TV streaming services

[Grumpy John]

Stan, Netflix, and Presto have been with us for a couple of months now and I must say I'm pretty happy with Netflix. I've been watching lots of shows, some of which which have been on free to air TV. The bast thing is that you can truly watch what you want, when you want with no annoying commercials and oddball start times. Some of the shows I've really enjoyed are:
Orange Is The New Black
Luther
Line Of Duty
Wallander
Orphan Black
Grace and Frankie
Just wondering if other forum members have given the streaming services a try.

[ajw]

Only have Netflix, which is working really well. A much better option than Foxtel in my opinion. No ads, much cheaper. Loved House of Cards.

cheers

ajw

[Grumpy John]

Check out Orphan Black. Binged on that one, watched the whole of season one in one day.

[Master Splinter]

Try Netflix and a virtual private network...it's even more fun!

[Grumpy John]

Try Netflix and a virtual private network...it's even more fun!

BTDT, too much of a hassle. Setting up a fake US identity, virtual credit card, direct debit from my bank to virtual CC, big fat PITA.

[DavidGu]

Netflix :U

[Sir Stinkalot]

Just finishing our first month with Netflix. The old DVD player packed it in so we got a new Sony Blueray with WI-FI to make Netflix easier ...... It's brilliant. I love the fact you can load different users, it knows where you are up to in a show and carries this across multiple platforms. The quality of the streaming through the Sony cant be faulted. Best of all unlike our Samsung "smart" TV the streaming through the Sony allows for iinet free zone so ABC catchup and Netflix are data free. We have a 100gb plan and have just used 30gb doing regular Internet stuff and 150gb free zone streaming of Netflix.

As for programs: loving House Of Cards, Vikings, started on Orange Is The New Black but not yet sold on it, just started Freaks and Geeks.

Being able to watch multiple episodes in a row is a real plus .... I couldn't imagine watching one episode a week at a fixed time anymore.

Also enjoying the documentaries - there was a great little one about the death of Atari, another good one about Napster and a few others.

It's pleasing to be able to get this content legally at a good price and with such convenience I am sure piracy will drop. I couldn't even tell you what is on free to air anymore. The quality dropped a long time ago ..... Just not interested in going back and I can't see how free to air can continue with their current models.

[Grumpy John]

I think these streaming services will relegate free TV to likes of TV Shopping Shows and stupid reality programs. Like Stinky, I cannot see myself waiting a week at a time to watch what could be a great show, butchered with commercials/not shown because of SOR or some other "special event", or even cancelled mid season.

[BobL]

My son is an IT security guy and has had netflix via VPN for a couple of years. Because of the multiple users he set us (SWMBO and Yours truly) up with our own user names on his account. He uses the VPN for other things so h manages everything. SWMBO has since been glued to the set watching all manner of programs etc and has a lengthy and detailed personal profile of the stuff she watches. I watched half a movie when we babysat relatives kids and SWMBO had to duck out for a while. I also started to watch original star trek episodes but it got far too cheesy for me. I have watched the odd episode of Doc Martin with SWMBO while having dinner.

Too much fun to be had in sheds to spend watching TV screens.

My media entertainment preference is audio books and I get through about two a week usually imbibed while walking dogs or driving or If I wake up at nights and can't get back to sleep.

The NBN guys were connecting our house up to the network yesterday now waiting for the internal connection.

[Master Splinter]

You don't need to make region based accounts for Netflix - it's location aware, so if you VPN to a US exit server, it delivers the US content. If you VPN to a UK server, it's UK content.

And I'm pinning the date when commercial free to air TV finally lost it at the introduction of Big Brother, Australian Idol and similar 'reality' TV.

For me, that was TV's 'jump the shark' moment - I haven't watched any of the commercial networks since then.

Interestingly, it's been the same with all my kids. None of them watch TV any more, now that they are past the age of the ABC's kids tv content.

[snowyskiesau]

I'm still waiting on an NBN solution before I start to look at things like Netflix.
Limited options in Tasmania.

