Netflix/Streaming Player

My MIL streams her Netflix through her iPhone4. I can't explain it other than she plugs into the iPhone and then the other end of the cord goes into her TV. It was great! Good luck! C.

We use a Sony blue ray player we got at Best Buy for $99, and it works GREAT. You need to have wifi in your house. We use our ps3 in the living room, but we wanted something for the bedroom and have an old flatscreen, so this was our most economical choice :)

Run it from your laptop with an HDMI output and HDMI cable. Plug the cable into the TV, click "input" on your TV remote until you find the HDMI connection, and hit F4 to bring the computer screen to your TV screen.

Too easy. HDMI cables cost $10 at Walmart.

We use our blu-ray player. The prices on those are really coming down, so it's definitely something to consider. You just want to make sure it's WiFi ready and does not need any other equipment.

We use Netflix for kids shows. They have lots of kids shows. I was able to watch the first season of Downton Abbey, but that's all they have. I'm getting seasons 2 and 3 from the library, so I'll be ready when season 4 starts in January.

I've been considering HuluPlus, because they do have recent seasons of shows. I've never used Amazon.

We've used Vudu a few times. The movies are usually $2.99 or $3.99 to rent. It's a tad bit more than Family Video, but there are no late fees. Once the time has expired, you simply no longer have access to the movie.

Good luck deciding!

Christy Lew, thank you!!! When I search the topic I always get to these uber-geeky pages where the instructions are so complicated I give up hope of understanding. I'm buying a HDMI cord as soon as the next credit card cycle starts!

We get it on the Wii in the living room, the PS3 in the rec room and the Sony Blue Ray player in the office/den. I picked up the blue ray for $100.

We stream ours through the Wii, and we have Roku in our bedroom. We love, love, LOVE the Roku!! We got the cheapest kind, I think it was around $50 at Best Buy. We only bought it a couple of months ago. It's awesome. I highly recommend. I'm sure you can get one on Ebay, but to me...$50 is not that much.

We have roku (one in the living room and one in the bedroom). If you have a regular TV, you just need the basic roku, they're around $50. at best buy, basically any electronic store, Walmart, or you could get it at amazon. If you have an hdtv or flatscreen then you may want to get the upgraded roku (2 or 3). Netflix has older show episodes whereas Hulu plus and current episodes. Good luck!

Can you hook up your computer to your TV? We did this for my MIL. Hubby used an HDMI cable (cheap at Walgreens) and hooked up the computer. She uses a wireless mouse and keyboard to control them. She also likes that she can do her work on the big screen TV!

If you only have USB ports there are plugs you can buy to convert the HDMI port.

http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&keywords=hdmi%20to%20...

OR you can always get a Wii, used for about $100, that will stream Hulu Plus, Netflix, YouTube and BONUS some fun family game nights!

I have one from Sony. I have mixed feelings about it. Netflix kinda sucks. My son, 6, can find great shows to watch via the kids part and my daughter, 15, can sometimes find stuff. Honestly if it wasn't for my son I would probably cancel it. It's only 7.99 a month, but still.

The majority of shows I watch, netflix doesn't show the current season. Hulu is better for keeping up with current episodes.

Netflix has a good selection of movies but they are not always available to stream, only via dvd/ blue ray via mail and it's a separate plan and more money.

Hulu is good if you like indie and anime otherwise the movie choice isn't that good.

Amazon has their thing. I just started using that, but you pay for the movies, so it can add up. The selection is good though.

Vudu is good for movies, not shows, and its a pay for each movie you watch type of thing.

ROKU has a couple of options that my Sony streamer doesn't but I don't know if they are any good and their costs.

Most of the players come with a trial for the major ones so that's a way to see which service will suit your needs.

They are cheap enough that I wouldn't bother getting one off ebay. Target has a basic ROKU for like 45-50 dollars, the fancier ones cost more. Not sure what the advantage is though.

Just remember most have a monthly fee and if you have several of them, it can really add up!

Good luck!

ETA: I have the streamer in my room b/c I don't have cable. My son will watch Netflix through the computer sometimes. We have a Wii and stream through that. My daughter has a smart phone and watches through it a lot, so once you pay for the service you can access it through many devices.

we have a PS3 that we use for netflix

Just Google Search "how to stream Netflix if I don't have a smart TV."

Or "can I stream Netflix to my TV with Apple TV."

Apple TV is great by the way.
We have that.
And we also have Netflix and stream it.
Its great.

You can also hook up your MAC laptop to the TV and watch things on the TV this way.
Assuming, you have a MAC laptop.

We use a Playstation.

Do you have a laptop or tablet? We have Netflix and we can watch it on any device we own, this includes our tablets (you get an app), phones (again app), TV (internet TV), Wii, bluray player (app) and laptop. So if you have any of these you wouldn't need a device. I LOVE Netflix and use it quite a bit as do my kids. Well worth the $8 we pay a month. :)

There are so many options available,if you have a flat screen TV with HDMI inputs. You could connect a laptop or desktop computer that has HDMI.
You could use a Blu-ray DVD player with internet "smart" features. Or one of many "set-top" boxes like ROKU, ranging from $39 & up.
The best one on the market, & my current choice is the RoKu3. There are over 600 access channels, at least half of them free. Free movie channels, TV programming from around the world, audio & video music channels. It also gives you access to many paid channels, including Netflix, Amazon, Hulu+, Vudu. Just enter your ID & password for your paid account, & watch away. You could literally sit & watch the RoKu all day, every day, & never run out of things to watch. Channels are constantly updated with new programming.
Spend the $99 on the RoKu3. You won't regret it.