Out of the Blue

As one of the last people on Earth who doesn't use Netflix, I don't have a lot of proper experience with streaming TV and movies, other than DirecTV's half-hearted on-demand service. As an Amazon Prime customer, I checked out their new free streaming service yesterday and was pretty impressed, as things streamed nicely and looked good with zero delays or hiccups. Having a very fast connection and an unusual love for b movies, I'm probably the perfect target for this service.

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23 Replies. 2 pages. Viewing page 1.
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23.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
Feb 24, 2011, 22:24
23.
Re: Out of the Blue Feb 24, 2011, 22:24
Feb 24, 2011, 22:24
 
Verno wrote on Feb 24, 2011, 09:56:
nin wrote on Feb 24, 2011, 09:22:
OMFG, who shit all over shacknews?

My eyes.


Holy shit wow that is bad.

Welcome to sites designed for tablets regardless of the connecting environment.
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22.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
Feb 24, 2011, 11:41
Ant
 
22.
Re: Out of the Blue Feb 24, 2011, 11:41
Feb 24, 2011, 11:41
 Ant
 
I would get Netflix, but I hate subscription. I rarely watch movies and stuff. I'd rather pay on demand like RedBox's 99 cents per day.

Eww, Shacknews. Time to stop visiting it. When did they change it? I haven't been there and others' for over two weeks due to lack of free time.
Avatar 1957
21.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
Feb 24, 2011, 09:56
21.
Re: Out of the Blue Feb 24, 2011, 09:56
Feb 24, 2011, 09:56
 
nin wrote on Feb 24, 2011, 09:22:
OMFG, who shit all over shacknews?

My eyes.


Holy shit wow that is bad.
Avatar 51617
20.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
Feb 24, 2011, 09:22
nin
20.
Re: Out of the Blue Feb 24, 2011, 09:22
Feb 24, 2011, 09:22
nin
 

OMFG, who shit all over shacknews?

My eyes.

19.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
Feb 24, 2011, 09:15
19.
Re: Out of the Blue Feb 24, 2011, 09:15
Feb 24, 2011, 09:15
 
Netflix HD streaming is weird. A lot of the stuff says "Available in HD on your TV", which means it won't be in HD on your computer, but it will on a device that supports Netflix streaming (my Blu-ray player does, for example). The first two Futurama DVD movies are in this category, as is Arrested Development, both of which are significant since they're only available on DVD, not Blu-ray. Other things are available in HD in a web browser as well.

I wonder if and when Netflix will ever stream on Android devices (right now it's just on WP7 and iOS).
18.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
Feb 23, 2011, 22:15
nin
18.
Re: Out of the Blue Feb 23, 2011, 22:15
Feb 23, 2011, 22:15
nin
 
Supposedly they are getting more and more movies, and there are some good new ones, but I mostly use it for TV shows.


They spent one billion (with a b) last summer towards movie rights. They're in it for the long haul.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/11/business/media/11netflix.html

They've pretty much said they view themselves as a streaming company that does discs in the short term.
17.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
Feb 23, 2011, 21:52
Enahs
 
17.
Re: Out of the Blue Feb 23, 2011, 21:52
Feb 23, 2011, 21:52
 Enahs
 

I would enjoy if Amazon Prime (and probably Netflix, et al.) didn't require Flash Player. Doesn't this rule it out for 99% of mobile devices, or is there an App for that? And then, is there a Windows Mobile 6.5 App for that? There would be nothing more satisfying than for me to stream a video over 3G that I actually wanted to see instead of someone else's "clips" or movie trailers.


Netflix uses Microsoft Silverlight, NOT flash, fyi.
And yes, Windows Phone 7's support Silverlight, and you can watch movies with your phone. But it will only allow you to use it over Wifi, not 3G.


And I love Netflix. Mostly for TV shows, and they are adding a lot more fast.

Supposedly they are getting more and more movies, and there are some good new ones, but I mostly use it for TV shows.
I am free of all prejudice. I hate everyone equally.
- W. C. Fields
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16.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
Feb 23, 2011, 18:12
16.
Re: Out of the Blue Feb 23, 2011, 18:12
Feb 23, 2011, 18:12
 
Agent.X7 wrote on Feb 23, 2011, 15:10:
I streamed Netflix through a PS3, the quality was good. Maybe not quite BD, but better than DVD.

Not quite BD? Most BD-ROM movies are 20-40Mbit video... even Netflix's 1080p streams are only ~4Mbit. Most of the Blu-Ray rips I have done of my own collection are about 6Mbit, and I don't feel like dropping it much further is particularly good for image quality.

That being said, to have them instantly, 3-5Mbit 720/1080p streams are "good enough" in the overwhelming majority of cases. If you're a videophile, you'll gripe, but those people complain about compression artifacts on Blu-Ray discs sometimes.
15.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
Feb 23, 2011, 16:53
mag
15.
Re: Out of the Blue Feb 23, 2011, 16:53
Feb 23, 2011, 16:53
mag
 
Huh! I don't recall ever getting that. Well, a weekly email or something, maybe.
14.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
Feb 23, 2011, 16:30
nin
14.
Re: Out of the Blue Feb 23, 2011, 16:30
Feb 23, 2011, 16:30
nin
 
mag wrote on Feb 23, 2011, 16:25:
It is aggravating how titles randomly come and go, though. Some notice that the titles in your queue are going to expire in X days would be really nice.

