Switching to Netflix etc from regular TV

D-K-M

In this last week, due to the BBC's shameful bias in it's news casting I have decided, if I am able, to change over to a service that will allow me to cancel my TV licence and therefore give nothing to the BBC. I am really sad about this (I did hold the BBC in very high regard and never minded paying for the licence before) and will miss listening to live radio 6 music but I rarely watch the BBC channels and having basic Sky there is usually something more to my taste on some other channel.

I was wondering if anyone here has done this (for whatever reason!) and what is the best way of going about it - which subscriptions (netflix etc) , tech etc is needed. I have a 5mb broadband line, wifi router, and Sky/TV attached to powerline. I watch plenty of films, dramas and documentaries but little reality tv, showbiz stuff or sport (except for F1)

Sorry if this has been approached somewhere else but a search on 'netflix' just brought up film recommendations.

Tropez

Firstly you will need to work out whether you will still need a TV licence. If you watch or record TV as it's broadcast you will still need a TV licence, hence you will likely need to drop your Sky subscription.

If you were watching exclusively through a service like Netflix or LoveFilm then there wouldn't be an issue (although TV licensing folk may have a whinge because they tend to think everyone should have a TV licence).

You can connect a laptop to a TV via a HDMI port quite easily (most modern laptops have them as do most modern TVs), or you could use a device such as a PS3/Xbox 360 (and I think a Wii or Wii U), or some Blu-Ray players to access the services directly. Some TVs have built in functions to allow access to on-demand streaming services.

You can pick up a Blu-Ray player with built-in access to streaming services for less than £50 so if you wanted a cheap "set top box" style set-up and no messing around with connecting and disconnecting HDMI cables then they would be my personal choice.

I use Netflix and LoveFilm through an Xbox 360 console connected to a home wireless network without issues. A 5mb connection might just about be enough to handle HD streaming via Netflix but even then the SD streaming is of a very good quality.

As for the actual services, the two main ones are Netflix and LoveFilm. In purely general terms Netflix is good for more mainstream material while LoveFilm has a rather eclectic mix of mainstream, cult and obscure. Both have quite a range of TV shows available, although from my experience thus far Netflix tends to have a more complete library with LoveFilm often missing seasons. Netflix is 5.99 per month, LoveFilm is 4.99 per month.

StevieJ

D-K-M wrote: »

In this last week, due to the BBC's shameful bias in it's news casting

I agree, they give that UKIP too much coverage for my liking

D-K-M

StevieJ wrote: »

I agree, they give that UKIP too much coverage for my liking

This isn't for personal political reasons (are you assuming I'm ukip?) it because they are hiding what is popular on their website. Their 'most shared' articles aren't the real deal and do not reflect statistics. I prefer to get ALL news and make my own mind up.

D-K-M

Thanks for your reply.... I've just this afternoon started a free trial of netflix and to my not too fussed eyes the quality is great, it has sub titles
(my wife was born quite deaf) and I haven't noticed one buffering episode in the film watched. I was on the lookout for a used ps3 or xbox but i will now look into the blue ray player option you mentioned. If it all works well my bill could go from around £450 per anum to around a tenth of that!

Tropez

D-K-M wrote: »

Thanks for your reply.... I've just this afternoon started a free trial of netflix and to my not too fussed eyes the quality is great, it has sub titles
(my wife was born quite deaf) and I haven't noticed one buffering episode in the film watched. I was on the lookout for a used ps3 or xbox but i will now look into the blue ray player option you mentioned. If it all works well my bill could go from around £450 per anum to around a tenth of that!

You may find this link helpful:
https://signup.netflix.com/Watch?lnkce=nrd-o&lnkctr=nmf_nfrd&trkid=1256502#bluray-players_link

It links to various manufacturers websites of devices that support Netflix.

Netflix generally won't buffer. It uses a dynamic streaming quality system so that when there is something that is slowing down the data rate, rather than re-buffer it drops the audio-visual quality temporarily on the fly to ensure that the stream isn't interrupted, and then automatically increases the quality of the image and audio again when it is able to perform at its best.

StevieJ

I must say I have been mighty impressed by the quality of Lovefilm and Blinkbox.

david39

Have tried Love film but found that on my Samsung Smart TV, on HD wide screen films, the aspect ratio is incorrect, giving narrow, tall people on screen.

Seems to be a Love film/Samsung issue as it is widely reported on the Samsung forum but neither company seem interested in resolving it. It is not resolvable within the screen menu of the TV.

Netflix works perfectly and has more TV series.

spikejrt

You don't need a TV Licence to listen to the radio, so you'd be fine on the 6music count. You would need to cancel Sky though, as you can't watch any uk live tv without a license. You could, though, watch BBC iPlayer etc without a license as long as you only watch programs on-demand and not live.

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth

Now into month three TV Tax free and tonight we are watching England live, from South America. Also TV Tax free. Score is 7-5 in the first half.

Bounderby

I have a netflix subscription and use Blinkbox if there's something newer I want to watch, plus rarely iPlayer, Demand 5, 4OD etc. All through an Xbox 360.
Haven't had (nor needed) a TV licence for about 15 years now, but then I'm not that fussed about live sport, which is pretty much the only reason I can see why people would want to watch 'live' tv.