For a little while, I have been looking at two possible resources: Amazon Prime and Netflix. I've used the free offerings of Hulu and paid offerings at Comcast's XFinity (our ISP) and Crunchyroll.

Amazon Prime I think is just this awesome deal, that you can't beat for the price; assuming you're willing to pay. Basically, you get free two-day shipping and some of the films on Amazon Instant Video can be streamed for free, rather than renting or buying it. Supposedly streaming should work anywhere that Flashplayer does. Not my favourite software but it's a better option than Silverlight IMHO, assuming you want cross platform support. I don't order that much stuff but when I do, it will usually come from Amazon or eBay, whoever gives me the better deal. Between the video and the shipping, it's like an awesome deal. Can't say that I've looked at the Kindle part much, so IDK how well it integrates when using everything but a Kindle device. Selection also looks pretty good but not unlimited, sadly. I may very well give it a try, but will hold off until the shipping is more useful.


Netflix on the other hand, is an interesting wild card that I'm trying out now. A lot of people either left Netflix or have an uneasy relationship with the company after the whole fiasco with the Qwikster idea and the plan split; if I was an investor I would. You can get unlimited streaming or disc rental, or pay more for both. I'm fine with that, especially with the price tag. What interests me though, is the recommendation stuff and the selection. I was impressed with the selection versus XFinity and Hulu, majorly impressed; although the starz thing worries me. How it guesses how likely I am to like something seems accurate enough to take into consideration when choosing a movie, based on what it's given me for movies I already know. That on it's own is worth while, with a sufficient selection versus XFinity. The number two problem I have with XFinity is of course, out of what I /can/ watch: what should I watch? That's a time investment in entertainment you know.


XFinity is a great, if you already get a premium cable service through comcast, it is worth checking out. What irks me though is that a lot of things are either unavailable or only can be played via the set top boxes on demand programming. They're not the best at web development, only support Windows and iOS for playback; which is a sequence of progressive groans for me but at least there's a pretty reasonable amount of content, at no extra charge past the cable bill. The problem is, when I want to watch something, it's a crap shoot whether or not I'll be able to—and I don't haven't had my own TV for a year.

Hulu is better for general TV, not so much for more premium content IMHO, so I don't really see any sense to a Hulu Plus subscription. For people that prefer series it's likely worth it, especially if you want more recent ones and don't have all the DVD sets.

Crunchyroll, if that sort of thing rocks your boat, is worth membership just because the advertising is too frequently the same.


Of course, another option is renting stuff off the Android Market or similar but I'm too cheap most of the time lol. Odds are I could even get a new TV tuner and hook it up to my modem but I'm to lazy and to cheap for that.