Movie Streaming Online
Movie Streaming Online – dump the Cable company and watch more movies and TV for less. More and more people stream movies to TV, as well as video-on-demand from Amazon Instant Video. I have been looking for an alternative to cable/satellite for awhile. More and more people realize that they can find most of the shows they like online. The offerings are so rich now, that you could watch all the TV and movies you want, and pay less than what the cable company charges. But until now it was pretty cumbersome. Today, devices like Roku and Apple TV give your Internet TV and movie watching a boost – they are inexpensive, simple to hook up, and more powerful. Getting your TV from the internet is easy and in many parts of the country makes financial sense.
1. Movies. Whether you have the Roku XDS streaming player or the Apple TV 2nd generation, first check Netflix first for the cheapest options. Apple TV offers HD rental versions of the same movies available for PCs, iPods, iPhones, and iPads via the iTunes Store for prices that vary between $1.99 and $4.99. On the Roku Player, you can watch Amazon movie rentals, which starts from $0.99
2. TV Shows. Netflix also carries previous seasons of many TV. For the current seasons of on-air shows, your Apple TV options come down to just one: iTunes rentals, which cost $1 per episode ( actually, really it’s $0.99 just like Amazon video on demand, but lets just say it’s a buck). On Roku XDS you have more choices: you can rent from Amazon Instatnt Video (also $0.99 per episode), or you can sign up for the new HuluPlus service, which costs $7.99 per month and gives you access to all current-season episodes for about 45 shows. HuluPlus is a bit thin right now when it comes to current shows, but if you watch at least 9 episodes per month, this would still be cheaper than renting them individually from iTunes or Amazon – and of course you will have access to plenty of rerun shows – all video on demand – watch when you want it.
3. Internet video. Apple TV and the Roku Player have free Internet video, but Roku is the leader here. The Roku Channel Store offers Blip.tv, Chow, Koldcast, MediaFly, NASA TV, Revision3, Twit.tv, Vimeo, and many other networks and specialty channels like Jewelry Television and LifeChurch. On Apple TV you get to watch YouTube.
4. Music and Podcasts. With Apple TV you get to connect to the iTunes Store and you can browse and listen to them right on your Apple TV. You can also listen to Apple TV’s huge list of streaming radio stations, setup “home sharing” through your Mac. Roku has one huge music service: Pandora, and it also offers music-related channels like TuneIn Radio or MOG. Plenty of music either way.
5. Photos. Apple TV connects to Flickr, and it turns your photos into full-screen slide shows and special effects. Roku connects you to Facebook Photos, Flickr, Framechannel, Smugmug, Picasa, and – but its slide shows are basic, with no special effects. Either gets you at least the basics – and lets face it, photo slide shows are the least important of Roku or Apple TV capabilities.