Six ways to watch Netflix on your HDTV

#1 Macworld

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Posted 15 November 2010 - 05:01 AM

Post your comments for Six ways to watch Netflix on your HDTV here

#2 spim_nyborg

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Posted 15 November 2010 - 06:20 AM

"MacBooks and older minis will require an adapter, such as a Mini DisplayPort-to-HDMI version."

well ... um .... no
or, "it depends"

my older Mini has a DVI port -- so only requires having the correct cable -- DVI to DVI (an older HDTV)

resolution has never been a problem - has always worked like a charm for my setup
(I know the article mentioned "may not match exactly" - but no adapter required for lots of older Minis or laptop models)

and optical out sound to the stereo - very nice

another nice thing about using a Mini (even an old one) as my entertainment center is not only having Netflix, but also Hulu, YouTube, Boxee, main network sites, etc.

This post has been edited by spim_nyborg: 15 November 2010 - 06:35 AM

#3 zarmanto

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Posted 15 November 2010 - 07:01 AM

Macworld, on 15 November 2010 - 05:01 AM, said:

And some players also offer component video output—useful if you’re already using all your TV’s HDMI inputs and don’t want to invest in an HDMI switcher.

Component is also useful if you're using an older (or less expensive) display technology; the projector in my home theater has two VGA inputs, a composite input and an S-video input; I can use an adapter to convert one of those VGA inputs into a component input set... but I have no HDMI.

(Of course, my HTPC has been connected up to one of those VGA ports for years now, so I'd actually been using that last option in your list long before many of the other options even existed -- but then again, I've also long since cancelled my Netflix account in favor of iTunes streaming.)

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#4 steveharman

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Posted 15 November 2010 - 07:38 AM

Netflix? AppleTV? Yeah, try that outside the good old U.S of A and see how far* you get. :-(

* Not very.

#5 djr12

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Posted 15 November 2010 - 07:39 AM

7. TiVo. TiVo was quick out of the gate on this one and, and their implementation has been excellent with a pretty straightforward and intuitive UI for accessing your Netflix live streaming queue. You can't search to add movies to your streaming queue directly from the TiVo box, but I'm not sure - do any of the non-computer boxes let you do that?

#6 Jon Seff

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Posted 15 November 2010 - 08:24 AM

djr12, on 15 November 2010 - 07:39 AM, said:

The 'new' Netflix interface on many TVs, Blu-ray players, Roku boxes, and the like now let you browse and add content to your queue directly. And of course the Apple TV does as well.

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#7 himbo

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Posted 15 November 2010 - 12:03 PM

Quote

Talk about a multifunction device—you can use your game console to stream the movie Iron Man 2 and then play the game when you’re done.

With, of course, the one glaring caveat that Iron Man 2 is not actually available for streaming.

#8 Jon Seff

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Posted 15 November 2010 - 12:20 PM

himbo, on 15 November 2010 - 12:03 PM, said:

Quote

Talk about a multifunction device—you can use your game console to stream the movie Iron Man 2 and then play the game when you’re done.

With, of course, the one glaring caveat that Iron Man 2 is not actually available for streaming.

Not yet, true, but you will be able to. :rolleyes:

Changed to the original Iron Man to make it more sensible.

Jon Seff
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#9 michaelant

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Posted 15 November 2010 - 01:38 PM

So, the PS3 is ready to do 1080p streaming from Netflix, but they don't yet have movies available in that resolution?

This earlier article, along with accompanying video from the Playstation Blog, doesn't mention any delay in availability.

http://www.engadget....g-and-5-1-surr/

I have a PS3, and HD streaming on it looks pretty good when the bandwidth is there. Is there a way I can tell if I'm getting 1080p or not?

#10 Jon Seff

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Posted 15 November 2010 - 02:02 PM

michaelant, on 15 November 2010 - 01:38 PM, said:

What's interesting is that the Netflix blog post mentions 1080p, but the press release linked to doesn't, and there's also nothing listed on the Netflix PS3 page. And the comments on the blog post are filled with questions about what content is in 1080p, but nobody from Netflix has replied. And from the comments I've read on other forums, it doesn't seem there's any way to tell what Netflix is (potentially) streaming in 1080p.

Jon Seff
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#11 michaelant

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Posted 15 November 2010 - 04:14 PM

Jon Seff, on 15 November 2010 - 02:02 PM, said:

Thanks for those links. This is getting pretty specific, but, you can hit the rectangle "Select" button the on the PS3 controller while streaming, and in the upper left some stats appear. I don't know if "Video: X-High/HD" corresponds to 1080p, but it looks good enough that it might. Not as good as blu-ray, but very good, with extra noise thrown in from compression for streaming.

#12 sethbaker

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Posted 08 February 2013 - 02:41 PM

Quote

You can't search to add movies to your streaming queue directly from the TiVo box, but I'm not sure - do any of the non-computer boxes let you do that?

It may be 3 years later, but google is still sending people here. So I might as well tell you what I know, which is that you can search to add movies to your streaming queue directly from the Nintendo Wii interface. You point and type with the Wii remote one letter at a time, which is a straightforward - yet slightly awkward - process. The other drawback is the picture quality, which is less than good but better than bad.