Comments on: Netflix Roku: Free Is Such A Beautiful Word

By: all I can watch, thanks to Netflix and Roku « Jenn Deering Davis

all I can watch, thanks to Netflix and Roku « Jenn Deering Davis — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 01:04:53 +0000

[...] and Roku With the release of Roku’s Netflix Player earlier this week, and all the subsequent blogosphere chatter, I thought it might be interesting for me to explore my own relationship with [...]

By: PS3 To Media Haven. Part 1: The Plan | MY ADVICE

PS3 To Media Haven. Part 1: The Plan | MY ADVICE — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 17:10:31 +0000

[...] Sunday’s announcement from MediaMall Technologies regarding the latest ’stable’ release of its PlayOn media server caught my attention. Hulu, Netflix, CBS, ESPN streaming media all on my PS3 in one solution? First question: Is that ESPN 360? Second question: does it really work? While you can muck about and try to get all of these things working one way or another, they usually don’t come packaged nicely in one solution for you, nor do they work in a stable fashion. I need answers to some important questions, like will Hulu also work in HD? Will it all be in full screen? Am I going to see some lag? I suppose the only way to find out is to try it on my own. I’ll be utilizing the free 14 day trial period to experiment and torment this service, with the hopes of some decent sort of conclusion for the masses. I also find it pointless to test this without Netflix, so I’ll be signing up for a trial account. While the plans vary, I’m not interested in physical DVD’s, so I’ll be signing up for the cheapest ($8.99) option that offers unlimited streaming media from Netflix. If all goes well, Netflix can thank PlayOn for my subscription rather than TiVo or Roku. [...]

By: geraldz

geraldz — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 20:03:49 +0000

Don’t make the mistake of buying a proprietary box. Simply connect your PC to your HDTV and then let competition in the free market work for you. Rent movies from Netflix, CinemaNow, MovieLink or Amazon.

It’s easy and affordable:

http://PCTVCables.com

By: Netflix Roku Player - graysky

Netflix Roku Player - graysky — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 16:07:15 +0000

[...] for years and continue to like). The low price puts it in the category of being gift-able. And as Techcrunch says in their review, “free is such a beautiful [...]

By: Episode #13 - Mega Nostral

Episode #13 - Mega Nostral — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 21:35:46 +0000

[...] Netflix Roku: Free Is Such A Beautiful Word Microsoft and OLPC Agree To Put XP On the XO Laptop Refurbished iPhones Might Still Have Previous [...]

By: Steve

Steve — Fri, 23 May 2008 21:39:59 +0000

What is ZillionTV anyway? I know it has something to do with Netflix. Can anyone help me out?

By: Auggie

Auggie — Fri, 23 May 2008 20:38:43 +0000

Great Idea and simple too but …..

Isn’t Comcast and cox cable internet service bandwidth throtting all long downloads due to supposed P2P bad boys Syndrome?

Does this fit into the same catagory? Long Movie files !

Comcast is already throttling my long database backup file transfers from work!

What is the difference ?

By: Michelle Kwan

Michelle Kwan — Fri, 23 May 2008 03:39:53 +0000

Hi there…Man i love reading your blog, interesting posts ! it was a great Thursday .

By: Alexander

Alexander — Wed, 21 May 2008 03:10:40 +0000

Michael,

Thanks for publishing a link to the product page. Netflix hasn’t updated their site (or hadn’t last time I checked) with any information and the other blogs that covered this release couldn’t be bothered to provide that link.

And following that link led me to the FAQ’s for the player where they claim it _is_ HD compatible… there just isn’t any HD content available from Netflix yet.
http://www.roku...sked-questions/

By: RonPoz.com » The Netflix Player by Roku - BOUGHT

RonPoz.com » The Netflix Player by Roku - BOUGHT — Wed, 21 May 2008 00:54:28 +0000

[...] reading one press release today off of Techcrunch today and checking out the Roku website, I was sold. What is this thing anyway? Well, if you [...]

By: MIKEY GET SOME SLEEP

MIKEY GET SOME SLEEP — Tue, 20 May 2008 23:56:18 +0000

u pay $100 for box.. then monthly subscription.. WTF is free then? Mikey.. get some sleep

By: mark

mark — Tue, 20 May 2008 23:31:54 +0000

Mike,
We’re all going to have our opinions on this stuff, and I agree with most of your post, but the assertion blockbuster is gnawing away is off. The financials tell a totally different story.

Blockbuster largely stepped back from Total Access in recent months. After spending heavily, the costs were outweighing the gains and they refocused to deal with in store issues. That was last summer/fall. It’s still there and a part of their plans but its not the major focus it was.

I’m guessing your focus is probably too broad, and time committments too large, to read the 10K’s and Q’s all the way through for these companies, but the data is there to show the early marketing push hurt both companies but that netflix (when measured by customer growth numbers and churn) not only survived, but relatively speaking, has thrived the past few quarters comparatively when it comes to the mail order business in which they both compete.

I’m not bullish on either company. They both have issues but coming from the perspective of financial news and not just tech its troubling to see facts off.

