Stream Netflix to my TV?

H

HardLiner

Gawd
Joined
Nov 22, 2006
Messages
734
I am thinking about trying Netflix Canada 30 day trial and I'm curious what's the easiest way to stream Netflix to my TV (Samsung LN40A530) I don't think it supports Netflix nor does my Blue-ray player (Pioneer BDP-121)?. I have a 10/1 cable connection with a wireless G router (Linksys 5RT54G)
 
if neither of those devices have Netflix support built in you will need some piece of hardware to connect that can. That can be a computer, a XBox 360, a PS3, a Wii (although i dont recommend that one as it wont do HD), maybe a WDTV Live Plus or one of the several dedicated devices......

you have to first have a Netflix account of course, then connect one of those to the HDTV. the device itself of course has to be connected to the internet. in the case of the Xbox 360 it needs to also be connected to Xbox Live Gold service which for a person only interested in Netflix streaming would be a waste. I am thinking maybe the Roku at $60 is probably the cheapest and simplest solution to Netflix streaming. The WDTV Live Plus adds more functionality and is around $100.

See the list here

http://www.netflix.com/NetflixReadyDevices?cid=Streaming+Players
 
I personally use my PS3... however if I needed something in a pinch just for Netflix I'd probably pick up an Apple TV, it's tiny and only costs $99. Check that out.
 
I stream using 3 devices, Xbox 360, WDTV Live Plus, and my HTPC.
The best user experience out of the 3 devices I use is the Xbox 360, interface is snappier, looks better, and the queue loads faster and scrolls smoother.
 
Can the PS3 be used to stream with a wireless router? Is my router fast enough to stream HD 1080p movies?

Sorry I'm a noob at this but does it work like Youtube where you wait for the movie to load and then watch it.
 
HardLiner said:
Can the PS3 be used to stream with a wireless router? Is my router fast enough to stream HD 1080p movies?

Sorry I'm a noob at this but does it work like Youtube where you wait for the movie to load and then watch it.
Click to expand...

Yes the PS3 can stream wirelessly. I'm unsure about streaming 1080p over wireless G, I would think Wireless N would be much better. I have mine hooked up via ethernet.

Netflix streaming starts within a couple seconds of telling it to stream, you don't have to wait for the entire thing to download.
 
WDTV Live Plus works great for me. No issues at all!

You can plug any USB Wi-Fi adapter in it to make it wireless. B/G only I think
 
As a few others have said, WDTV Live Plus. (regular WDTV Live sucks donkey penis). Doubt you can stream 1080p over G. You can probably do 720p with a good signal. I've had success with it.
 
The WDTV Live Plus also allows you to plug in a USB external hard drive, so any movies or media like music or pics you have on an external hard drive can also be viewed on the WDTV Live Plus

As far as networking, go wired if at all possible for streaming. This isn't youtube.....the HD content that streams on Netflix is fairly high quality content and needs a good stable connection that you just cant get without spending considerable time and money on a better-than-typical wireless setup. at least thats been my experience, i tried it and while it works you will get periodic moments where the video pauses and readjusts the bitrate based on network conditions, degrading image quality, etc.......where as with wired you hit play, it buffers for 10 seconds and that it.
 
Pretty sure that it doesn't matter whether you use Wireless G to stream Netflix if your Internet connection is an order of magnitude slower than G in the first place.
 
I use an old laptop to stream netflix and movies from my WHS to my ancient ass CRT TV

s video out from laptop and an adapter that plugs into the headphone jack and splits into left and right for audio. I will most likely be picking up an LCD Tv sometime this week and then I'll move my xbox 360 back to the living room and stream from it.
 
Thuleman said:
Pretty sure that it doesn't matter whether you use Wireless G to stream Netflix if your Internet connection is an order of magnitude slower than G in the first place.
Click to expand...

It makes all the difference in the world. I know they say 54mbps....it doesn't work like that......the real world transfer speed on a G network is more like 18-25 megabits, which is only 2-3 Megabytes a second, which is far below the capability of many users' internet around here. And even if its not, Wireless N is recommended as a minimum for wireless streaming. Best option is wired. Netflix recently did a survey of people's connections on their service. They said HD content is delivered at speeds up to 4800kbps. I have tried streaming just from my desktop to my 360 via Windows Media Center and wireless G couldn't keep up, video would stutter and buffer too often to be enjoyable.
 
I'm using my Sony BDP-S370 to stream Netflix and other internet video. The Sony Blu-Ray players have basically the same interface as the PS3 (plus the BDP-S_70 series loads discs extremely quickly).


nobody_here said:
It makes all the difference in the world. I know they say 54mbps....it doesn't work like that......the real world transfer speed on a G network is more like 18-25 megabits, which is only 2-3 Megabytes a second, which is far below the capability of many users' internet around here. And even if its not, Wireless N is recommended as a minimum for wireless streaming. Best option is wired. Netflix recently did a survey of people's connections on their service. They said HD content is delivered at speeds up to 4800kbps. I have tried streaming just from my desktop to my 360 via Windows Media Center and wireless G couldn't keep up, video would stutter and buffer too often to be enjoyable.
Click to expand...

Internet connections are generally measured in megabits too. While there are more and more people getting faster connections, I'm not sure that I'd say "many users" have connections "far" above 25Mbps. And Netflix's numbers are in bits rather than bytes as well - 4800Kbps is half of HardLiner's 10Mbps internet connection speed and about a quarter of the ~20Mbps that 802.11g can give you.
 
InvisiBill said:
I'm using my Sony BDP-S370 to stream Netflix and other internet video. The Sony Blu-Ray players have basically the same interface as the PS3 (plus the BDP-S_70 series loads discs extremely quickly).




