I saw an ad for Now TV on telly last night and did a quick google. Seems online streaming has picked up quite alot since I last looked at it.

I haven't had Sky since I moved house 9 years ago and don't plan on taking it but I'm really into my TV and Movies.

But I noticed Netflix is only like £6. I only have a 2.5mb adsl connection at the moment but will be going fibre as soon as I can work out who I'm going to sign up to.

Just after real reviews from people who currently subscribe to any streaming services, be it Now TV, LoveFilm, Netflix.

I'll beat Eban to it and recommend Unblock US with Netflix. Sign up for Unblock US and you can access all the different Netflix regions. This will give you lots more choice for just a few more quid a month.

US Netflix is worth it. For some reason , they have more English programmes than we do.

I always find something to watch on it. Catherine Tate and now Waiting For God.

Take up the free month trials, then you will have your answer.

I also highly recommend Netflix. I use Overplay instead of Unblock-Us and so my recommendation goes there. You can easily change to any of the available Netflix localities, and at least with my Apple TV, there are no subtitles on English films, even when viewing from the Brazilian library.

Why change regions? Because the content can vary dramatically between them. Canada and Brazil for instance has the Hunger Games, which other countries don't. We wanted to watch the Danish series "The Killing" and the US and Denmark only had the American copy, but the UK had both that and the original.

As for films, it is generally a 3rd or 4th level collection. This means generally speaking films go first to cinema, then to DVD/BluRay, then Sky and finally Netflix or Lovefilm. But if you can't wait that year or so, you can always rent out individual titles from iTunes (or watch in the damn cinema as it should be) and you will probably still pay less per month than Sky.

Not all films take so long though, apparently Netflix has secured The Hobbit before even Sky, so these things can sometimes happen.

The only catch is that Netflix and LoveFilm often have exclusives on many films, but being able to change the region for Netflix can get over this sometimes.

Netflix also have loads of TV shows.

To get an idea what they have, head on over to http://www.moreflicks.com/ and you can see what sort of films and shows are available (just un-tick Hulu if you don't want to subscribe to that as well)

I never tried LoveFilm so I won't say anything about it.

Here is my opinion on NowTV:

Pros:
- Great selection of new/recent movies. The content Sky airs on Sky Movies is available on NowTV. So if you like and search for new movies, NowTV is great.
- You can watch the live Sky Movies channels.
- Reasonable price.

Cons:
- Not many ways to access the service. I mean if you want to watch it easily on TV, you must have an XBOX360 or a Roku box or a YouView box. They have the classics apps for mobiles devices such iOS devices & Android, and computer. For example, Netflix is accessible on XBOX, PS3, Wii, AppleTV, Roku box, many connected television etc...
- No TV Shows. Personally I love TV shows, having a selection of new (and older/classics) shows is something I want on the OnDemand service I pay for.


Here is my opinion on Netflix:

Pros:
- Netflix is accessible on XBOX, PS3, Wii, AppleTV, Roku box, many connected television etc...That means you probably have a device that you can use for Netflix. OR, if you don't have one, you can easily find one without spending a lot of money. For example, the AppleTV or the Roku are 2 great little boxes available at a very reasonable price and that will offer you more content than just Netflix.
- Reasonable price. For less than £7 you have a nice selection of movies & tv shows (and anime/cartoons).

Cons:
- The english catalogue has less content than the US or Canadian catalogues. Some recent movies are there tho, like 50/50, 21 Jump Street, The Iron Lady and certainly more.

Extra pro:
- Just like Peter The Great said, a service called Unblock-Us that let you access different Netflix regions. You subscribe to Netflix UK, you create an Unblock-Usaccount (7 days trial, no card required, then $4.99/month, paypal available), then you have the choice to switch easily to the English Netflix, American, Canadian, Mexican, Norwegian etc... That means that for less than £10 per month, you have then access to a TON of content. Many of the movies on Sky Movies are available on Netflix Canada & US.
Netflix US has also a great selection of TV shows.

Then, the decision is yours. It depends on the amount of money you want to spend, the configuration of your "entertainment space", if you want only few recent movies or if you want a lot and also tv shows.
You can have free trials on Netflix and NowTV, I would suggest that you try both services and see which one suits your needs more.

Cheers!

-Eban

Arff. I just signed up and booted up my Linux box (which is the one I have connected to the telly) ready to watch a movie. I wish I'd read more as not Linux compatible due to Silverlight and DRM!

It's only a low end system (which is why I only use it for this bedroom telly to stream youTube, iplayer etc) so not sure if it can cope with Wine.

I love netflix plenty on there but as others have said the UK content is poor compared to other regions, and Netflix have said that themselves and plan to improve it.

The biggest problem Netflix has in the UK is Sky tied up the rights to a lot of things before Netflix launched and they have to wait until they are up for renewal and try to outbid sky for them.

The Hunger Games is coming to Netflix in the UK in either March or April and they also have the rights to the Hobbit movies as its already been said.

Some of the things coming to the UK site this year - Thor, Rango, Magic Mike, The Tudors, Chuck, Fringe and Gossip Girl.

They also have Netflix original content coming - House of Cards (US version of the BBC show), Hemlock Grove, and a 5th Season of Arrested Development

It all depends what you're after. Like any paid-for service, so long as you like the content and are happy to pay for it then it's worth it to you.

If you want the newest available first-run films then Now TV is the clear winner but once any initial offers expire, it does work out more expensive than Netflix and Lovefilm combined.

Netflix and Lovefilm are cheap but I do think that is because their offerings aren't to all peoples tastes. I thought they were pretty poor even if they do only charge around the £6 mark.

