tv online

[John B.]

So I just decided that I want to cut cable and just watch tv online. My thing is I know USA waits a month ( I think that is what it is now) any one know if netflix gets them on there sooner?

[wo^tron]

hmmm? I use hulu for watching TV online, netflix is okay imo

[shutupdangit]

Depends on what you watch. Netflix for older movies and tv shows, Hulu+ for new episodes of current tv shows (don't expect a good movie selection).

Both have free trial periods so check them both out for yourself.

[John B.]

I have used netflix for movies on their free trial, I was just unsure if netflix would get current shows any sooner then hulu, or the channels site.

[shutupdangit]

Oh, I didn't understand your question.

Netflix is pretty slow getting shows available for streaming, for instance, Breaking Bad season 4 finished in October and the dvd set has been out for a week but is still not on streaming. Might depend on the show.

[Don Boyer]

I have used netflix for movies on their free trial, I was just unsure if netflix would get current shows any sooner then hulu, or the channels site.

The general rule of thumb is that Netflix is forced to wait about a month after the DVD/BD release before they can offer it, and it still needs to be converted and catalogued.  I've seen several older and semi-recent shows where they aren't even done with getting all those episodes available.  The contracts that the pay-per-view services get creates that buffer, because without it, there's no longer a need for pay-per-view.

Whatever recent shows aren't on Hulu are often available from the network's web site - up to the last five episodes in most cases.

And I've heard rumor that some people illegally upload copies of all kinds of new media to places like the Pirate Bay - but you would NEVER hear me advocating use of such a site, because that would be BAD... 

[John B.]

ah yes I have heard these rumors, but I also hear they have viruses a lot. I think I might just have to borrow a friends tv when needed.

[CBJ]

John

I'm in Canada.

The wife and I decided to ditch our cable service.  And now we have a Boxee Box

It streams stuff off our computer, and shows off the net.

Oh yeah... it's HD

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nE-gigMrp5M

[NathanCanadas]

I use netflix. It is true that it does get shows a little while later than tv, but it is reliable, easy and not too costly.

[Kanped]

ah yes I have heard these rumors, but I also hear they have viruses a lot. I think I might just have to borrow a friends tv when needed.

I've heard you can get a virus scanner for your PC, if you can conceive of such a thing.

[Don Boyer]

ah yes I have heard these rumors, but I also hear they have viruses a lot. I think I might just have to borrow a friends tv when needed.

I've heard you can get a virus scanner for your PC, if you can conceive of such a thing.

Any standard anti-virus software suite will include scanning all downloads for viruses.

If you do opt to borrow a TV and plan to watch by antenna, make sure it's a late-model set with a built-in digital receiver.  Anything using old analog receivers won't get more than static without a converter box attached - the new digital broadcasting rules means that all the channel frequencies were changed as well as converted to a digital signal.  Anything HD and built in the past few years probably fits the bill.  Don't even bother looking for a standard-definition TV - as far as the stores and broadcasters are concerned, they no longer exist.

I hear there's some pretty interesting stuff on DTV broadcasts.  The FCC alloted each channel with a certain amount of bandwidth capacity - if you were a broadcaster, you could use it to broadcast a single feed at full 1080p resolution (which few if any broadcasters do) or you could actually break up the channel into as many as SIX sub-channels.  I saw that WPIX-11 in New York has a sub-channel that broadcasts nothing but old Sixties TV shows.  Sub-channels can be automatically detected by your digital tuner and will appear as "channel 11.1" or 11.2, 11.3 etc.  A lot of channels are using at least some of their capacity to broadcast at least one sub-channel, if for nothing else but weather and traffic updates.

[John B.]

ah yes I have heard these rumors, but I also hear they have viruses a lot. I think I might just have to borrow a friends tv when needed.

I've heard you can get a virus scanner for your PC, if you can conceive of such a thing.

Any standard anti-virus software suite will include scanning all downloads for viruses.

If you do opt to borrow a TV and plan to watch by antenna, make sure it's a late-model set with a built-in digital receiver.  Anything using old analog receivers won't get more than static without a converter box attached - the new digital broadcasting rules means that all the channel frequencies were changed as well as converted to a digital signal.  Anything HD and built in the past few years probably fits the bill.  Don't even bother looking for a standard-definition TV - as far as the stores and broadcasters are concerned, they no longer exist.

I hear there's some pretty interesting stuff on DTV broadcasts.  The FCC alloted each channel with a certain amount of bandwidth capacity - if you were a broadcaster, you could use it to broadcast a single feed at full 1080p resolution (which few if any broadcasters do) or you could actually break up the channel into as many as SIX sub-channels.  I saw that WPIX-11 in New York has a sub-channel that broadcasts nothing but old Sixties TV shows.  Sub-channels can be automatically detected by your digital tuner and will appear as "channel 11.1" or 11.2, 11.3 etc.  A lot of channels are using at least some of their capacity to broadcast at least one sub-channel, if for nothing else but weather and traffic updates.

I was just going to go to a friends house and watch theirs, but that could be interesting also.

[Don Boyer]

I was just going to go to a friends house and watch theirs, but that could be interesting also.

I picked up a battery-run portable HDTV, had a little fun playing with the tuner.  Got it as a just-in-case measure when driving home from North Carolina, about thirty minutes ahead of a hurricane heading my way.  There's an auto-tuning feature - set it up in a new place, let the tuner discover the signals strong enough to reach you, and BAM, ready to watch.  (I was channeling Emeril Lagasse for a moment there, but it's past now...)