Netflix and the Roku Box Part 1
Netflix started out as home delivery DVD service but these days we use it mostly for the free Internet streaming. For as little as $8.99 a month you can access a catalogue of x movies and TV shows and stream them to your PC. The Roku box is a very convenient way to take that same content and stream it to your TV.
We have been Netflix members for about 6 years now. The business model (for those who donʼt know) is mail order DVD rental. You select a DVD title online and they post it to you. When you have watched it you return it in the enclosed prepaid envelope and they send out another DVD. The website includes the ability to queue DVDʼs so you can collate the DVDʼs you wish to watch and change the order at any stage. They will send out the next DVD in your queue.
If you receive a faulty DVD or one gets lost in the post (it happens occasionally) you can report the problem online and they will immediately send a replacement. The amount you pay depends on how many DVDʼs you wish to have circulating at one time. Currently, you can choose between 1 to 4 disks.
We started out on the 3 disk program. So we could have 3 DVDʼs at any one time. We usually had 1 at home for us, 1 at home for the kids and 1 on its way back to Netflix. Then Netflix introduced the ʻInstant Watchingʼ Program. This enables you to stream content to your computer and watch it instantly. This really requires a broadband connection of some kind. You can watch for an unlimited time on most plans but does not include all DVD content.
Once we got the hang of this we changed our Netflix plan to 1 DVD at a time with unlimited instant watching. This costs us $8.99 per month. It is working out just fine. We have watched piles of shows and movies online such as Weeds, the British series Chef! and The Shipping News, plus piles of kids movies: Scooby Doo, Batman, the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Bob the Builder, Thomas the Tank Engine, etc. Now it needs to be stated, if your Internet connection goes down you will NOT be able to access instant watching!
Our kids are 3 and 6 years old respectively and there is enough content available instantly to keep them satisfied most of the time. I add to this favourite shows I have purchased from the Apple store and the occasional purchased DVD of a show I know they will love and watch again and again. Every couple of months I also select a Netflix DVD for them to watch, but the 1 DVD we are allowed on our plan is predominantly used for us – the parents (aka the ones who pay the bills).
Current Netflix plan options are (as at May 14, 2010):
- 1 DVD out at a time, + unlimited instant watching: $8.99 per month
- 2 DVDs out at a time, + unlimited instant watching: $13.99 per month
- 3 DVDs out at a time, + unlimited instant watching: $16.99 per month
- 4 DVDs out at a time, + unlimited instant watching: $23.99 per month
There are also options for Blu-ray disks and a limited rental plan. I won’t list them here as they are available for viewing on the Netflix website. Netflix are always offering new customer discounts and trial periods, so I would look out for one of those if you would like to give them a try.
So I have burbling on about Netflix for ages – thought I should for readers who do not know much about them. What is a Roku box you ask?
The Roku box easily and cheaply enables you to stream Netflix instant watch content to your TV screen. Not much fun for the family to be huddled around a small computer screen when they can rest easy on the couch and watch it on the big screen. I have run out of time to talk more about this so I will save it for next weeks entry.
Cheers!
Julie
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cool stuff.