However... like others on here, if you don't mind going down the DNS route (which is so easy and cheap to do, you'll wonder why you haven't always done it!) then it is way better for Netflix when you can change regions as you please. Makes for great value too instead of just getting the poor UK version.

If I wanted the US version does that mean I'd have to sign up again direct with them?

No your UK account will work across all regions.

If you run ubuntu the is a work around that works really well. Google Netflix on Ubuntu it's also in the articles on omgubuntu.com. I can't remember the exact name at the moment as I'm at work. It does work really well

That all depends on your expectations.
If your expecting to find the very latest and greatest of Film and TV then you may be dissapointed.
If your expecting to find a mixture of some slightly recent and alot more older Films and TV with the premis of being introduced to things you've never seen before then it deffinately ticks those boxes.

I saw the hunger games on Netflix Brazil before it came out on DVD in the UK. So another vote for Netflix + Unblock US.

Interesting, thanks. I'm not looking to spend any more cash at this stage but its great to know my options.


I did do a very quick google earlier but saw 'Wine' mentioned. As I mentioned earlier this is a low end system. I'm worried it won't run smoothly. Perhaps I'll give it a go if it isn't too laborious. I currently run Linux Mint LXDE.


Not that fussed about up to date releases, as I go elsewhere for that. I don't have expectations as such other than value for money.

I had browsed a little on my PC last night. I'm concerned about longevity really. I reckon I'll end up with not much left to watch and just watch stuff that I wouldn't otherwise bother with. I suppose I could just cancel then.

^^Don't forget that you need to take into account the extra 4quid a month for the region-free service, whether that's from Overplay or Unblock-US. But that can be used for accessing other content from around the world as well.

Granted, films do have the limitation that you may already use up a good deal of their back catalogue, but if you take into account series, that could take quite a long time, and every day, new material is added to their service - especially if you take into account all the regions.

For me it will take ages. I'm having fun also going through all the Bond films at the moment, which are available on the Brazilian Neflix. And if I wanted to go through all the seasons of something like Dexter, that would take me a good 70 hours, and that's just one series. (8 season of 24 are available which is something like 190hours or so)

That's a lot of television for so little per month.

Read my post carefully
With one Netflix + a service like Unblock-Us you can access all Netflix regions (it also gives you access to Hulu, American tv networks websites, radios etc...)


Really ?? I subscribed to Netflix almost 3 years ago and I always find something to watch (on the different Netflix regions). Like ovbg said, just to watch 1 tv show can take a long time. Especially if you access Netflix USA who has a lot of tv show, new & older ones. Since last year, they now produce their own shows like Lilyhammer (available since February 2012) and the upcoming shows House of Cards (February 1st), Hemlock Grove (April 19th) and season 5 of Arrested Development (in May).
There's also a lot of interesting documentaries on various topics.

About Netflix running on a Linux computer, well, Wine the alternative but like you said, I'm really not sure it runs smoothly... I would definitely opt for an AppleTV or Roku box.

Check the link ovbg mentioned:http://www.moreflicks.com/ you'll see what's on the different regions. For US only: instantwatcher.com and for Canada only: http://can.whatsnewonnetflix.com

Cheers!

http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2012/11/h...flix-on-ubuntu

I use that on a 3yr old dell laptop and its as smooth as a babies bum. Works a treat.

Thanks. I did read it but then forgot by the time I thought about asking about the different regions. I realise how long it takes to watch series. I've watched stacks of series in the last 4 years to the point that I'm constantly looking for new series that I might enjoy (and one of the reasons I started to look at Netflix et al). I did 8 seasons of ER in about 5 weeks. 8 years of a TV show in about 5 weeks means I'm watching things that interest me faster than they are being produced I think



The linux box only has a E4400 and 1 GB of DDR2 in it.

I'll have alook though and see how it runs. I've ordered a 10 m HDMI cable so that I can connect the same TV to another PC. That should give me enough of the trial to decide whether I want to continue paying them.

If all you want to do is watch Netflix, it may have been better to have invested into the cheaper Roku box at 50quid. That would have given you an excellent Netflix box, plus BBC's iPlayer and Sky Go if that is of interest, not to mention further apps that will hopefully come later.

Just a thought...

On a related topic... I have both LoveFilm and Netflix UK subscriptions. I primaily use LoveFilm for rentals but also sometimes use the instant service. I got Netflix UK specifically for a couple of TV shows and with the idea I might use Unblock-US to access the US catalogue.

I'm now at that stage using the one week Unblock-US trial on my Sony Bluray player... the problem is I can no longer access Lovefilm Instant (presumably because it believes I'm in the US). Is there any way around this without having to change my internet settings on the player every time I want to switch between Lovefilm and Netflix?

You'll have to change the settings on the player.
Fortunately on the Sony all you should need to do is set the DNS as Auto when you wish to use Lovefilm, and when you select manual DNS again the DNS numbers you've already entered should still be there.

^^ That's actually a good solution.

Alternativey, if you have another device that could play Netflix or Lovefilm, have one with the DNS addresses set up, and the other without.

In my home, I can play Netflix either directly from my Smart TV, my Apple TV or my iPad then via Airplay. Maybe you have other options? If not, and using both Lovefilm & Netflix is a permanent plan, maybe it is worth investing in a separate device for one of them. Roku is probably the cheapest option starting at 50quid, although there maybe smartTV HDMI sticks that are cheaper, but I don't know how good the sofa based UI is.

Thanks for the replies. I have a Wii so thats an option. I'm kind of hoping for my TV to break to give me an excuse to buy a Smart TV.