At home we are still in the dark ages of the 00’s………… we still get our Netflix movies via mail. That is oncei I remember to return them another one come in. So for Christmas I am getting a family present of the following:
• Revise/Upgrading Netflix to download mode only.
• A new home router capable of handling download speeds for movies, etc.
• A new Blu-Ray / DVD/ wi fi capable device to hook to the TV to play the movies etc from Netflix.
Any suggestions, or pitfall avoidance advice, on this plan ?
Why get a bluray player if you wish to go into the modern age, a blu ray player will just encourage the Netflix Bluray plan? You can get a internet ‘device’ such as Roku <sp> for about $50. I also find using my Sony Bluray player awkward, and would like a better interface, I have considered the Roku, but just have not gotten one yet.
I have no trouble with a basic Linksys wireless router with Netflix. don’t buy one till you see that you need to. Wired connections are suppose to be better, but I have not needed it.
The OP might already own a bunch of DVDs and/or BR discs that they’d like to watch once in a while. There are also a ton of movies out there that aren’t available on Netflix Watch Instantly or other streaming services. If this setup will be the primary media consuming location in the house I think a device that can handle the most media options makes sense.
Make sure yout internet provider offers a high enough speed. Getting a new router won’t help if the data transfer rate is no faster than the old router.
I have not used Netflix’s DVD-by-mail service, but I have heard that it has many more titles to choose from than its streaming service. So if you’re changing to streaming rather than adding it as an additional service, be prepared to have a lot fewer viewing choices.
So does Netflix intentionally lockdown the number of streaming movies available to boost their mail order service? It seems like a losing battle in the long run…
No, I’m sure Netflix would stream everything if they could. They tried separating the two businesses (streaming and discs) at one point, even.
They are handcuffed by copyright owners who need them to negotiate the rights to stream the content. So imagine going through and getting the rights to rent every movie on DVD via mail, and getting to the end of all movies, then coming up with the streaming idea, and realizing you have to go back and get a whole new set of agreements because nothing you got mentions anything about streaming.
Just a note that a gaming console also functions as a DVD and/or Blu-ray player (our PS3 plays Blu-ray, while the Xbox 360 only does DVD; I believe the PS4 and Xbox One both play Blu-rays), as well as connecting to Netflix and other online services. If anyone in the house is into gaming, you might want to look into one of these. Of course, a console is going to be significantly more expensive than a simple disc player…
We are pretty satisfied with the Netflix streaming service. I have heard that there are many more titles available in the mail service, but I don’t miss what I never had, and there is a ton of stuff on Netflix’ streaming that I am actually interested in that I haven’t watched.
We have three ways to watch Netflix on our TV: Roku box ($49), Chromecast dongle ($35), and WII (whatever the WII costs now). We stopped watching through our WII because using the WII controller to navigate the Netflix interface on our TV is bloody pain in the neck.
Between Roku and Chromecast, I’m beginning to like Chromecast better because it was much easier to set up than the Roku box, is more versatile, moving Chromecast to another TV takes two seconds, and there’s the additional benefit of being able to view YouTube videos. Also, I can stream anything that can be accessed in my Chrome browser on my laptop or desktop directly to my TV, including movies and local videos saved on my hard drives.
As Boyo Jim said above, if you have a slow internet connection into your house, it doesn’t matter what your network configuration and how good your router is.
I had a slow connection – it tested at 2 MBPS – and streaming via Netflix and Roku and Amazon was fine – maybe a 30 second wait, and no buffering.
I upgraded when we got DirecTV because it was too slow for On Demand viewing, but it’s still only 6 MBPS, and it’s fast. My ISP did have to give me a new router though.
But I’ve read that you need 20 MBPS for streaming, so I’m confused. Why did my streaming work fine at 2 MBPS?
For the OP, I’ve used a low-end model Blu-Ray and Roku and prefer Roku.
I sincerely regret getting a Sony Blu-ray player with the intent to stream from Netflix (although it works fine as a Blu-ray player). Apparently, Sony streams Netflix through a secondary server, which causes ridiculous buffering times and sometimes flat-out does not work. I got an HD Roku as a gift, and that works like a charm, even though my Internet isn’t all that fast.
If you’re going to use a Blu-ray player for Netflix, don’t buy from Sony. I’ve heard good things about Panasonic and LG players.
I use a Chromecast device. It works great with my ~ 4 MBPS internet service. I do sometimes regret dropping the Netflix-by-mail option, as about 50% of the movies I look up say “available on DVD only.” If I wasn’t such a cheap bastard, I would have kept both.
Which model do you have? I’ve read that the newer Sony players don’t have any streaming issues. (Which I hope is true because I just bought one yesterday that had great reviews.)
I have an S580, purchased in 2012, so that certainly leaves enough time to implement some changes in more recent models. If the newer models’ streaming capabilities are better, I suppose that means Sony actually listened to all the complaints they got about the older models, despite the fact that they insisted it must be the users’ Internet connection, not their hardware. :rolleyes:
I can say that Netflix and Amazon work just fine with a 1.5 megabit DSL connection. It buffers for maybe 20 seconds before playing the video, then it’s trouble-free afterwards. Of course you can’t use a slow connection for much else at the same time except maybe light surfing and e-mail.