, tons of Imax films (we love those).
Even more interesting is the television series. Whole series are available for some of my favorite shows ever. Dexter, Both versions of the Office, 30 Rock, all of South Park, Monty Python, Red Dwarf, Vicar of Dibley, Outer Limits, Twilight Zone, Star Trek, Harper's Island, Heroes, Sanctuary, CSI, Mythbusters, The Avengers, Bullshit, Dr. Who, Fawlty Towers, League of Gentlemen, Friday Night Lights, Jericho, Californication, on and on and on, just tons of my favorite series, complete, to watch any time I want without even the fuss of finding the DVDs.
The thing is, I have purchased almost all of those series already in dvd form. Some, like the South Park seasons and Monty Python complete set and Dr. Who stuff, have run into some serious cash just for those series alone. Add it up and it's easily many thousands of dollars. Add in the movies I've bought that I would NOT have purchased if I'd had NF Streaming at the time and it comes out to be a terrifying amount of money I could have saved. Because now, even when I own the dvd, I still prefer to watch it on NF streaming. Great picture and sound, and the best possible convenience.
It has reduced clutter in my home, it has cut my dvd spending by a huge percentage, and now when I do take the time to watch something on television, it's almost always something I know I'll enjoy.
And it came free with my 15 dollar-a-month Netflix service and my X-box.
Add Hulu (free) and Playon (30 dollar lifetime membership one-time fee) and you expand your on-demand options even further.
I can't recommend it enough. I have had so many subscriptions to entertainment services (online games I don't continue playing, a tivo service I barely ever use, Sirius radio I haven't even turned on in weeks) that didn't really provide much value for me. This thing is RIDICULOUS and I use it almost every day, for fifty cents a day. And it's saving me likely hundreds of dollars a month.
I know I sound like a commercial, but it actually is worth buying an Xbox and Netflix to have this service, in my opinion.