In case you haven’t seen the recent news, Netflix has moved beyond shipping little red envelopes of DVDs. They are now slowly rolling out a Video-on-Demand (VOD) solution. If you have a Netflix account but don’t yet have the option, try this clever trick to get it working. Here is my experience to date.
The service is a snap to setup on your computer. If you have a broadband connection, Windows, and IE you simply follow the instructions on the screen and everything downloads just fine. In a few minutes – and on the first try – I was able to get “Jackass” running on 3 different computers in my house. On future business trips where I can find a broadband connection, this service is a no-brainer.
Seeking a bigger challenge, I wanted to see how easy it was to get Netflix running on my 32″ CRT HD TV. My expectations were low: I expected a lot of frustration with limited payoff. Actually it was lower than that. I didn’t really expect to get it running at all before giving up. Needless to say I was pleasantly surprised.
I didn’t buy any new parts or components and used the following:
- Dell laptop (~3 years old),
- 80211g wireless network,
- Broadband cable connection through Comcast,
- An old S-video cable,
- My linksys wireless game adapter (just to boost the signal – my laptop and wireless router are 3 floors apart).
- A pair of old battery-powered external speakers.
After making sure my broadband connection was up, I connected my laptop to the TV via the S-video cable. I also connected the laptop to the external speakers. After flipping through the selection, my wife and I picked Sherrybaby and sat down to watch the flick.
The picture was as good as DVD quality – really. I don’t think I would have believed it myself, but it was amazing. The sound was ok – I didn’t bother to try and hook it up to my stereo system, but this would have improved it greatly. Since this is a relatively easy problem to solve, it doesn’t concern me much.
The only problem was a slight line that scrolled through the picture from bottom to top, an error from the refresh rate I assume. Certainly nothing worse than the quality I get from cable.
The experience was good enough that I’m motivated to finally create a media PC. I don’t relish the thought of dragging my laptop to the TV each time I want to watch a movie, even if the setup was a snap.
Was there a downside? Well, yes, actually. A big one. The selection is currently horrible. I know all VOD offerings have suffered from this problem because studios are still unwilling to release a lot of titles to this channel.
Netflix is definitely on to something, and it is a matter of time before the word-of-mouth starts spreading and entrepreneurs begin selling devices to overcome the hardware challenges. For the service to truly take off it needs an appliance as simple as a DVD.
Given the cost of Netflix, I can’t wait to ultimately dump Comcast and begin watching the movies I want to see, when I want to see them. I suspect it will take several years for Netflix to get the license rights, but the service will be compelling when they get a larger selection.
Comcast should be really, really scared.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I used the service for the first time the other day. Me and my wife watched ‘Somewhere in Time’. The picture was amazing, and it worked with my ATI overlay to show on the TV as you did above S-Video.
The sound was a very good MONO! D’oh. I thought everything on there sight was supposed to broadcast Dolby Pro-Logic 2. Granted ‘Somewhere in Time’ is from 1980. However I have had that movie on video tape many years ago and remember how good it sounded in Stereo.
So later I called into the instant watch tech support… which I was onhold for 20minutes on Friday night at 11:30pm. The guy I get is of course only trained on the Video. No audiophiles at the tech-support base. They are just trained to handle folks with video problems/complaints. So he tried out the video, and all he has is a PC speaker he admits. He says it sounds fine. I mentioned … uh yeah… it does sound fine in MONO! So he tells me that with our video programs you have to tweak your amplifier out. You have to turn it on HALL mode. He said he heard this from his friends. I’m like dude… I can take a 30-year old casette tape recording and turn it on HALL mode and make it sound like it’s coming from a echoeing auditorium. ITS FAKE! I’ts not real I tell him. He doesn’t listen.
However the next day I looks on the site and they marked ‘Somewhere in Time’ as ‘Dolby Digital – MONO’. LOL So I guess they paid some attention.
So perhaps it was just the video I watched. I’m not sure when I’ll try it again with a more recent movie. But I will.
-Robert
You don’t really need or want that lifestyle, it might hurt y’all slowly more…….Just tell him you
don’t wanna repeat something your not too proud of z7uas.
Comcast should be scared whenever they have competition of any sort. Their longtime habit of abysmal customer service has become so engrained after years of monopoly, that they may never be able to start treating customers like human beings. I moved from Maryland to Texas. We have Time Warner and Grande Communicationshere, both of whom give superior service to Comcast. But then, the same could be said for your local DMV. I love Netflix! They turn the DVDs around so quickly that I barely have time to see the on-demand movies. When I do, they rock. Now to go home and try your s-video trick.
Thanks!
Gary (San Antonio)