Netflix/Hulu Plus for TV

Hi,
I am considering getting a internet box or Wifi ready DVD player but I am having trouble deciding which way to go. Apple Tv is out of the question. Does anyone here have any experience with using any such system with WiFi? If so, what would you recommend? I have 30Mbit per second speed.

I just use my Xbox or my PS3(yep I found it necessary to have both). Amazon just came out with one a couple days ago that has pretty good internal specs. Its called fire TV. Id consider it if I didnt have my game consoles. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CX5P8FC...pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1770741782&pf_rd_i=507846

Also ROKU streaming stick is coming out and its half the price of Apple TV.

I've got a couple of different Roku boxes I use. Both are fantastic. I do Netflix and Hulu+, and there are literally dozens of other free channels you can install for movies and other programming.

Roku if you need to have a physical remote, Chromecast if you don't mind using your phone/tablet to control things.

I cut the cord a couple months ago and couldn't be happier. I purchased 3 Roku boxes and they are fantastic. I already had Prime so I tried out Hulu and Netflix. I think Netflix is the nice service out of all of them

Sony Blu-Ray player, does Netflix very well.


Given the outcome of the AT&T lawsuit, I'm just waiting for the hammer to drop and for people to start getting slammed hard with bandwidth fees or throttled back.

+1 for the roku. Awesome device. Netflix is good and if you like network TV Hulu plus takes care of that. You can't beat having both for the price.

blary54 said:

I just use my Xbox or my PS3(yep I found it necessary to have both). Amazon just came out with one a couple days ago that has pretty good internal specs. Its called fire TV. Id consider it if I didnt have my game consoles. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CX5P8FC...pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1770741782&pf_rd_i=507846

Also ROKU streaming stick is coming out and its half the price of Apple TV.

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Well I like consoles especially PS3 but for me they are a waste of money because I cannot DIY em or upgrade the hardware. I do not see the point in having to buy a whole new console every 2.5 years. I have been building my own computers since I was 15 so the fact the Consoles are not the same way bugs me a whole lot. I will look at the Roku.


Thank you for the advice... what speed is best for Roku will 20/30mbps be good enough? Does it stream well on wifi?

30 mbps is MUCH faster than what you need for Netflix streaming. I have the most basic Internet package (15 mbps), and I never have problems streaming anything over Wi-Fi.

All of the devices will fit your need to stream Netflix and Hulu Plus. I had a Roku, but returned it because it cannot stream HBO Go from Comcast (will probably be the same for Time Warner Cable customers once the merger completes) and ended up getting the Chromecast, which I think is superior. My only real suggestion would be to do as you said in your original post and avoid the Apple TV. I love Apple products, but the Apple TV is probably their worst.

I have a Roku 3 and it is great. The remote has a headphone jack which I like to use. I find that sometimes the dialogue in a movie is too quiet and the explosions or music is too loud. The headphones allow me to keep the volume low and still pick up on the dialogue.

At 30 Mbps you have way more bandwidth than you need. Caps are a bigger issue than speed. It streams very well on wifi. But, if you have any wifi issues in general at your home, it could affect you. But here again, the Roku is great because you can plug an ethernet cable directly into it from your router.

Are you cutting the cable or just adding this to get netflix and hulu?

I stream Netflix just fine on my 3mb ADSL.
DirecTV won't stream high-def content... it requires me to download and view "offline" or after a good percentage has been buffered, interesting that I've not had that problem with Netflix HD content.

shaveitoff said:

I have a Roku 3 and it is great. The remote has a headphone jack which I like to use. I find that sometimes the dialogue in a movie is too quiet and the explosions or music is too loud. The headphones allow me to keep the volume low and still pick up on the dialogue.

At 30 Mbps you have way more bandwidth than you need. Caps are a bigger issue than speed. It streams very well on wifi. But, if you have any wifi issues in general at your home, it could affect you. But here again, the Roku is great because you can plug an ethernet cable directly into it from your router.

Are you cutting the cable or just adding this to get netflix and hulu?

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Adding it for now. I want to see if it is better than Cable TV... I have been keeping track of the number of channels I actually watch and it is 25 out of the 100+ so I think I am wasting a lot of money. Plus there are 5 religious channels and I don't like the fact that I can't take them out of my cable line-up. Never mind the fact that I am paying for them.

Take a look at the options out there. I've got no experience with the Roku, but I stream Netlix, Hulu+, Amazon Prime, Crackle, and a few others. We have two different Sony Blu-ray players and one Insignia. The basic functioning is the same from all of them, but they all operate a little different from the menus. With the Insignia brand I can do everything I can from the computer on Netflix (ratings, etc.), but it only has Netflix. The Sony's kick the snot out of the Insignia on added services.

I'm sure I can add more services to the Insignia, but I suffer from a severe technological deficiency.

One thing to be aware of is that Netflix can have some pretty severe service disruptions. I've had loss of service for several days more than once since I started the streaming thing in 2009. I'm sure all of the services have the same thing, but Netflix is our most frequently used and the only one I've noticed.

My Kindle Fire TV came Saturday. It's terrific. More memory and faster (quad core) than the competition. Of course, I am an Amazon Prime member, so more incentive for me to get Fire TV. The voice recognition is super. I think my $99 was well spent. I tried Google but I never could get it to work. You need an HDMI connection on your TV.

Okay looks like I am trying the chromecast with a HDMI switcher since my TV only has one HDMI port. If that doesn't work then I will try the Roku. However, that will wait til next month.

ShaveYourSoul said:

I cut the cord a couple months ago and couldn't be happier. I purchased 3 Roku boxes and they are fantastic. I already had Prime so I tried out Hulu and Netflix. I think Netflix is the nice service out of all of them

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^+1 I did the same thing as ShaveYourSoul late last summer and haven't looked back. Roku 3 for the win.

Not to derail this thread, but Ender78, how pleased have you been with Hulu Plus? Is there anything Hulu Plus has that Netflix does not?

I dropped Netflix Plus when I signed up for Comcast. There is a big difference in programs available between Hulu+ and Netflix, IMHO.

mretzloff said:

Not to derail this thread, but Ender78, how pleased have you been with Hulu Plus? Is there anything Hulu Plus has that Netflix does not?

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mretzloff said:

Not to derail this thread, but Ender78, how pleased have you been with Hulu Plus? Is there anything Hulu Plus has that Netflix does not?

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Hulu+ has most network TV the day after it airs. Netflix has some network TV when the DVD set comes out. The major thing missing from Hulu+ are CBS shows. NBC, ABC, FOX and CW are all there though. Lots of UK shows too. For TV, Hulu+ eats Netflix's lunch.

I noticed Amazon prime has a wider selection of tv shows then netflix too. I recently started watching a few that Netflix doesn't have(Vikings and Hannibal). I think Prime is a better deal than netflix. You get the streaming tv/movies, 2 day shipping and kindle loaned books...all for $99.00 a year.