I like to think that I don’t watch too much of TV, but there are a lot of shows that I follow and even more that I want to check out. Keeping up with TV and movies, as well as online content requires help. Last night I tried Netflix Watch Instantly, a near-DVD quality streaming media service.
Netflix Watch Instantly
As part of my existing mail order DVD (and Blu-ray) plan, I have access to watch over 12,000 titles instantly. Using standard residential cable internet access from Time Warner, I was completely satisfied with the service. After 6 episodes of Weeds (ok, it was a slow Saturday), I only remember 3 short skips in the video.
The downside of this service is that the video streams to your PC using Window Media Player. For about $100, you can buy a separate interface to watch directly on your TV. Or, if you’re like me and you have a broadcast engineer at home, you can have Windows Media Player send the full screen output directly to your TV. Using a dual-monitor video card that drives HDMI output, the HDMI input on our TV, and $30 cable, it’s relatively easy enjoy streaming media on demand.
