Netflix TV Box, $99, Unlimited Downloads at DVinfo.net

C.S. Michael · May 19th, 2008, 11:46 PM

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5i...WqGGwD90P4S380

Netflix may have cracked the code with this one.

Theodore McNeil · May 20th, 2008, 10:39 PM

$99 seems like the ultimate "what-the-heck" price for a device like this.

Saul Hansell over at the New York Times is calling this the first shot in the revolution: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/0...ref=technology

According to the FAQ page Roku recommends at least a 4 Mbps connection speed to get the full quality. Full quality is stereo SD DVD. This going to be the problem for most Netflix subscribers because the American average download speed is around 2 Mbps. (http://www.cwa-union.org/news/page.jsp?itemID=28663094)

If this catches on the ISPs are going to love it...

Leo Versola · May 21st, 2008, 11:49 AM

Just ordered one. Thank goodness I have Comcast 16 Mbps high-speed service already for when HD content becomes available...

Chris Medico · May 21st, 2008, 12:00 PM

If it had a HD in it and could cache the media locally then I would be on it. WAY out in the country where I live I'm lucky to have DSL at all and its only 2mb on a good day.

Close but not quite good enough for us with the slower high speed connections...

Randy Johnson · May 21st, 2008, 06:56 PM

I work for Comcast (dont kill me) I actually work or CN8 not the cable end. If I had a working crystal ball I would say that in the next year or so your Cable converter box (if you have Comcast) will have a built in cable modem and technology like this. So most of you content will be distributed via th internet. The start was Comcast launching its new "Blast" which will carry 160 mps when it gets all the way up to speed. With that you can download a HD movie in 10 minutes.

Xavier Etown · May 24th, 2008, 03:24 PM

Current TV reported that only 10% of Netflix's titles are available to the box----not a lot of the "latest and greatest" movies.

Ralph Bowman · May 24th, 2008, 06:50 PM

I have been downloading tv shows and movies from Netflix as part of my $17.99-- 3 at a time dvd mailers. Such a deal...My wife and I watch on an old lap top in the living room while we are waiting for our next DVD mailer to arrive...Plenty of programing...foreign movies, classics, etc. Get bored with one movie jump to another until you are satisfied with the one you both like..at NO EXTRA CHARGE!!! and NO ADs!!!! TV heaven.

Ralph Bowman

C.S. Michael · May 25th, 2008, 07:46 PM

I have been doing the same as Ralph, connecting my laptop to a 42-inch 1080p display and watching instantly. This set-top box will eliminate the need for that hassle. Sure, the latest releases may not be on the "instant watching" list, but they do offer plenty of great stuff.

Jeremiah Hall · June 17th, 2008, 01:57 PM

Got the box Saturday. Had it hooked up in less than five minutes. I'm using the wireless connection to my network. The picture is not as crisp as dvd, let alone HD. There is some artifacting, which I was expecting. But now my whole family can watch the show together, instead of trying to cram ourselves around my wife's laptop.

As far as titles, I watch a lot of older BBC shows, documentaries and strange b-films from the 60s, 70s and 80s, so this is perfect for me. Plus, I introduced my daughter to the Addams Family and the A-Team without having to shell out $40 for the dvds, or shell out money for cable or a dish.

I like it. I'd like it more with a software update for surround sound and at least 720p HD, but I'm patient.

Ray Bell · June 17th, 2008, 02:46 PM

The ISP's are already saying that they will detect activity from using this box and they do
plan on charging extra for the folks that use it. They are getting ready to offer packages that will limit the amount of data that you can download....

I didn't think they were going to let Netflix get all the action without making some $$$ too.

Gints Klimanis · June 18th, 2008, 03:20 AM

I like this service, too. Last month, the audio was all mono. Now, I'm noticing stereo on the same titles as I'm cycling through Miami Vice repeats. Some movies are atrociously horribly (Viking Saga) in video quality, but most are decent when watched on a small computer screen. I used to hookup my laptop with a DVI->HDMI converter cable, but the scaling to my Sony Bravia 52" 1080p looked horrible. I wish NetFlix would provide a player that would do better scaling on the PC. On the PC, most titles are too dark, so a brightness control would be useful.

Matt Newcomb · June 28th, 2008, 09:53 PM

I think I'll pass. I don't need another box to hook up to my tv with another remote. You can already connect it via your computer, and hopefully PS3 or the 360 will pick it up as well.

Paulo Teixeira · June 29th, 2008, 07:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt Newcomb

I think I'll pass. I don't need another box to hook up to my tv with another remote. You can already connect it via your computer, and hopefully PS3 or the 360 will pick it up as well.

The PS3 has a good chance of getting it and it’s a guarantee that the 360 will get it so I agree that if you have or planning on getting at least one of those systems, then getting this box is a waste of money.
http://www.seanbajuice.com/2008/02/1...-full-details/

E3 is next month by the way so you’ll be able to get an update on this issue.