Internet connections are generally measured in megabits too. While there are more and more people getting faster connections, I'm not sure that I'd say "many users" have connections "far" above 25Mbps. And Netflix's numbers are in bits rather than bytes as well - 4800Kbps is half of HardLiner's 10Mbps internet connection speed and about a quarter of the ~20Mbps that 802.11g can give you.
Click to expand...

And I'm telling you Wireless G is not a good way to stream today's HD content. Try streaming a 1080p mkv from a PC to a Windows Media Extender over Wireless G. Ain't happenin'. I couldn't even get my WRT54G to stream Netflix wirelessly with any reliability. SD content usually worked. Who wants to watch that? I know I don't. If I want that ill go downstairs and watch it over the Wii on the other TV where it streams OK. ;)

Cheers
 
Roku boxes I hear are pretty cool.

I use a PS3, also I have an LG Blu-Ray player with built in Netflix streaming.
 
nobody_here said:
Wireless N is recommended as a minimum for wireless streaming. Best option is wired. Netflix recently did a survey of people's connections on their service. They said HD content is delivered at speeds up to 4800kbps. I have tried streaming just from my desktop to my 360 via Windows Media Center and wireless G couldn't keep up, video would stutter and buffer too often to be enjoyable.
Click to expand...

Wireless N is recommended to push Wireless N hardware sales which is pretty much completely unnecessary if your existing setup is done right. Yes, Wireless N has technical advantages, and No, most users won't see any real world difference at this time, certainly not enough to justify the purchase of replacement hardware if they already have a G setup in place.

4800kbps is an order of magnitude lower than the theoretical capability of Wireless G. Is your argument really that G can't handle 1/10th of the traffic that it was designed for?

I am streaming 1080p from my PC via a Linksys WRT160N that runs G to my PS3 which is connected to Wireless G with a $12 wireless usb key thingy and I experience no issues. I can't stream Netflix HD because the fastest service I can get here is 1 Mbit DSL and Netflix seems to negotiate 720p due to that (and yes, I did run a 24 ft cat 5 to verify that this isn't a wireless issue, won't do 1080p even on wired).

One thing that's perhaps worth considering is the amount of wireless noise that could be an issue. In my neighborhood the lot size is 5 acres, and when I scan for wireless networks none show up. This is likely much different in your urban areas or the average suburban housing developments.
 
Thuleman said:
Wireless N is recommended to push Wireless N hardware sales which is pretty much completely unnecessary if your existing setup is done right. Yes, Wireless N has technical advantages, and No, most users won't see any real world difference at this time, certainly not enough to justify the purchase of replacement hardware if they already have a G setup in place.

4800kbps is an order of magnitude lower than the theoretical capability of Wireless G. Is your argument really that G can't handle 1/10th of the traffic that it was designed for?

I am streaming 1080p from my PC via a Linksys WRT160N that runs G to my PS3 which is connected to Wireless G with a $12 wireless usb key thingy and I experience no issues. I can't stream Netflix HD because the fastest service I can get here is 1 Mbit DSL and Netflix seems to negotiate 720p due to that (and yes, I did run a 24 ft cat 5 to verify that this isn't a wireless issue, won't do 1080p even on wired).

One thing that's perhaps worth considering is the amount of wireless noise that could be an issue. In my neighborhood the lot size is 5 acres, and when I scan for wireless networks none show up. This is likely much different in your urban areas or the average suburban housing developments.
Click to expand...


thats could very well be it, im in the burbs with at least 8-10 other networks within 100 yards visible, and with 4 other wireless devices in my own house connected on top of the 360. when i went wired it all all problems went away
 
If you are in Canada, you have to use one of the devices supported ie Wii xbox and Apple T.V.

speaking of which, i just setup another apple tv 45 min ago, for a customer.
 
Is it possible to use my cable outlet for my TV for another internet outlet? I remember a few months ago when I was living in my old house I used the cable from my other bedroom and hooked it into my cable modem and it worked.
 
Well I'll have to hope my wireless router is enough since I live in a apartment and can't run any cables. The living-Room and bedroom are only separated by one wall so the actual distance from my router to my TV is only about 11 feet.

Actually if I move the TV to the other side of the living room it would literally be right on the other side of the wall, no more than 2 feet away.Would that make a difference?
 
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HardLiner said:
Well I'll have to hope my wireless router is enough since I live in a apartment and can't run any cables. The living-Room and bedroom are only separated by one wall so the actual distance from my router to my TV is only about 11 feet.

Actually if I move the TV to the other side of the living room it would literally be right on the other side of the wall, no more than 2 feet away.Would that make a difference?
Click to expand...


Living in an apartment did not stop me from running cables. You can get pretty creative with running cables under the carpet, and drilling small holes near the baseboards to pass into different rooms. Depending on the construction you can also take an electrical outlet off and run cables inside the walls with a fishtape.
 
compslckr said:
Living in an apartment did not stop me from running cables. You can get pretty creative with running cables under the carpet, and drilling small holes near the baseboards to pass into different rooms. Depending on the construction you can also take an electrical outlet off and run cables inside the walls with a fishtape.
Click to expand...

word!
 
compslckr said:
Living in an apartment did not stop me from running cables. You can get pretty creative with running cables under the carpet, and drilling small holes near the baseboards to pass into different rooms. Depending on the construction you can also take an electrical outlet off and run cables inside the walls with a fishtape.
Click to expand...


This, unless your walls are some weird color you cant match if you have to repaint then it is easy to run cat 5 room to room without putting drops inside the walls. A $3 can of putty and a $2 can of paint is all you need to patch up a small hole
 
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