As anyone with one of the newer video game platforms is aware (xbox 360, PS3, etc.), Netflix has most of their collection available to watch instantly through their “watch instantly” feature online.
If you’re not a gamer, it doesn’t make much sense to shell out $200+ on a video game system just to watch movies. There are plenty of other entertainment platforms out there that can satisfy your needs. As for myself, I quit video games cold turkey at the age of 12 when it started to take a toll on my grades. I have a highly addictive personality and when I got a report card in junior high that was straight C’s (due mostly to “Final Fantasy III”), it was time to kick the habit. Since 1995, I had some minor relapses. “Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic” and “Grand Theft Auto: Vice City” come to mind. But I have largely been able to keep my addiction at bay in the last 15 years.
I wanted to avoid buying an xbox 360 out of fear that I would become a video game junkie again, lying in the fetal position in the corner of a room petting a video game controller. I opted instead to purchase a Roku player.
The Roku player has three primary channels: Netflix, Amazon Video on Demand and Pandora. On the Netflix channel, you have access to Netflix’s entire watch instantly album. Every season of 24, Lost, Heroes, Weeds, the first two seasons of Dexter and a wide assortment of movies are all available.
With Amazon Video on Demand, you can purchase movies and TV shows via a permanent license to watch them instantly off of Amazon.com. Usually, they are at dramatic discounts to their DVD counterparts. Episodes of tv shows are also usually available immediately after they air for $1.99.
The Pandora station is self explanatory. It plays your Pandora stations. If you have a good sound system, it’s a good alternative to your computer’s speakers.
The little gadget sells for $59.99. For an extra $10, you can get content in HD.
As a result of purchasing this relatively cheap device two years ago, I no longer have a need for cable television (I still have cable, my roommates watch it, but I could go without it and just get a cheap internet provider). If If I want to watch an episode of a show that aired last night, I buy it for $1.99 and watch it on my tv in HD and own it forever. I’ve watched shows like 24 in their entirety from start to finish without commercial interruption or waiting for DVDs to show up in the mail. Unless you’re really into sports, why pay Comcast $100 (or more) per month for cable TV?