I get that notice in my streaming queue. Whatever Works expires on 2/27, and Roxanne, The Burbs, and Cool World all expire on 3/1.
13.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
Feb 23, 2011, 16:25
mag
13.
Re: Out of the Blue Feb 23, 2011, 16:25
Feb 23, 2011, 16:25
mag
 
I've *never* had to send a BD disc back to Netflix. They're nearly indestructible--have a very tough anti-scratch layer.

And its selection of streaming movies is fine. You aren't going to find movies that were released last month, and they don't have every movie ever made, but I always see plenty of things I want to watch.

It is aggravating how titles randomly come and go, though. Some notice that the titles in your queue are going to expire in X days would be really nice.
12.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
Feb 23, 2011, 15:45
PHJF
 
12.
Re: Out of the Blue Feb 23, 2011, 15:45
Feb 23, 2011, 15:45
 PHJF
 
The library is still pathetic at best. If it weren't for their deal with Starz, Netflix's streaming movies would consist of almost entirely shit I've never even heard of.
Steam + PSN: PHJF
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11.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
Feb 23, 2011, 15:28
11.
Re: Out of the Blue Feb 23, 2011, 15:28
Feb 23, 2011, 15:28
 
I love Netflix. It made me drop to just basic cable. I watched 5 seasons of Lost in 3 months! They're now concentrating on expanding their streaming offerings. That's their focus now, not so much the mail DVDs.
10.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
Feb 23, 2011, 15:10
10.
Re: Out of the Blue Feb 23, 2011, 15:10
Feb 23, 2011, 15:10
 
I streamed Netflix through a PS3, the quality was good. Maybe not quite BD, but better than DVD. I don't like that movies and shows appear and disappear without notice. I added several things only to have them not be on my list the next day because they had been taken off the on demand part. I also didn't like that EVERY damn time I received a BD movie, it had to be sent back at least once because the first one was all messed up. Often it was 2 or 3 times. I canceled after that.

I tried Hulu Plus as well. Looks good, but it doesn't stream for shit. Keeps pausing for minutes at a time, breaks up, etc. I spoke to a rep, and they claim that it must be my ISP. Um, no. I can stream on my PC and my TV at the same time and get great looking movies from Amazon. Netflix worked fine. Vudu works fine. It's not my ISP.
9.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
Feb 23, 2011, 14:02
mag
9.
Re: Out of the Blue Feb 23, 2011, 14:02
Feb 23, 2011, 14:02
mag
 
banddirector wrote on Feb 23, 2011, 13:43:
I'm another ex-Netflix customer who was the victim of bad service several years ago - - I suppose I should give them another shot. But I've also turned into a bit of an HD snob, and I don't like the low-res quality of standard def movies I've streamed thru my Xbox.

Are the Netflix streamed movies any better?

If you have the bandwidth, (~8mbps down or so, or something?) Netflix will stream 1080p to you. I have a 5mbps connection, and it'll essentially max it out, and while it's not Blu-Ray quality it definitely doesn't look bad. Looks almost as good as broadcast-quality 720p/1080i, I think.

Edit: This is streaming through a PS3. I've heard that there are differences with regard to what device you stream through. The 360 might not support 1080p, and I've heard that some aren't as good at using up all of what you have to offer.
8.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
Feb 23, 2011, 13:46
nin
8.
Re: Out of the Blue Feb 23, 2011, 13:46
Feb 23, 2011, 13:46
nin
 
banddirector wrote on Feb 23, 2011, 13:43:
I'm another ex-Netflix customer who was the victim of bad service several years ago - - I suppose I should give them another shot. But I've also turned into a bit of an HD snob, and I don't like the low-res quality of standard def movies I've streamed thru my Xbox.

Are the Netflix streamed movies any better?

I still don't consider it "HD" even when they claim it is. That, and the fact that I have to clean a large number of discs is prob my main two annoyances with them.

For $15 a month, I definitely get my moneys worth, but there's still room for improvement.
7.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
Feb 23, 2011, 13:43
7.
Re: Out of the Blue Feb 23, 2011, 13:43
Feb 23, 2011, 13:43
 

I'm another ex-Netflix customer who was the victim of bad service several years ago - - I suppose I should give them another shot. But I've also turned into a bit of an HD snob, and I don't like the low-res quality of standard def movies I've streamed thru my Xbox.

Are the Netflix streamed movies any better?
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6.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
Feb 23, 2011, 11:23
6.
Re: Out of the Blue Feb 23, 2011, 11:23
Feb 23, 2011, 11:23
 
I've been pretty disappointed with Netflix streaming. Sure, they have all the latest big movies but their TV offerings are meager. But somewhere above today's OotB is an article about CBS opening up its library to Netflix so hopefully this will change over time.

I'm using the XBox Live interface - really it was the biggest reason I got an XBox a few months back. The really infuriating thing with that is there doesn't seem to be a way to filter results based on whether or not the title is available for streaming. Madness! It does seem as if the streamable titles usually list first though. Also, I'd love to be able to filter on whether the title is HD or not. And I wish searches could return more than 50 results.
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5.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
Feb 23, 2011, 10:48
nin
5.
Re: Out of the Blue Feb 23, 2011, 10:48
Feb 23, 2011, 10:48
nin
 
I've used Netflix streaming for over a year and really love it. The catalog continues to grow (see here for the latest: http://feedfliks.com/streaming/ ). I just glanced at Amazon and doesn't see too much interesting yet, but I plan to keep an eye on it, for the future...
4.
 
Re: Out of the Blue
Feb 23, 2011, 10:46
4.
Re: Out of the Blue Feb 23, 2011, 10:46
Feb 23, 2011, 10:46
 
Love for B movies is unusual?



Huh.


-Jn-
Ifirit Sophist
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