Netflix Streaming Devices

With the help of streaming devices, you can now watch your favorite Netflix movies and TV shows on many of the usual consumer electronics products that you will find in your home. There are a multitude of such devices that you can make use of, and most homes will have at least one of it. Alternatively, you can purchase a standalone device and connect it to your TV or your computer.

Netflix is an American company that serves the North American markets of the United States and Canada. We all know the concept of renting movies and TV shows from online or retail stores, and some of these stores even provide the discs in one's mail. However, with the rise to prominence of the Internet and advanced bandwidth and download speeds, one can now directly stream and watch the many videos that Netflix provides online.

Netflix is nothing but a digital library from where you can watch plenty of movies and TV shows and stream them directly to the device that is capable of doing so. The company was established in 1997, and today they have a subscriber base of more than 12 million people. In the US, you can either stream the videos you want whenever you wish to view them, or you can even get a mail delivery rental for DVD discs and Blu-Ray discs.

The biggest advantage of Netflix is that any device you own, which can access the Internet can stream the videos on demand. This includes the best video game consoles, HDTV sets that can access the Internet, Blu-Ray players, DVR's, mobile, other players, or your computer.

Initially the devices that could stream Netflix videos were the Microsoft Xbox 360, TiVo DVR, certain HDTV sets, and some Blu-Ray players offered by brands like Samsung and LG.

Now, the list of devices has expanded to include the Sony PlayStation 3, the Nintendo Wii, Insignia Blu-Ray players (that can be found on Best Buy for as little as $90), and Roku set-top boxes (which sell for as little as $80 for the non-HD versions).

The monthly subscription for the service is as low as $9 a month, and this includes the mail delivery of one DVD per month. For an additional price you can get Blu-Ray discs on mail delivery, and you can get access to the 12,000 + titles that are available on the service. This base of available videos is steadily expanding,

so there is a lot to look forward to as well. The line of videos that you wish to watch will need to be programmed from a web browser on your computer, but you can have multiple devices attached to one account.

What this means is that you can set up a line of videos, and watch them whenever you want on any device that is attached to the account in the house. The videos will resume from wherever you last left off. Usually it takes about 30 seconds for the videos to start, but after that you will get uninterrupted viewing.

The Roku Player ($80 for the SD version) is the cheapest device available, and it also happens to be the first one capable of this feature. You can also get a HD version for $100, or a HD version with Wi-Fi and USB ports for $130. If you want more choices for viewing content, you can opt for the TiVo HD DVR which ranges between $250 - $600.

This device will let you stream Amazon videos and YouTube videos as well. Any of the latest Blu-Ray players that are available in the market today (from LG and Samsung, and a few from Sony) also provide this feature.

In order to carry out a comparison you will need to analyze the other features of the device and what your exact needs are. Read plenty of reviews about these products before you go ahead and buy them. You can also purchase some Netflix enabled home theater systems or TV sets for better features. Users of an Apple iPhone, Apple iPad, and Apple iPod Touch can download the Netflix app and enjoy the videos on these devices as well. Android does not have this app available just yet.

There is obviously a limit, and this number is fixed at 6. Connecting any more devices than 6 on one single account will render them inactive. With this knowledge in hand, you must set up a Netflix account as soon as possible and enjoy the best movies and TV shows that the Internet provides today.