I have been a Netflix subscriber for eight years – the mail service. I know that I’m eligible for their Instant Download service as well, but I’m not sure how to get that to work.
Apparently, your TV has to be connected to a “Netflix Ready” device to make it work. Here is a page listing those devices.
Even though it is a fairly long list, as it happens, we have exactly none of those devices.
We definitely won’t be getting a Tivo, because our cable company provides a DVR for free.
Beyond that minor restriction, what’s the easiest/best way to get Instant Netflix to work?
I have a PS3 and gave my Mom a Roku box for Mother’s Day.
It works flawlessly on both devices. It’s easy to search and the picture that they put out is great. They both need only a WiFi connection and setup is as simple as visiting a webpage and entering a code.
I looked at some of the Blu Ray players and my complaint with the ones I saw was they needed a wired connection. The simplicity of the wifi connection makes the need to be physically plugged in a negative to me.
The Western Digital and Seagate options look good, too. You can copy media to the hard drive and watch it in addition to your streaming options. I haven’t tried them so I don’t know if they offer WiFi, or are simple to set up.
I have a Roku on one TV and a Sony Blu-ray setup on the second TV. The boxes can work with either a LAN cable or wireless. I’m using wireless.
The Sony often stops and readjusts itself for signal strength, which can be very aggravating while you’re in the middle of a movie. (Sometimes it readjusts multiple times during the same movie!) The Roku has never done that; once it starts a movie it plays through to the end.
Both boxes have Netflix, Pandora, and Amazon On Demand. There are other channels available, but they vary on each box.
The only thing I don’t like about the Roku is that there is no “off” switch and the box does seem to get pretty warm after it has been plugged in for some time. I always unplug it if I’m not going to be using it for a while.
I got a Roku a couple weeks ago, and have been very happy. The picture quality is great (no skipping or pauses so far), setup is simple, and it’s pretty cheap. Plus, Pandora, Amazon On Demand and other options…for what I wanted, it’s been great.
I bought a Roku HD a few months ago and I love it. Extremely easy to set up, even wirelessly.
However, I already had a blu-ray player (with no Netflix capability). If you don’t have one, I’d look for a blu-ray player with wireless ability and Netflix-ready. For a dollor or two more per month, you can also have Netflix send you blu-ray discs instead of DVD’s in the mail. If you have an HDTV, it’s worth it.
If I didn’t already have my PS3 (and if I didn’t have any desire to have a PS3), I’d look for a Netflix-ready bluray player. But I’d also step it up and get one that also has Pandora on it.
If I could get a Roku for $40-$50, I’d have one in a heartbeat. With our first adoption finalized and number 2 about to begin, money is so tight, we have just held off.
I wish the Wii or a Roku would drop down, even used ones. We’re waiting.
Is there a blu-ray player for that price(used even) that streams Netflix. We have a non-HD TV, so blu-ray is not even something we have looked at.
I haven’t done it for a year or more, but unless things have changed, I just connected my laptop to the TV (older non-digital model) and set the TV to be the monitor in the display control panel.
