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Blockbuster vs Netflix: Online Movie Rental Plans Compared

Compare Netflix vs Blockbuster It’s been a couple years since we started renting movies over the web at our house. And while we’re having fun playing in the early stages of the full-video-access-over-the-web revolution, renting DVDs via the mail will probably be a vital part of our home entertainment world for a while to come. And even though the we’ve been satisfied with our current rental plan, every once in a while the age-old question pops up, and it’s as relevant in 2008 as it was four years ago: Which is better, Netflix or Blockbuster?

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Posted April 6th, 2008 in NetFlix, online video | 1 Comment, Add Yours »

Hulu opens its doors: Free streaming TV and movies for all

Hulu announced yesterday that they’re exiting the private beta stage of development and opening their free online video service to “anyone in the U.S. with a broadband internet connection and a computer” though there are workarounds for the “in the U.S.” part.

So now it’s easy access for all, and more content to boot. They’ve added a substantial amount of new TV episodes and full-length movies to the site. For what is essentially a brand new public site, there’s a wealth of shows worth watching — all in decent resolution. With its easy-to-use site search and navigation, Hulu’s hard to beat for free streaming TV and films.

Posted March 13th, 2008 in Hulu, online video | No Comments, Add Yours »

Graboid: Laptop Video Speeds Ahead

We’re regularly testing a number of web TV solutions, looking for the best combination of video content (quality and variety), usability, speed and value. So far, one of the best all-around choices for accessing commercial movies and TV online is Graboid, a free video service which offers a huge selection of full-length content, available via streaming or viadownload at the fastest speeds available on the web.

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Posted February 28th, 2008 in online video | 1 Comment, Add Yours »

Hulu Keeps the Buzz Alive

Hulu looks to have smoothed out some of the bumps in the road in its current invitation-only beta version. They continue adding new content — having tripled the size of their library since opening last October — and they’ve improved their site navigation options, expanded their distribution into additional online sites, and have dialed in on managing capacity and demand.

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Posted February 6th, 2008 in Hulu, online video | 1 Comment, Add Yours »

Side by Side: Apple TV and Vudu Compared

With Apple TV’s new upgrade and features, including online movie rentals and lower pricing, it’s getting easier than ever to bring high quality and high def movies from the web to your TV. And as much as we like Apple, we like to see a robust, competitive marketplace even more. Netflix recently announced their plans to develop a new set-top box.

Meanwhile, Vudu, which introduced its video-store-in-a-box just last October, has already had to slash $100 off the retail price and expand its hi-def library to keep competitive with Apple’s latest.

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Posted January 30th, 2008 in AppleTV, NetFlix, Vudu, digital tv | 1 Comment, Add Yours »

DTV4PC: Beneath the hype, a few solid features

Smith-Micro recently introduced their DTV4PC software, promising to “turn your PC into a complete digital entertainment center”, and has been promoting it aggressively via email. According to the company, the software features include: