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Technology is transforming the humble idiot box into a powerful Internet appliance. Whether you call it “smart TV,” “connected TV,” or “Internet TV,” it has the potential to upend our boob tube experience, letting us watch our favorite shows whenever and wherever we want, and merging TV shows with online content in cunning, clever ways. Smart TV won’t prevent television from rotting your brain (it’s not that smart), but it should empower you to find, and get more from, all the content that’s available.
Hollywood studios and TV networks are finally waking up to the power of the Internet, thanks to pioneering efforts by the likes of Netflix, Hulu, and Vudu. And if you can wait for pay-TV services such as HBO and Showtime to release their original programming on DVD, you can seriously consider ditching your expensive cable or satellite subscription services, too.
In the following pages, we’ll solve all the mysteries of smart TV. We’ll explain every important service and device that falls under the smart TV rubric (omitting only the most obvious players, such as YouTube), and tie everything together into a neat and simple package. It’s time to turn on and tune in.
The Internet has exploded the video‑on‑demand market, wiping out the cable and satellite companies’ monopoly on which shows are available and when. Sure, the websites of the major TV networks let you watch full episodes of their shows (with varying levels of episode availability, advertising, and video quality), but the services in this section add movies to the mix, and generally improve TV video quality and grant access to greater storehouses of content. If you’re looking to cut your monthly bills, here are all the ways you can watch the latest movies and TV shows without a Comcast or DirecTV in your life.
What Is It?
Amazon.com’s online VOD store lets you rent or purchase TV shows and Hollywood movies. Most rented videos are streamed, although some can be fully downloaded to a TiVo DVR or to Amazon’s Unbox Video Player on a Windows PC. You can also purchase videos on one computer and download them to another, stream videos from your PC to an Xbox 360, or stream them from the web to Amazon's new Kindle Fire. Amazon will store your purchased videos on its servers, too.
What's Available?
Amazon claims 90,000 titles in its library. You’ll find Hollywood movies (available as soon as they hit DVD), as well as TV shows from the broadcast and cable networks, including Showtime and HBO (although you’ll have to wait a while for HBO’s programs to show up). Videos are streamed at the highest resolution your Internet connection supports, up to a maximum of 720p with a 3.5Mb/s connection. The minimum supported speed is 450Kb/s.
Pricing
Devices with Support Built In
Various TVs from Panasonic, Samsung, Sony, and Vizio; various Blu-ray players from Panasonic and Sony; TiVo DVRs (downloads only, streaming is not supported); Roku media players; Google TV devices; Windows PCs; and the Kindle Fire.
Newly released movies typically cost $3.99 to rent and $14.99 to purchase. Sale prices for older movies typically drop to $9.99 (rental prices remain the same), while some classics can be purchased for $4.99 or less, or rented for $2.99. TV shows are typically sold for $1.99 per episode (with discounts if you purchase entire seasons), but most HBO shows are available only for rental. Amazon doesn’t charge a monthly fee, although subscribers to the company’s Amazon Prime program ($79 per year) can stream (but not download) an unlimited number of movies and videos from a library of about 10,000 titles and TV episodes.
Our Take
Amazon offers great prices if you’re interested in buying downloadable movies, and the option to store your purchases on its servers reduces your risk should you suffer an equipment failure at home. The ability to transfer rented movies to portable devices would be a great differentiator if the list of supported devices included anything relevant. Free video rentals is a great new benefit if you’re already an Amazon Prime subscriber, but Amazon’s library is too small to justify signing up for that service solely to get free video streaming.
What Is It?
Blockbuster, now owned by Dish Network, offers two online services. Blockbuster on Demand offers streaming VOD rentals and movie downloads for purchase. Dish Network subscribers can opt for Blockbuster Movie Pass, which includes video rentals streamed to a Dish set-top box, plus DVD and Blu-ray disc rentals by mail (limited to one disc being out at any one time).
What's Available?
You’ll find VOD versions of movies just released to DVD, as well as a deep library of classic films available in resolutions up to 1080i. The service doesn’t currently offer any TV shows for rental or purchase, but Blockbuster Movie Pass does include Starz programming (which consists of some original series and mini-series, plus movies that have already had their run on premium pay-TV channels such as HBO and Showtime).
Devices with Support Built In
Various TVs from Samsung and Vizio; various Blu-ray players from Onkyo, Philips, Samsung, and others; TiVo DVRs; select smartphones and tablets on the AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon networks; networked media players from Western Digital and 2Wire; and Windows PCs.
Pricing
Most new releases cost $3.99 to rent, or $19.99 to $21.99 to purchase. You can rent some older movies for as little as $1.99, but the service isn’t competitive when it comes to selling most classics, with titles typically priced at $9.99 each. There is no subscription fee for Blockbuster on Demand. Blockbuster Movie Pass costs $10 per month in addition to your Dish Network subscription.
