I'm thinking about getting Netflix?

Polkdude46
Polkdude46 Posts: 19
edited January 2013 in Music & Movies
Hi guys this is my first post, but been a member for about a year now!! And I was wondering about the sound quality
of Netflix? Just have to say that this forum has been really helpful!! Thanks in advance!!
Post edited by Polkdude46 on
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  • bansheesho
    bansheesho Posts: 227
    edited January 2013
    I am also interested in this for TV programs. I still prefer bluray for movies.
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  • Polkdude46
    Polkdude46 Posts: 19
    edited January 2013
    Ya u can't beat a BD!! I'm a little worried about poor sound and picture quality from Netflix!!
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  • Polkdude46
    Polkdude46 Posts: 19
    edited January 2013
    Any one using Netflix?
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  • polk500
    polk500 Posts: 1,171
    edited January 2013
    Been using it for years, sound is fine not BD but for $7:99 a month I think it great lots of movies in 5.1.
    And welcome to the forum.
    Cheers
    Roger
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  • chumlie
    chumlie Posts: 8,658
    edited January 2013
    Cut the cable years ago. Netflix is a bargain IMO. Not bluray quality but well worth the money. Get the free trial and find out.
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  • Polkdude46
    Polkdude46 Posts: 19
    edited January 2013
    Ok I think I will give the free trial a try!! Thanks Roger and chumlie!!! I just can't watch a movie with out 5.1 sound!! It drives my wife nuts!!! Lol!!
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  • htrdln
    htrdln Posts: 116
    edited January 2013
    i like my net flicks occasionally the sound and lip movement are off but not often and restarting the show normally fixes it.
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  • Jimbo18
    Jimbo18 Posts: 2,336
    edited January 2013
    I have had Netflix for about a year. I get it through a wired Roku as well as wirelessly to other TVs through bluray players. My cable internet speed is supposed to be 30 Mbps but I probably average 20 and have very few issues with buffering. When I had only 15 Mbps it was a bit more of an issue, so I think you need the higher speed to really enjoy it.

    The overall picture quality is very good on both the wired and the wireless and I really don't see much of a difference in the sound, which is also very good.

    Netflix has tens of thousands of movies, but the vast majority of them are old or just not very good. The main attraction with Netflix is the TV shows. It has full seasons of many good shows, or at least up to the previous season. It does not carry the current season, and with some shows, has not yet added the previous complete season.

    Hulu Plus is necessary if you want the current season but it has commercials, and it doesn't carry all episodes of the entire series. I tried the week trial on Hulu Plus and didn't care for the selection, menu or commercials.

    Amazon Prime is another option. It has a lot of the same stuff as Netflix, is cheaper and includes some ebooks and free Prime shipping. It has fewer movies than Netflix but the movies with both are kind of poor anyway. I think the TV shows are similar but I only had the month long trial on Amazon and didn't spend much time comparing the selection against Netflix. I do think the sound was better on Amazon Prime.

    I have Netflix and like it, but my suggestion would be to try the month long free trial on Amazon Prime as well as Netflix at the same time and see what you prefer.
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  • codyc1ark
    codyc1ark Posts: 2,532
    edited January 2013
    I use flix for BD's, and Prime for streaming. I guess overall I've been happier with Prime and their selection, they seem to get the current seasons faster. I also would give the nod to prime for A/V quality. Just a thought..
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  • GospelTruth
    GospelTruth Posts: 403
    edited January 2013
    I have both Amazon Prime and Netflix. The wife and I ditched cable over three years ago and haven't looked back. I would concur with others that both streaming options are best for the TV shows. Movies tend to be older releases and nothing current. With that said, you can still get good quality movies to watch - just nothing out in the past year.

    Content
    I think Netflix has the larger amount of content - TV shows especially. However, Amazon is making lots of deals out there that should bring it a closer in the near future. However, I think Amazon has more recent content than Netflix does. For example, Downton Abbey which we watch has up through Season 2 in HD on Amazon. On Netflix, it's only through Season 1. I like the show Fringe and Amazon has that, Netflix streaming doesn't. So for a bigger library of content I would give the nod to Netflix - but I for the more limited content that Amazon has, I would say it is more current.

