Netflix Streaming Review

Overview

Netflix’s online streaming service is aptly-named “Watch Instantly” and provides subscribers unlimited access to the movies and TV episodes in their extensive catalog, much of it available in HD. For $7.99 a month, you can watch as many movies and shows as you want in your web browser, or you can watch on your TV by connecting it to your computer, a third-party media streamer such as Roku or Apple TV, or a video game console. You can also watch content on the go with your smartphone or tablet.

What We Liked

• Instant. Once you find what you want to watch, you just click a button and it starts playing.
• Suggestions. Netflix encourages you to rate movies that you’ve seen and to let it know which genres you like and dislike. It then uses this information to make smart suggestions for content that it thinks you will like—it can be a great way to discover new TV shows or movies that you might have otherwise not stumbled upon.
• Accessibility. Not only is it easy to stream your TV shows and movies using Netflix, but you can access it using many devices including on the go.
• No commercials. When you watch content on Netflix there are no commercials or interruptions to your viewing experience.
• Exclusive Netflix content. Netflix is now producing it’s own content. If you’re a fan of Arrested Development, there is a new season being released in 2012 that will only be available on Netflix.

What We Didn’t Like

• Lack of many new releases. Netflix makes an amazing library of TV shows and movies available to you, but it is lacking in terms of new releases of films and current seasons of TV shows.

What hardware is this available on?

Netflix’s Watch Instantly streaming service is available is available on a wide range of devices, including your smartphone, tablet, the top video game consoles (Wii, PS3, XBOX), media streaming devices, select blu-ray players and home theater systems, and even many new TVs can access Netflix directly.

Who is this Recommended For?

If you enjoy watching movies, past seasons of TV shows, or even shows now off the air that you haven’t seen before, Netflix’s Streaming plan is for you. If you are worried about not having anything to watch without cable, Netflix’s streaming service should put your mind at ease. If you invest a little time in rating the movies and TV shows you have already seen, it will come up with enough good suggestions for you to keep you busy for a lifetime.

Cost

• $7.99 a month for unlimited streaming and access to all of Netflix’s content

Requirements

• A Windows or Mac PC with a web browser or one of many other Netflix ready devices
• Netflix recommends a 1.5 Mbps broadband internet connect to stream basic quality video, and a 3 Mbps connection for high quality video

[Image credits: Netflix]