NetFlix

If you've noticed the closing of Blockbuster Video stores, it's because of NetFlix. They are the service which will mail movie discs to/from your home, charging a flat monthly fee and no late charges.

If you're not interested in snail-mailing discs, you MAY be interested in NetFlix's latest offer -- unlimited video streaming for $9 per month. Personally I think THIS offer is going to do to HBO and Showtime, what mailing discs already did to Blockbuster.

Video streaming means delivering movies real-time via your high-speed internet connection. With a single NetFlix account you can watch movies of your choice on the internet device of your choice. This means PC, Mac, and personal devices such as iPod Touch/iPhone/iPad.

To use this with your big screen TV, it too has to have an internet connection. Some of the latest HD-TV models are internet/WiFi (home wireless internet) ready. To others, you can easily attach a laptop via VGA/HDMI connection. But the most interesting (and inexpensive) way to do this, is to purchase a "networking" Blu-Ray player. Prices have bees steadily falling to where a 'wired' networking Blu-Ray player such as the Panasonic DMP-BD65 are now $120 from CompUSA stores. Like a PC, this requires an ethernet wire between your high speed internet router and where you'll have the Blu-Ray next to your big screen TV. For $40 more, CompUSA can sell you a Samsung BD-P3600 Blu-Ray player with built-in WiFi (home wireless internet), so you don't need to run a wire from your router.

With devices like these attached to your big-screen TV, just use it's remote to setup your NetFlix account, ignore the DVD queue, and start searching for and adding items of interest to your 'Instant Queue'.

A networking HD-TV/Blu-Ray player has a fully functional web browser which can also be used for web surfing as well as viewing live TV internet streaming, and stored YouTube videos.

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