My wife and I watch a lot of TV. You might expect then that we have a High-End Comcast, U-Verse, XFinity or Direct TV like service. If you did you should really read article titles before you read the article. I’ll give you a moment to be disappointed with yourself.
When we first got U-Verse internet we got one of those “free 6 months of cable deals” as a first time customer. As far as I am concerned there is no greater price then free so we went for it. During that time we discovered a few things:
- There were more channels we didn’t watch then we did watch
- Because we didn’t pay extra DVR capability we missed most of the shows we did like due to schedule conflicts
- In order to get HD channels we needed to pay even more
- The cost once out of the promotion was to much to justify considering our monthly salary vs. expenses.
In the end we cancelled our TV service and searched for alternatives. Lucky for Bethany I’m a technology nerd and sometimes play video games so I had a Playstation 3. For those of you who don’t know the Playstation 3 is a video game console that also allows certain 3rd Party Applications on it and allows connections to local media servers for streaming video content. Let me translate that for a moment. The Playstation 3 (ps3) allows Applications like Netflix, Hulu Plus and Amazon Prime to connect to their services and stream content directly onto your television. This opened Bethany and I up to a lot of content and has become our primary method of media consumption. Here is a breakdown of the pros and cons of each service as I see them.
[highlight] Netflix Instant [/highlight] Most of us know Netflix. Netflix started of shipping DVD’s back and forth as an alternative to places like Hollywood Video and Blockbuster. It has sense jumped to the front of the streaming content race. It is far and away our favorite streaming service with thousands of quality titles to choose from. Though you can’t follow current series on Netflix sometimes I prefer to watch through a whole season in a few days so I don’t mind waiting. [tabgroup] [tab title=”PROS”]– Tons of Quality HD Content
– Deals with huge movie studios
– Growing amount of quality content
– Netflix is starting to release “Only on Netflix” series
– Clean Interface, Easy to Use
– Cheap, Steaming only for $7.99 a month
– Access on several devices (mobile, computer, ps3 & more)
– Constantly updated and improved
– Can stream to 2 devices Simultaneously
– Suggests things based on previously watch / rated shows
– Family / child friendly mode
– Accessible anywhere with an internet connection
– No control over what content is available
– Not all major studios work with Netflix
– Content takes awhile to arrive on Netflix Instant
– Cannot follow current series on Netflix
– Tons of Quality HD TV Shows
– Content from several major TV Networks (NBC, Fox, USA, ABC)
– Day after access to many popular TV Shows
– Huge back log of classic TV shows (X-Files, MacGyver)
– Access on several devices (mobile, computer, ps3 & more)
– Constantly updated and improved
– Cheap only $7.99 a month (with limited advertising)
– Can stream to several devices simultaneously
– Clean beautiful interface
– Accessible anywhere with an internet connection
– Premium Channels not covered (AMC, HBO, Showtime, etc)
– Shows available on a show-to-show basis (some taking up to 7 days)
– Certain shows only available on specific devices (laptop, ps3, etc)
– Interface is beautiful but takes awhile to get used to.
– Added benefit to an Amazon Prime account
– Adds a decent amount of HD content
– Is good for discovering new shows other services miss
– Allows streaming rental services on top of free choices
– Has shows from Premium channels (HBO, Showtime, etc)
– 2 Simultaneous streams
– Cheapest $6.50 a month which also includes all the Amazon.com benefits
– Accessible anywhere with an internet connection
– Has way less content than other two services
– The interface (PS3) is a little confusing and difficult to navigate
– Like Netflix, content takes awhile to arrive
– No standalone streaming page like Netflix or Hulu streaming content available via product pages
All three of these services are used in our household and I would suggest them in your home as well. One thing I purposefully pointed out in the PROS section above is “simultaneous streams.” This can be useful in a few ways:
(1) This can allow you to stream Netflix movies / tv shows to multiple devices at the same time so you can watch one thing in the main room and your kids can watch another in the back room.
(2) If you, the parents, already have Netflix and only use it on one device you can share your account with your kids. This is especially useful if your child just moved out and is trying to save money. This also acts as built in accountability because Netflix comes with a “recently watched” section where all shows and movies that have recently been watched display. This can however mess with your movie suggestions if you love action movies and your children love Disney movies, expect some not quite on target suggestions.
(3) If you’re really generous you can even share your accounts with your friends. It is likely however that this violates some terms of service with the streaming services so do this at your own risk.
How to make the switch?
There are several table top devices you can purchase to turn your house into an all streaming house. I use the Playstation 3 because I play games and own blu-rays. However there are several other options. Some options I have looked into are:
- The Roku Streaming Player – http://www.roku.com/
- The Apple TV – http://www.apple.com/appletv/
- The Google TV – http://www.google.com/tv/
- Boxee – http://www.boxee.tv/
I’ve found the Playstation 3 gives me the most bang for my buck as it contains all three aforementioned services and the others tend to only support one or two. Do some research on your own (http://reviews.cnet.com/best-streaming-media-boxes/, http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2402133,00.asp), compare the monthly price-tag and determine whether you can do without instant gratification and do with a little more financial cushion month-to-month. When I compare the cost of these three streaming services ($21 a month) to cable services which can be anywhere from $65 – $200 a month it’s no contest. If you really can’t wait to see that new show go to a friends house and watch it with them. That’s more fun anyways.
Have a blessed day,
Bryce
Nice blog…I agree completely. Although I stick with my torrent downloads….aaarrrgg #piratelife
….yes I used a hash tag
WOOHOO first blog comment ever! I hear you on the torrents it’s hard to ween yourself off of those. I have almost completely done so. It took awhile though.
Great content here, Bryce.
I don’t have cable or TV. I watch everything through Amazon Prime or the regular hulu. I figure when I run out of options there, then I will into paying for my shows.
Also, it’s worth noting that many stations offer episodes to their popular tv series the next day online. To take advantage of that, I connect my laptop to our tv through an HDMI cable and I’m good to go! Personally, I think it is better to have freedom to watch on our own schedule instead of having to base our schedules around a show’s air-time.