May 19th, 2008, 11:46 PM	#1
C.S. Michael Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Birmingham, AL Posts: 197	Netflix TV Box, $99, Unlimited Downloads http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5i...WqGGwD90P4S380 Netflix may have cracked the code with this one. __________________ Bored? Check out my blog (shot with Sony EX1, Panasonic TM700, Nikon D7100, Sony NEX-5N, GoPro2): LongLongHoneymoon.com

May 20th, 2008, 10:39 PM	#2
Theodore McNeil Major Player Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Centreville, Maryland Posts: 258	$99 seems like the ultimate "what-the-heck" price for a device like this. Saul Hansell over at the New York Times is calling this the first shot in the revolution: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/0...ref=technology According to the FAQ page Roku recommends at least a 4 Mbps connection speed to get the full quality. Full quality is stereo SD DVD. This going to be the problem for most Netflix subscribers because the American average download speed is around 2 Mbps. (http://www.cwa-union.org/news/page.jsp?itemID=28663094) If this catches on the ISPs are going to love it... __________________ http://twitter.com/tedmcneil Last edited by Theodore McNeil; May 20th, 2008 at 10:43 PM. Reason: grammar

May 21st, 2008, 12:00 PM	#4
Chris Medico Inner Circle Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Efland NC, USA Posts: 2,322	If it had a HD in it and could cache the media locally then I would be on it. WAY out in the country where I live I'm lucky to have DSL at all and its only 2mb on a good day. Close but not quite good enough for us with the slower high speed connections... __________________ http://www.LandYachtMedia.com

May 24th, 2008, 06:50 PM	#7
Ralph Bowman Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Grants Pass, Oregon Posts: 59	Netflix is terrific I have been downloading tv shows and movies from Netflix as part of my $17.99-- 3 at a time dvd mailers. Such a deal...My wife and I watch on an old lap top in the living room while we are waiting for our next DVD mailer to arrive...Plenty of programing...foreign movies, classics, etc. Get bored with one movie jump to another until you are satisfied with the one you both like..at NO EXTRA CHARGE!!! and NO ADs!!!! TV heaven. Ralph Bowman

May 25th, 2008, 07:46 PM	#8
C.S. Michael Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Birmingham, AL Posts: 197	I have been doing the same as Ralph, connecting my laptop to a 42-inch 1080p display and watching instantly. This set-top box will eliminate the need for that hassle. Sure, the latest releases may not be on the "instant watching" list, but they do offer plenty of great stuff. __________________ Bored? Check out my blog (shot with Sony EX1, Panasonic TM700, Nikon D7100, Sony NEX-5N, GoPro2): LongLongHoneymoon.com

May 21st, 2008, 11:49 AM	#3
Leo Versola Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 73	Just ordered one. Thank goodness I have Comcast 16 Mbps high-speed service already for when HD content becomes available...

May 21st, 2008, 06:56 PM	#5
Randy Johnson Trustee Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Newark, Delaware Posts: 1,067	I work for Comcast (dont kill me) I actually work or CN8 not the cable end. If I had a working crystal ball I would say that in the next year or so your Cable converter box (if you have Comcast) will have a built in cable modem and technology like this. So most of you content will be distributed via th internet. The start was Comcast launching its new "Blast" which will carry 160 mps when it gets all the way up to speed. With that you can download a HD movie in 10 minutes.

May 24th, 2008, 03:24 PM	#6
Xavier Etown Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 71	Current TV reported that only 10% of Netflix's titles are available to the box----not a lot of the "latest and greatest" movies.

June 17th, 2008, 01:57 PM	#9
Jeremiah Hall Regular Crew Join Date: May 2003 Location: Columbia, SC Posts: 69	Got the box Saturday. Had it hooked up in less than five minutes. I'm using the wireless connection to my network. The picture is not as crisp as dvd, let alone HD. There is some artifacting, which I was expecting. But now my whole family can watch the show together, instead of trying to cram ourselves around my wife's laptop. As far as titles, I watch a lot of older BBC shows, documentaries and strange b-films from the 60s, 70s and 80s, so this is perfect for me. Plus, I introduced my daughter to the Addams Family and the A-Team without having to shell out $40 for the dvds, or shell out money for cable or a dish. I like it. I'd like it more with a software update for surround sound and at least 720p HD, but I'm patient.

June 17th, 2008, 02:46 PM	#10
Ray Bell Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 1,414	The ISP's are already saying that they will detect activity from using this box and they do plan on charging extra for the folks that use it. They are getting ready to offer packages that will limit the amount of data that you can download.... I didn't think they were going to let Netflix get all the action without making some $$$ too.

June 18th, 2008, 03:20 AM	#11
Gints Klimanis Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 2,222	I like this service, too. Last month, the audio was all mono. Now, I'm noticing stereo on the same titles as I'm cycling through Miami Vice repeats. Some movies are atrociously horribly (Viking Saga) in video quality, but most are decent when watched on a small computer screen. I used to hookup my laptop with a DVI->HDMI converter cable, but the scaling to my Sony Bravia 52" 1080p looked horrible. I wish NetFlix would provide a player that would do better scaling on the PC. On the PC, most titles are too dark, so a brightness control would be useful.

June 28th, 2008, 09:53 PM	#12
Matt Newcomb Major Player Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 212	I think I'll pass. I don't need another box to hook up to my tv with another remote. You can already connect it via your computer, and hopefully PS3 or the 360 will pick it up as well. __________________ Talenos Productions at http://www.talenos.com