A little Netflix help, please.

[iAmBaronVonTito]

thanks for the tips!

well, you made out like a bandit.  now if only i could get my chai tea tips/answer from the Tea thread....

[Sarah]

I'm finally going to jump on this bandwagon (the fact that my ancient computer hasn't allowed me to chat to speak of for the last several shows was the clincher).  I'm ordering me a new computer, getting a decent monitor, and splurging on a wireless keyboard/mouse (rechargeable) so I can sit in a comfy chair to watch the endless hours of pabulum with which I while away the day.  By getting rid of cable, I'll save enough to pay for all these treats in half a year.  Don't quite know how I'm going to rearrange the furniture to accommodate this new lifestyle, but it's all very exciting nevertheless.

[Paul DePhiladelphia]

Anyone else doing the roku thing? Netflix has recently beefed up there selection and changed the interface. Now you can actually browse on the roku, which means I will make a lot of spontaneous selection from my layzboy.

[Christina]

Anyone else doing the roku thing? Netflix has recently beefed up there selection and changed the interface. Now you can actually browse on the roku, which means I will make a lot of spontaneous selection from my layzboy.

oooo, how new is the browsability? I haven't watched Netflix in a few days, I've been watching disks. I love my Roku.

[Paul DePhiladelphia]

I didn't try the 'search' feature but I am guessing you can search all the instant watch titles. I browsed last night and I think they cater to your interests. For instance I could browse the 75 new releases in each category like tv, foreign, independant, horror, critics picks, documentaries. They scroll from right to left like on the site. Then the last two were like 'if you liked...' Its really fun and you can browse in a more fluid motion. Previously browsing your queue on roku was kinda slow and freezy.

[yesno]

In the universe of Roku, I've played a lot with watching Netflix on the TV.

If you have a computer attached to your TV, you can use Boxee, which has a pretty good Netflix app.  (XBMC, which it is a fork of, is a lot better at actual media files for lots of geeky reasons, but it can't do online content.)

If this living room computer is a Mac, you can use Plex, which is another fork of XBMC but is better than both Boxee and XBMC at everything.

Or, you can run Kylo, which is a browser designed to be used from far away on giant screens.

[Paul DePhiladelphia]

I could be wrong but I think I remember reading that there isn't and HD option when viewing on the computer. HD videos look really good through the rocku. I am rewatching Friday Night Lights. I wish they'd dump a lot more tv on there. The Wonder Years, Are You Afraid of the Dark? or Salute Your Shorts would be fine additions.

[yesno]

Roku is great.  I've actually met those guys, through work.  But HD streaming is available through PCs now:

http://www.switched.com/2010/05/13/netflix-introduces-hd-streaming-for-pc-and-mac

Given that you can buy a teeny-tiny PC with direct HDMI outputs for about $200, it can be a touch choice to decide what to go with.  (After buying a laptop-style wireless keyboard with built-in trackpad, though, for $90, the PC option does start to cost a little more.)

[Spalding]

Got the Roku box ($100) to watch Netflix streaming on my old-timey TV - really great.  Roku also gives you access to non-Netflix stuff through other providers (blip.tv and media fly) - mostly online shows and video podcasts. Have been enjoying the Kevin Pollack Talk Show - he's had on many friends of the Best Show, including James Urbaniak and PFT.

Netflix also provides a disc for subscribers to allow your Wii to stream to your TV. But I think only the Roku gets you access to the non-Netflix services.

[Paul DePhiladelphia]

I had issues going from my computer to HDTV via HDMI. It looked ok but vlc would skip a frame every 5 seconds or so and it was just unbearable. All other players I tried were even worse. Most of these were HD tv shows. Treme and Breaking Bad became unwatchable. A cool thing I have, though,  is a dvd player with HDMI out and a USB port. All I do is put a file on a flash drive and it plays great. I worked for weeks trying to fix the PC to TV situation and finally gave up. Once Hulu is on roku and Amazon makes a monthly charge available I will be a very happy man.

[Anayajay]

A cool thing I have, though,  is a dvd player with HDMI out and a USB port. All I do is put a file on a flash drive and it plays great.

Paul, you are a rock star. I have been having the same issues, but never considered the USB on my LG blu-ray/netflix machine. So excited to try this out!

[yesno]

Hulu won't be on Roku.  It's obsessed with the idea that you're not allowed to watch it on "TVs," only on "computers."

[Sarah]

I've checked out Netflix's streaming options and am not impressed.  Oh well.

[Paul DePhiladelphia]

A cool thing I have, though,  is a dvd player with HDMI out and a USB port. All I do is put a file on a flash drive and it plays great.

Paul, you are a rock star. I have been having the same issues, but never considered the USB on my LG blu-ray/netflix machine. So excited to try this out!

Anayajay don't get your hopes up. The usb on my LG bluray doesn't play video. It's only on my phillips dvd player. Those can be found for $30 or so and I'd say it's worth it.

[Chris L]

I've checked out Netflix's streaming options and am not impressed.  Oh well.

There's hours and hours of great stuff on there but they suck at helping you find it.  All but getting rid of the "Friends" feature hasn't helped, which is why I no longer bother to rate movies I watch.

On another note, they also suck at carrying box sets now.  They still haven't gotten the Oshima Eclipse set that came out a few weeks ago, and they're only carrying the Oprah-narrated version of the BBC's Life, not the Attenborough version.  HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO LIVE MY LIFE UNTIL THESE PROBLEMS ARE RESOLVED?!!?!!??