[Grumpy John]

You don't need to make region based accounts for Netflix - it's location aware, so if you VPN to a US exit server, it delivers the US content. If you VPN to a UK server, it's UK content.

And I'm pinning the date when commercial free to air TV finally lost it at the introduction of Big Brother, Australian Idol and similar 'reality' TV.

For me, that was TV's 'jump the shark' moment - I haven't watched any of the commercial networks since then.

Interestingly, it's been the same with all my kids. None of them watch TV any more, now that they are past the age of the ABC's kids tv content.

It was 18 months ago when we had Netflix via VPN and it was a real PITA. I think we used Hola and when we tried to subscribe to Netflix it wouldn't accept our Visa number so we set up a virtual CC using Entropay and set up a small bank account from which do direct debit to the Entropay CC. All these services cost money and in the end it was too much trouble. It might be different now that we have an Australian account, maybe just a VPN would be required to access the American content.

[Twisted Tenon]

I am really not too savvy about this netflx stuff. I currently have Apple TV and this is costly as a movie downloaded at high resolution takes between 7-9 GB for $7.00 for a new release. Netflix seems the go, but I would soon use up my 100 GB download from Bigpond.

TT

[Master Splinter]

Yep. Just a VPN. However, if you are paying for a VPN, then torrents make just as much sense!

[Sir Stinkalot]

And I'm pinning the date when commercial free to air TV finally lost it at the introduction of Big Brother, Australian Idol and similar 'reality' TV.

For me, that was TV's 'jump the shark' moment - I haven't watched any of the commercial networks since then.

The quality has surely dropped away but part of me thinks that "reality" TV might actually save free to air (if you can be bothered to watch it). Have you noticed how many shows now incorporate a twitter banner or the like trying to get an instant interaction with the audience. Personally I don't know who would bother sending a tweet in about "how smashing the tiles look" but there are enough who feel that they just have to share their view instantly with others. The good news for free to air TV is journalists do not exist any more so the papers (or online papers) are just filled with run downs and summaries of what happened on last nights reality show - drawing the "instant everything" crowd in the next night to follow.

This interaction, and ability to share your view, only works when the show is actually on - no catchup or record for later - it has to be when the free to air network want to run the program and this helps with the advertising.

The only show I am holding out for now is the new Grand Designs next week ..... even then it will not be Sunday at 7:30pm as this is when we are putting the kids to bed .... it will be at our own convenience via ABC catchup :U

[Twisted Tenon]

I can't help but think that the drop off in quality of the free to air tv is a deliberate tactic to force consumers onto the pay channels. It will be a sad day when the cricket & footy is exclusively on pay TV.

TT

[Handyjack]

When sports move to a paid service I simply stop watching them. The time of showing also influences what I watch.
Sports which I may have watched in the past include V8 supercars, F1, Champ/Indy cars.
It was interesting that the Big Bash League moved from pay TV to free to air. I was able to start watching a bit of it and attendances at games also went up.
Basketball used to be big and on free to air. No longer on free to air and I think the if not the league a lot the teams are dying.

[fxst]

When pay tv first hit our shores the big selling point was no ads ....so I went with it, remember galaxy? then the ads started once they got a reasonable amount of customers and I and hundreds of others left. It went broke and eventually evolved to foxtel. How long before the streaming services start that? I still remember when utube was ad free not now got an audience so whack in the ads. Greed always kicks in and this I believe is the main reason for the piracy that all the companies complain about. I'm over tv nowdays with all the idiot reality?? shows
Pete
hands soapbox to the next ranter :D

[NCArcher]

After reading this thread I did a bit of research and have now signed up to Netflix. The first month is free so nothing to lose really.
I don't watch TV, I prefer to watch a few shows on ABC iView on the computer. Not in the least interested in reality TV.
I also have a mini Android PC hooked up to the TV, as our TV is not particularly new or expensive and doesn't have access to the internet, so I can watch the occasional show on iView on the big screen.
I'm pretty impressed with Netflix so far. We'll see how we go but I will probably keep it after the free month is up.
Oh and I'm on ADSL 2+ with decent speeds and iView and Netflix are free to download with my ISP.