Our Take
Blockbuster on Demand isn't any more or less compelling than any of the other movie-rental services covered here, unless you want to watch movies and TV shows on your handheld device (note, however, that iOS devices—including the iPad—are not supported). If you're already a Dish Network subscriber, on the other hand, Blockbuster Movie Pass is a solid value at $10 per month, especially since Dish doesn't charge extra to rent movies on Blu-ray disc (take that, Netflix!).
Comments are closed on this article
SalladDazed
January 31, 2012 at 8:17pm
Bizarrely, we found out (the hard way) that 2011 and (I believe) 2012 Samsung connected TVs (using their Smart Hub interface) do not natively support Amazon VOD.
Apparently, this used to be offered via the Yahoo Widgets app (still available in the Samsung app store) but is not for model year 2011 and going forward.
Samsung recently has issued some bizarre but hopeful signs this may change at some point. Yahoo has made no official comment. Though Amazon's site provides arguably misleading language indicating Samsung TVs support their video streaming services, it has released no official comment on the situation.
We have been monitoring a thread on Amazon's site Since April of 2011, but nothing much has changed. Though a recent firmware upgrade included language in its feature list, the language was so poorly worded as to make little sense, and there was no change in the TV's ability to playback this content.
http://www.amazon.com/forum/home%20theater/ref=cm_cd_pg_pg1?_encoding=UTF8&cdForum=Fx2DJH5MIDFPGUV&cdPage=1&cdSort=oldest&cdThread=Tx2FSR7GPIMOR0C
jerryfrost
January 31, 2012 at 8:15pm
my friend's step-aunt makes $84 hourly on the computer. She has been fired for 9 months but last month her income was $8799 just working on the computer for a few hours. Go to this web site and read more u.go2.me/57V
MrSelatcia
January 31, 2012 at 8:40am
Good luck getting the MLB network working fully on your Roku, or even android for that matter. Never mind that the Roku's advertise the compatibility. Full MLB access on anything other than a PC or Apple product is an exercise in futility. Maddening considering what they charge.
Atomike
January 31, 2012 at 8:04am
No mention of ESPN 3? This is the only real way to stream sports. And it's not mentioned. Article is wildly incomplete.
Morete
January 31, 2012 at 2:05am
I was told that "due to movie studio restrictions", Vudu content is not streamable to PC in 1080p and it's only allowed to stream to HD TVs at that resolution.
OCFRED
January 31, 2012 at 1:08am
What is the common denominator? lower overall cost than a cable/DVR package. I may grab one of those logitec units since it seems to offer the only experience tailored around what the user wants rather than pushing whats most profitable for content holders and adverts. Lets face it and admit that the net has supplanted and enhanced "stealing" cable in more wonderful ways than we who grew up with VCR's could have imagined. What erodes the old profit model most is that nearly all new content created is complete Sh*t, no artistic integrity with scripted "realities" more perverse than bawdy fiction; at networks there are likely 50 suits selling airtime for every one fostering new talent. I'd rather keep getting 3 classic flicks at a time from Blockbuster through the mail for $22 with no due dates and personal control of playback free of ads. Web offerings are rough but growing everyday and evolving expression with returns for the artist instead of some talentless hack "managing" for indifferent, insatiable shareholders.
Sooner go back to video tapes or buy tickets to live performing art than endure network broadcasting. Entertainment's genesis from live theater to pictures, radio, TV and cable onto the web is only being criminalized by lawyers and the thugs behind them intent to keep their beaks saturated while audiences are left to die of thirst rather than be empowered to change the channel.
JohnP
January 30, 2012 at 9:24pm
I am consistently disappointed with embedded media boxes inside other products. XBox360, DLNA enabled TVs, Blu Ray players with network ports, Apple TV and on and on. Try getting High def and 5.1 surround sound out of these "appliances" is an exercise in frustration. Streaming TV always have their weak points and are only available in certain places in certain formats in certain codecs in certain audio types.
I cannot empathize how well a decent HTPC can rule the roost over all of these myriad formats and types. There is just nothing better out there which makes all these embedded media boxes both unnecessary and an expensive useless device. Just say no.
hades_2100
January 30, 2012 at 6:39pm
No XBMC? I only have 4 XBMC installations in my home and it just wouldn't be the same without it.
DaemonSeed
January 30, 2012 at 3:21pm
Very good article. However I was extremely disappointed that while you posted a bit about Boxee Box, you neglected its root primary parent from whence Boxee came.
XBMC is one of the most awesome media centers around today. I currently run XBMC Eden (Beta 2) and its rawked to the max. The XBMC Team do some really awesome work.
XMBC also has a nice healthy plug in repository to add more features to your HTPC experience. Check it out XBMC.org , available for OSX, Windows, Linux, Apple TV and you can even run a live dvd/usb distro. Do not pass this one up people!
In adittion, XBMC has a great live support forum so you can learn and expand your XBMC knowledge!
athlon11
January 30, 2012 at 3:12pm
If you included the MLB and NBA in that article why not the NHL? So much better than basketball.
