Category Archives: Multimedia

Multimedia, Video

Qwikster – Dead before it was Born

Subscribers were outraged at the Netflix price hike.  Yet, they were just puzzled and confused about the DVD separation that became known as “Qwikster.”  Netflix proposed Qwikster as a  good idea because the streaming-only and dvd services had different needs.  However, the customers were not too fond of potentially having two log ins.  Now, Netflix has listened.

Thankfully, when Netflix decided to split the services I decided to be a streaming-only customer.

Bottom-line: Qwikster should’ve been a quick thought; in one ear and out the other.

Multimedia, Video

Netflix….Price shifts?

The popular video streaming service Netflix has made some announcements that might cause backlash from their large subscription base.

Rising prices and plan changes.

Netflix has had combined services that packaged unlimited streaming with 1, 2 or 3 DVDs out at a time.  Unfortunately, myself as well as other subscribers have received notices of an inherit price increase due to the separation of the streaming and DVD delivery services.  Honestly, a one dollar price change wouldn’t have been that bad; however, when the total price of your plan could potentially rise by five dollars, there will be some raised eyebrows.  For this reason, as of yesterday I chose the streaming only option, which happened to be the main service that I used anyway.  The DVDs that I did get sent would get watched and then proceed to sit on my DVD shelf for around a month, so this option was second nature for me.

But what about the other users?  Will everyone follow the same path I chose?  Netflix has a great service, but when a price spike comes along from nowhere you can expect nothing more than to see consumers raging.

Bottom line: I didn’t get mad or upset.  In addition, I didn’t call Netflix customer service demanding answers.  I simply subscribed to Hulu Plus, now I will have the largest streaming library of greatness coming straight to my TV.  Netflix is still an excellent service with an unmatched library of instant-stream options at an unbelievable price, ditching it now would be a mistake, especially since they are expanding with help from NBC Universal.

Multimedia, Technology

Cable…Yes, You can live without it!

One word, NETFLIX.

Throughout my life I have always thought of cable television as a necessity, generally all American families have it through some company or another.  Growing up I had cable; yet, when I got to college and graduated I looked back and realized that I watched cable less and less.  My best friend had changed to the internet…meaning, the massive amounts of digital media available (how you get it is out of my control) can be obtained at little or no cost.

I began researching “Set Top Boxes” a while back and saw several that could do the job.  What is a set top box?  It is virtually a streaming media hub that connects directly to your tv via HDMI or RCA.  My product of choice happens to be Roku.  With this player I pay for internet and use the Roku player as my media source.  With this product I can add all sorts of channels to the device, part of my lineup consists of:

  • Netflix ($15/mo.)
  • YouTube (Free)
  • Revision3 (Free)
  • CNet (Free)

Most “channels” that you can link to the device are actually free and any box that you buy will more than pay for itself.  With most boxes supporting Netflix you will automatically have tens of thousands of titles available to be instantly streamed to your home or delivered directly to your mailbox.

So, yes….you can live without cable.  Ask yourself a question, “How many shows on tv do I really watch?”  Most would name a few and more than likely they can be found on Netflix or Hulu and those without cable really aren’t behind socially on the “latest.”  You can save money, choose when and where (device dependent) you want to watch and create a television/media experience that is completely catered to the individual, something that cable will NEVER do.

Set top boxes(examples):

  • Roku
  • Boxee
  • Apple TV
  • Google TV