    Sound and Video Quality
    I would give the nod to Amazon over Netflix. Recently I believe Netflix also started to re-compress their HD offerings at a lower bit rate. I can't say that I've noticed a difference, but I can definitely tell the difference between the same show on Netflix vs. Amazon. For reference we have a 55" LED TV and sit about 10 feet back. Neither one will have the quality of Blu-ray though in either sound or video. I don't think the sound is any worse than cable 5.1 for either service.

    User Interface
    I would give the nod to Netflix on this one. Browsing on Amazon just isn't as nice in my opinion and Amazon leaves a lot to be desired here. Granted, I can still find stuff on Amazon, but it's not as nice in my opinion.

    Other
    One additional nice option with Amazon is that if there is something new out and you want to watch it you can rent it on Amazon - similar to video on Demand - usually $3.99 for a rental. These rentals usually come out same day as their DVD counter parts in the stores. Netflix doesn't allow you to purchase anything that they don't have in their library for "free" to watch. Something to consider if you like to purchase On Demand stuff with cable and are looking for something equivalent.

    Anyway you cut it, I think Netflix or Amazon will be as good as cable for TV shows or movies - for both sound and video. I couldn't tell the difference between cable and Netflix for either sound or video (depends on your internet connection speed though).
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  • Polkdude46
    Polkdude46 Posts: 19
    edited January 2013
    Thanks guys for all ur info, it has been really helpful!!
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  • michael1947
    michael1947 Posts: 775
    edited January 2013
    Hey there guys, how does the Amazon prime work? I use Netflix, I see Amazon prime on the scroll menu on my blue ray player and I am an Amazon prime member, just never put 2 & 2 together. I will try and look it all up,:redface:
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  • simm
    simm Posts: 570
    edited January 2013
    Can you get old HBO and Showtime series through Netflix or Amazon? I am so close to getting rid of cable and going OTA but there are few series I would really miss, but only a few.
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  • codyc1ark
    codyc1ark Posts: 2,532
    edited January 2013
    simm wrote: »
    Can you get old HBO and Showtime series through Netflix or Amazon? I am so close to getting rid of cable and going OTA but there are few series I would really miss, but only a few.

    Find someone with a go account, show time I can't help you. I'm in the same boat..
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  • astar13656
    astar13656 Posts: 164
    edited January 2013
    I have been using Netflix for a year or so, no 5.1 just the tv speakers. Just went with a Roku at Christmas, and there is alot of stuff to watch on there, too. Ther are lots of options out there other than cable these days, most have a free trial, check it out!
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  • jeremymarcinko
    jeremymarcinko Posts: 3,785
    edited January 2013
    Netflix is awesome for the kids movies too. We ditched cable as well. I cant get surround from my Bdp but can get dolby digital plus from the ps3. If you have a Blockbuster near you their Blue ticket is a good deal too. Ulimited movies and game exchanges for 15 a month no due dates.
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  • Mikey081057
    Mikey081057 Posts: 7,127
    edited January 2013
    Get an Amazon Prime account... Streaming of free Prime movies is in HD 5.1.. Netflix stinks and you have to pay for it.

    With amazon prime it also upgrades Amazon prime eligible items shipped 2nd day free, and overnite to $4 flat fee. I ordered a 300 lb generator before Sandy and paid 4$ to get it overnite.

    Amazon Prime cost $80 /year best $80 I have ever spent
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  • DaveHo
    DaveHo Posts: 3,536
    edited January 2013
    I must be doing something wrong. I stream from Prime with an Amazon Kindle Fire HD. Have it hooked up to my processor via HDMI & only get 2 Ch PCM. Is there a setting in the Kindle I need to tweek? Anybody know?

