Online Watch Films
Online Watch Films
More and more people watch movies online and stream movies to TV. I have been looking for an alternative to cable/satellite for awhile. More and more people realize that they can find most of the shows they like online. The offerings are so rich now, that you could watch all the TV and movies you want, and pay less than what the cable company charges. But until now it was pretty cumbersome. Today, devices like Roku and Apple TV give your Internet TV and movie watching a boost – they are inexpensive, simple to hook up, and more powerful. Getting your TV from the internet is easy and in many parts of the country makes financial sense.
Options to Watch Movies Online
1. Watching Whole Movies Online
Whether you have the Roku XDS streaming player or the Apple TV 2nd generation, first check Netflix first for the cheapest options. Apple TV offers HD rental versions of the same movies available for PCs, iPods, iPhones, and iPads via the iTunes Store for prices that vary between $1.99 and $4.99. On the Roku Player, you can watch Amazon movie rentals, which starts from $0.99.
2. Watching TV Shows Online
Netflix also carries previous seasons of many TV. For the current seasons of on-air shows, your Apple TV options come down to just one: iTunes rentals, which cost $1 per episode ( actually, really it’s $0.99 just like Amazon video on demand, but lets just say it’s a buck). On Roku XDS you have more choices: you can rent from Amazon Video on Demand (also $0.99 per episode), or you can sign up for the new HuluPlus service, which costs $7.99 per month and gives you access to all current-season episodes for about 45 shows. HuluPlus is a bit thin right now when it comes to current shows, but if you watch at least 9 episodes per month, this would still be cheaper than renting them individually from iTunes or Amazon – and of course you will have access to plenty of rerun shows – all video on demand – watch when you want it.
3. Watch Internet Video
Apple TV and the Roku Player have free Internet video, but Roku is the leader here. The Roku Channel Store offers Blip.tv, Chow, Koldcast, MediaFly, NASA TV, Revision3, Twit.tv, Vimeo, and many other networks and specialty channels like Jewelry Television and LifeChurch. On Apple TV you get to watch YouTube.
4. Streaming Music and Podcasts from Internet
With Apple TV you get to connect to the iTunes Store and you can browse and listen to them right on your Apple TV. You can also listen to Apple TV’s huge list of streaming radio stations, setup “home sharing” through your Mac. Roku has one huge music service: Pandora, and it also offers music-related channels like TuneIn Radio or MOG. Plenty of music either way.
5. Streaming Photos
Apple TV connects to Flickr, and it turns your photos into full-screen slide shows and special effects. Roku connects you to Facebook Photos, Flickr, Framechannel, Smugmug, Picasa, and – but its slide shows are basic, with no special effects. Either gets you at least the basics – and lets face it, photo slide shows are the least important of Roku or Apple TV capabilities.
Watching Online Movies With Roku Player
Roku XDS Streaming Player 1080p
The Roku XDS Streaming player is rapidly emerging as the way to watch on demand movies (including HD) and TV over the Internet. It’s simple to set up, and gives you easy access to tens of thousands of movies on Netflix and Amazon video on demand. You can also watch TV – current and classic shows – from Hulu Plus, or listen to music on Pandora – or your own iTunes. Watch major sports events, or simply watch original Internet programming.
It takes about 15 minutes from opening the Roku box, to having it set up and watching your first movie. So what does it take to use Roku? You need a decent internet connection. That’s it.
Open the Roku box, plug in the A/V cable into your TV, connect Roku to the Internet (either through wireless connection or standard Ethernet computer network cable). And get the popcorn going. Decent internet connection means about 1.5 Mbps for regular movies and TV – most DSL providers offer those at low cost. For High Definition – streaming HD movies, you need about 6 Mbps connection – that’s midrange DSL – which you can get for about $35/month, or most Cable connections will do. With the Roku XDS Streaming Player you can now dump the cable company and save money too. Even if you counted full costs of the internet connection, $40/month, plus Netflix – $8/month, and Hulu Plus at $8/ month – all together, it comes to $56/month. Try getting a full cable package for so little.
>>> Read more about what Roku Streaming Players can do for you.
Watching Latest Films Online With Apple TV
Another contender in the streaming movies and online video space is the Apple TV. The cute little 4” by 4” box lets you stream HD movies and TV shows rented from iTunes, plus content from Netflix, YouTube, MobileME and Flickr. The 2nd generation box, smaller, redesigned device with HDMI and digital optical audio output; connects to the Internet via Wireless-N or Ethernet. It’s silent – no fan, cool, and consumes very little power. Music, videos and photos can also be streamed from PCs and Macs.
Comes with 7-button aluminum Apple remote; can be controlled by iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch via (free) Remote app. Still, unless you are a die-hard Apple fan, I think Roku XDS is a better deal.
