We have streaming Netflix!

[dreamshark]

This was the whole reason I started down the rocky path of upgrading my DSL in October (still wrangling with Qwest about the bill. Are they allow to just flat out LIE about the cost of the service they are selling you?). But the service does indeed run at nearly 12Mbps and the wireless router they sold me has a strong enough signal to penetrate to the attic where the TV is. And connected to the TV is a spanking new Playstation3 with a (free) Netflix app installed on it.  So far I have watched the following streamers:

• The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill - a charming little documentary about that guy who fed the wild parrots of San Fran for 15 years. Recommended. It played without a hiccup, and at a resolution that looked quite good on our 42" TV.
• The first episode of Rocky and Bullwinkle.  Was it always in color?  I'd only seen it in black and white.
• An episode of Red Dwarf.
• Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. Watched that one last night with Richard on the iPad. It was pretty low-res, even on the small screen. I would think it would look awful on the big screen, but didn't try it.
• An episode of Dark Shadows - also on the iPad. Now that one actually WAS in black and white.
• As was the Addams Family, which I watched a little bit of on the iPad before getting interrupted.
• An episode of Psych, which was pretty good.
• An episode of the Tick (live action) which was terrible. I was actually looking for the animated show and got that one by mistake. I watched it to the end because I couldn't seem to delete it from my Instant "queue" when it was half-watched and I wanted it out of there so I didn't get fooled by it again.
• Enough of the next episode of "The Tudors" to determine that I don't need to order the next DVD in the series.

Watch Instantly makes you feel like a kid in a candy store with an unlimited gift card. But it is still a very small candy store compared to the universe of Netflix. It's completely unpredictable what will be available instantly and what will not. Annoyingly, many TV shows are only available for instant viewing for the first couple of seasons, and then you have to go back to DVD.  WTF? 

I notice that various titles go on and off of instant availability as well. For instance, a couple that I put on my "queue" are now notated in red "Available until 1/26/2011."  We're talking about hot properties like Season 1 of  "Route 66," not special promotional deals on recent movies. Very weird.

Comments

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

I watched that documentary about the wild parrots, too.

K.

[galacticvoyeur.livejournal.com]

We've been streaming netflix for a couple years now, first through this limited ability netbook using a video signal converter (TViator) I got on ebay. Worked, but was wonky. The Netbook with Opera rocks for sitting on the couch typing into LJ and stuff, however. And now I grok PCs a bit more, so I'm less Mac centric in my thinking...

Then we got the Roku, the one that doesn't have hdmi. It just works. And there are a growing number of channels other than Netflix and Amazon. Some are ok, most suck. But we can rent videos on demand from Amazon for 3 or 4 bucks without having to drive to a video store.

Still, as you have noted, selection is spotty. Often they'll have the second two movies in a series for free, but not the first (like The Matrix.)

The bad news is Comcast just bought NBC. Or the other way around. Something just disturbed the force. I hate paying Comcast for my bandwidth, such as it is, coming the antique coax from the phone poll on the hill out back.

But, I digress...

[dreamshark.livejournal.com]

My latest venture into the apps available on the Playstation Network was to download the Vudu app. The app is free, the registration is free, but you pay a rental for each movie (much like Amazon, I suppose). I haven't tried it yet.

The rental fees for streaming video still seem way too high to me. Vudu's range from $2 specials to $6 for recent releases.

I get one free rental from Vudu to try it out. Am contemplating "The Social Network," which will be available in a week or two.