Netflix streaming directly to your TV
I just read an article on Ars Technica about this little set top box from Roku. It lets you connect your Netflix subscription to your TV and watch any of the 10,000 streaming movies that Netflix has available. The unit only costs $99 and doesn’t require any changes to your Netflix subscription. You’re good to go with a basic $8.99/mo subscription.
The box appears to have all the ports (HDMI, component, and optical audio) necessary for HD content too! Although Netflix doesn’t have any streaming HD content yet.
Flash forward a few years from now, and I bet I’ll be able to get rid of my satellite or cable TV boxes and just stream everything via Netflix. Now, that would be awesome.
[ From Ars Technica ]
May 20th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
Amazon already has this worked out with Tivo boxes, but I don’t know how renting from them works vs buying (since I don’t have tivo) or if they have subscription plans for renting. Since we watch VERY little tv most months a cheap netflix plan where we can only download one thing at a time and only every 24 hours probably would work out okay for us, but i sincerely doubt they will allow unlimited streaming video for only 9 dollars a month. They might do it for a month or two and then ratchet the price up. People seem to pay about 65 dollars a month for their Cable so if they charged 30 (and had a lot of content) its still a bargain.
oh wait I just realized that netflix ONLY has movies already out? You couldn’t watch like, TV?
May 20th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
They have limited TV streaming now: The Office, Heroes, 30 Rock, Xena, Miami Vice. That’s about all that I recognized. They have a LOT to do to increase their selection. It’s mostly older stuff available for streaming. Not worth it now, but I think there is a lot of potential.
May 20th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
Too bad they don’t have HD yet. Also there’s no built in hard drive. But There’s a lot of potential here since it’s unlimited.
I hope you know directv had “on demand” service as well which also includes HD content. It’s actually one of my current projects at work
May 20th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
“had”? Meaning, used to?
I actually switched to Dish after DirecTV wanted me to switch to their new, non-Tivo, DVRs. Dish isn’t either, but I can search by keywords, and get more HD (at least at the time I switched).
May 21st, 2008 at 6:38 pm
woops. Directv HAS VOD service which is completely free. It’s been “soft launched” already. It’ll be advertised in a couple months I believe.
Switch back! hehe =D
of course you qualify for “friends and family” deal