[AlexS]

No matter what the delivery medium, there is a limited amount of worthwhile viewing, and it's just being spread thinner & thinner. Better to read a book (or Kindle).

[fxst]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^ what he said :)
Pete

[Chris Parks]

No matter what the delivery medium, there is a limited amount of worthwhile viewing, and it's just being spread thinner & thinner. Better to read a book (or Kindle).

I have had a first generation Kindle for many years but I recently bought a Kindle Voyage and it is fantastic, I have thousands of books on the computer and transfer them when I need to. I don't watch much TV either and I have tried to talk Mrs P out of having Foxtel so I started a Netflix account as a first move in the war. The flexibility of the service with the small amount of money they charge makes it ideal for me as I can watch what I want when I want and it remembers where I am with my occasional viewing. Another thing I have added lately was a Chromecast with which I can broadcast to the TV from my computer, for $50 it is a steal. I haven't watched free to air for years apart from Iview now and then. I also have a NAS in the home network and that can store and stream movies and TV episodes as well, I can't work out why we still have Foxtel to tell the truth. All this technology must be a death knell for FTA, it comes down to how many sources of entertainment you want.

[Grumpy John]

Might have to give Netflx a rest tomorrow evening to watch this (http://www.abc.net.au/tv/programs/blood-thunder-the-sound-of-alberts/) on free to air.

[Twisted Tenon]

Might have to give Netflx a rest tomorrow evening to watch this (http://www.abc.net.au/tv/programs/blood-thunder-the-sound-of-alberts/) on free to air.

Bloody beauty I'll be watching :2tsup:

On another note, I've signed up to netflix last night. Looking good so far.....

TT

[Acco]

Might have to give Netflx a rest tomorrow evening to watch this (http://www.abc.net.au/tv/programs/blood-thunder-the-sound-of-alberts/) on free to air.

Thanks for that GJ, I'll be watching that as well :2tsup:

I also use Netflix pretty much every night.

[Chris Parks]

Make sure you don't exceed your data limit unless you are with iinet who have made it free which they now regret.:C

[Master Splinter]

...I manage to get by on a mere 7-800 gigabytes a month...

[Chris Parks]

A few people I know did not realize that Netflix affected their data limits, hence my post. Mine with everything including a son who is into gaming fairly heavily runs out around 250-300 Gig per month with a 500 Gig cap.

[Bob38S]

I can't help but think that the drop off in quality of the free to air tv is a deliberate tactic to force consumers onto the pay channels. It will be a sad day when the cricket & footy is exclusively on pay TV.

TT

I think you are 110% correct.

Not only are the wannabes falling over each other for their 10 seconds of fame but it is el cheapo TV as all of the calls the viewers are encouraged to make create a tidy sum as they are premium calls.

V8's hmmm, I used to know what they were..... I go back to the early days of black and white for the first Hardie Ferado/Bathurst days - from showroom floor to racetrack, all brands etc. My nose may be a little shorter but channel 10 (really channel 5 as they are only half as good as they claim and that is being generous) can stick their highlights where the sun don't shine. Any preschooler with a Timex watch and 30 seconds of instruction could be more accurate with the scheduling.

As for pay TV, if I'm paying for it I don't want any ads at all, this is just gouging twice, once from the advertisers and once from the viewer.

[Twisted Tenon]

As for pay TV, if I'm paying for it I don't want any ads at all, this is just gouging twice, once from the advertisers and once from the viewer.

That's why I gave Netflix a try Bob. The was the kicker for me was $11.99 a month for two screens with no adverts. So I'm paying for no ads. Just wait until they have enough customers and they'll begin to phase in the ads. Call me cynical :p

TT

[Bob38S]

Cynical?

I don't think so.

Realist or pragmatist are the words which come to mind.