Netflix/Hulu pros/cons opinions?
 

I had to cancel my Dish TV account.

Reason: The Receiver broke, HD running constantly.
I called into there technicians and went through test after test, witch all came down to "Pressing the Menu button twice". This was supposed to produce a mode that would let them dechiper the problem.

After doing this multiple times for absolutely no effect in bringing up the screen they wanted to diagnose the problem, the technician said the receiver was definitely broken.
I would be sent a new one! A couple days later I thought I had better email them again!
No answer, then on the 15th day give or take a couple I contacted them again. There reply, "We are NOT sending you a new receiver because you (Me) failed to prove I was who I said I was because I basically failed to press the "Menu" button correctly! Witch had been done multiple times!

You know the rest, what I said!


Anyway, that sets the stage for what I need to know.

My system consists of a Dish Receiver and a Samsung 55" TV.
There is a telephone line connected to the dish receiver.

Netflix says I need a BlueRay recorder unit and I can get there services. I don't know if they mean to go through the computer or not!

Just let me hear your ideas on the subject and what to do? I'm not very sharp on these things.

If I just need a Blue Ray device please give me some examples of good ones to buy

You certainly don't need a Bluray player, though that is an option.

A better option in my mind would be to get a Roku, which is a small Linux-based device that lets you stream content from hundreds of sources such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, etc, etc.

You will however need broadband Internet access, I assume that isn't a problem, but you mention a phone line so...

I'd wait or month or so, then buy a second-hand Playstation 3 from someone upgrading to a Playstation 4. They're great streaming devices, among the few that play Netflix at full resolution, and they're great Blu-Ray players too. And as a bonus, they also play Playstation 3 games. :)

Is your TV a so called smart tv?

There are many smart devices that could be used but not all of them can. If you just want Netflix then go with almost any of the cheap gizmo's that connect to a TV. The most simple may be the Chromecast.



Many blu-ray players are also smart to some degree. Some allow Amazon and Netflix. Almost all the Hulu stuff needs you to pay for Hulu plus.

You could also use a Nintendo WII. Brand new they are cheap and if you are only going to use it for Netflix you may be able to get a really basic set up for cheaper. I am not sure it would be worth it to buy a used WII though. As said in other replies. There are many options and I do remember hearing that Playstation works better than WII. But I do not have any first hand experience with Playstations and Netflix.

Great suggestion, the PS3 is a fantastic DVD/bluray and netflix player and they will certainly be dropping in price soon. Only issue is it can get loud at times, especially when it's been on for a while, but it's really not that loud, not disturbing or anything, just not silent.

I currently have a real bluray player, xbox 360, ps3, wii, wii u, htpc (home theater pc) and smart tv. All of which are capable of playing netflix with ease, yet the ps3 is always my go-to. It's faster than the others, has the most intuitive interface, and is controllable from my remote (Logitech Harmony One with PS3 adapter).

i would go with netflix
BUT and this is a VERY BIG ONE

you have to use it on Windows7
no linux
no apple ( it needs MS's current ".net framework" )

MS WINDOWS ONLY

the same goes for hulu also

You can use Netflix on Linux with wine. Though I think it does work better on Windows systems.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tfte5su5DIA

http://forums.fedoraforum.org/showthread.php?t=286230

http://sourceforge.net/projects/postinstaller/

i thought that the current update to netflix requires a newer dot net framwork than mono has
and that the all in one firefox/wine/netflix bundle was busted again

You might be right. I am stuck with a very, very old computer for about a week more. I can get Netflix to partially work on Debian-LXDE but it is very choppy and the audio is a couple of seconds ahead of the video. I can't really tell if it is this hardware or maybe it is the issue you mentioned. I can better test it when my new computer gets here next week. But before my other computer went I was able to use Netflix on it with Fedora 19 KDE Spin through Wine. That was a little over a week ago. It worked better on Windows 7 but worked pretty good on Fedora.

Moved: This thread is more suitable in Big General and has been moved accordingly to help your thread/question get the exposure it deserves.

I have a Roku box for netflix/Hulu on the TV.
I use Virtualbox+XP for viewing netflix online.

Never a problem with either.

No..it need Silverlight

With a Mac it's not big deal, on Linux you need either pipelight or the netflix desktop but you need to go into netflix with an MS based browser UA that is not IE..

Hulu works fine on my Boxes.

Not sure why

that was said. Also Miro and XMBC
are available and installable for you also. I also have installed and ran them also.
I use the free Hulu account. Not the paid version. I won't touch NetFlix. Not till they
support Linux natively. Maybe even then I won't touch Netflix. Just a personal thing with me.

Well I'm at a real loss, because some say YES and some say NO. If I need Microsoft windows I will never have it because I do NOT use them for anything!!

Habitual can you answer these questions for me:

You say you have a Roku box, I don't even know what that is. Is it a stand alone box/product that is not connected to a computer or what?

What other equipment other than this box is needed? Is a computer needed?

Maybe if you explain your set up (simple terms) it will make sense to me.