    Sorry for the slight thread-jack.
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  • GospelTruth
    GospelTruth Posts: 403
    edited January 2013
    michael1947 wrote: »
    Hey there guys, how does the Amazon prime work? I use Netflix, I see Amazon prime on the scroll menu on my blue ray player and I am an Amazon prime member, just never put 2 & 2 together. I will try and look it all up,:redface:
    I don't remember exactly how I did it, but you register you device with a code provided on your Amazon prime account. Once you have that set up, you should be golden. You can add shows either on the Amazon site or via their browse/search capability on your blu-ray player. Good luck and enjoy!
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  • GospelTruth
    GospelTruth Posts: 403
    edited January 2013
    simm wrote: »
    Can you get old HBO and Showtime series through Netflix or Amazon? I am so close to getting rid of cable and going OTA but there are few series I would really miss, but only a few.

    Not a straight forward answer but here goes. On Amazon, you can get both HBO and Showtime shows - however you pay per episode for HBO and Showtime has some shows for free and some pay per episode. You can look these up on Amazon in their search bar. First change the area in Amazon you want to search to "Amazon Instant Video" and then type "Showtime". A list of all shows available will come up and you can see what the Prime cost is per episode. If it's $0, then it's free. If it has a price per episode it will be displayed.

    Neflix doesn't have any HBO or Showtime that I know of for streaming. If you want to go the disc route, you can get discs delivered for any of the HBO and Showtime shows that are available. Just figure that into your cost - and it isn't streaming. Another interesting MSN Aritlce that will let you know the current climate for HBO on Netflix.

    HBO costs another $12 a month on top of paying for HD ($10) and premium tiers usually from your cable provider. If you only have HBO for only one show like Game of Thrones, I think you'll do better by paying per episode on Amazon. Episodes are $3.99 for that show in HD. If HBO releases one show a week, that's 4 episodes in a month or $16 per month. Paying for cable is more at $12 + $10 per month. If you have more than one show, well then it's your call on the cost/benefit. Better yet, buy the season on Blu-ray on Amazon with prime and have it delivered in two days and you can watch it over and over to your hearts content.
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  • erniejade
    erniejade Posts: 6,321
    edited January 2013
    What about hulu plus for tv shows?
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  • Jimbo18
    Jimbo18 Posts: 2,336
    edited January 2013
    erniejade wrote: »
    What about hulu plus for tv shows?

    As I said above, Hulu Plus is better for current shows. They don't carry every show of course, but for those that they do, you can see the current week's episodes the day after they air. Which is something you cannot do with Amazon or Netfilx. However, I didn't like the menu and after Netflix, I really didn't like the commercials.

    But, you do have to put up with commercials, and Hulu+ doesn't carry all episodes of previous seasons. I don't know what their criteria is, but I checked out one series and it started with season 2 and only had 4 episodes of it, then 10 of season 3 and then all of season 4.

    If you want to spend the extra money, Hulu Plus combined with Amazon is a good way to go. You get current shows and all of the previous episodes of some shows for less than $200 a year. That's $8 a month for Hulu Plus and $80 for the year for Amazon Prime.
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  • timalan
    timalan Posts: 106
    edited January 2013
    We use Netflix and Amazon Prime, and I've found Netflix to be worth the $/month because I find the interface superior to Amazon, and they really have done a lot to add new movies and shows in the past few months... it's made a lot of progress.

    And, as has been mentioned, the Kids-only Netflix option is nice to have. We don't have kids yet, but we use the Kids-mode when friends with kids are visiting.
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  • drselect
    drselect Posts: 664
    edited January 2013
    Currently using Amazon Prime. Think the selection of movies/shows is ok but don't care for the UI. Do like the two day shipping with the Prime. Had Netfilx before and considering going back to them and ditching cable but currently leaning towards waiting for the new Redbox/verizon steaming package.
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  • rooftop59
    rooftop59 Posts: 8,121
    edited January 2013
    DaveHo wrote: »
    I must be doing something wrong. I stream from Prime with an Amazon Kindle Fire HD. Have it hooked up to my processor via HDMI & only get 2 Ch PCM. Is there a setting in the Kindle I need to tweek? Anybody know?

    Sorry for the slight thread-jack.

    Dave if you look on amazon's streaming info page you will see what devices can get 5.1. Generally only pcs, bdps, and smart tvs. Last time I checked no mobile devices get 5.1, but if any one device did it would seem intuitive for it to be the fire...
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