By: Netflix's hot new video player - Top Stocks

Netflix's hot new video player - Top Stocks — Tue, 20 May 2008 21:42:10 +0000

[...] Apple rethinks its current pricing scheme: $2.99 to $3.99 to rent, $9.99 to $14.99 to own.” TechCrunch: “Good for them. Instead of wading into a losing battle over cheap downloads and rentals (see Vudu, [...]

By: MartinEden

MartinEden — Tue, 20 May 2008 21:33:13 +0000

Netflix “Play Now” feature is generally low quality and worse than hulu b/c of truncated screen size. No where near VHS quality even with high speed cable connection. Between films quality varies also. If the film has subtitles you can forget watching it – on the TV or computer. If the set top box has similar resolution, it’s a pass. Need to get DVD quality to the home to start. Work on HD later.

By: Raghu Srinivasan

Raghu Srinivasan — Tue, 20 May 2008 20:48:02 +0000

If any Netflixers (including you, Mike) are wondering just how much each movie on Netflix is actually costing you, check out FeedFlix. FeedFlix can help you figure out stats like this as well as how many movies you are watching and returning each week or how long you tend to keep a movie before returning it and so on. The stats are illustrated with easy graphs to help visualize your rental activity. FeedFlix is free - give it a go. I think you'll love it.

By: Netflix Roku streams movies to your living room « Dan’s Tech-n-Stuff Weblog

Tue, 20 May 2008 20:00:46 +0000

[...] TechCrunch [...]

By: Netflix releases Roku, movie streaming set top box « Dan’s Tech-n-Stuff Weblog

Tue, 20 May 2008 19:58:40 +0000

[...] TechCrunch [...]

By: On Roku and Netflix « On Technology

On Roku and Netflix « On Technology — Tue, 20 May 2008 19:37:49 +0000

[...] as I can tell that’s all it can do – stream films from Netflix. I’m not going to get as excited as Arrington over this for one simple reason: no tethered box will ever make it. The Roku doesn’t even [...]

By: Jeremy Toeman’s LIVEdigitally » Blog Archive » Thoughts on the Netflix box

Tue, 20 May 2008 19:00:32 +0000

[...] you up to speed: Netflix announced a $99 device that hooks up to your TV and streams movies (free to Netflix subscribers) from your queue straight to your set. This is not the first “Internet set-top box” to [...]

By: R2D2

R2D2 — Tue, 20 May 2008 18:39:49 +0000

Of course TechCrunch writers don’t talk, they are all bots.

By: Luke Peters

Luke Peters — Tue, 20 May 2008 18:24:44 +0000

You guys need to get together. in “I Am Failing To Get Excited About Napster’s 6 Million Songs ” you complain that music needs to become free, then in the very next post you seem ok with a $100 entry fee and an $18 monthly fee to view a movie that I could purchase a DVD for $18 and have it, without recurring cost, forever. I realize I can view 425 movies a month (31 days at 1.75 hrs each) for the same $18 but that is not the point.

Why should movies cost $18 a month and music be free? Do you guys talk?

By: TechCrunch Japanese アーカイブ » Netflix Roku: “無料”はなんと美しい言葉だろう

TechCrunch Japanese アーカイブ » Netflix Roku: “無料”はなんと美しい言葉だろう — Tue, 20 May 2008 18:11:35 +0000

[...] [原文へ] [...]

By: Jason Bogovich

Jason Bogovich — Tue, 20 May 2008 17:49:47 +0000

Here’s a good question, will Comcast be booting Netflix customers off their service? As we enter the post PC era, some of these devices will put huge amounts of bandwidth in the hands of millions of people. Or, will this raise the bar for what Comcast considers to be a pest consumer?

Look for the ISP arguments to start up again fresh about who is carrying who’s customers if this gets popular. Afterall, like Google, Netflix can not be allowed to profit off of the innovation of the ISPs without paying at least a minimal 33 percent profit to the ISPs.

Since this is all low quality content, can’t they utilize a P2P arrangement on these boxes using an encrypted .torrent type system? Build it and they will come, but some of those who come you won’t want showing up most likely.

By: Rendell

Rendell — Tue, 20 May 2008 17:48:26 +0000

The movie studios need to start streaming all of their movies online for the same price that a movie is sold for in theaters, from the same day the movie is in theaters.

Why would I want to go to a movie theater when the home movie experience is so much better with large screens, surround sound, and not going the trouble to go to a crowded movie theater somewhere.

They would also get to keep much more of the revenue if they bypass the movie theaters.

By: Nick

Nick — Tue, 20 May 2008 17:22:10 +0000

I think Netflix has been playing this the right way the whole time. Introducing an inexpensive bridge to the TV will make sense to a lot of subscribers, and they will continue to market it at their 8MM users… Netflix has mostly always done right by its customers and will continue to do so. I am even paying less now than I was a year ago for better service and more ways to consume content.

Hulu is going to take away business over time, but bandwidth is only going down, and I think Netflix is in as good a position as anyone right now, with so much change in the market.