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Online Streaming TV Shows

1K views 12 replies 6 participants last post by  lordxar5 
#1 ·
This may be a bit more general than Xbox only but what good streaming options are out there? We've had Netflix for a few years and I think they are the best so far. Just ditched cable to save some dough and tried Hulu to a resounding meh. I thought Hulu was the be all end all of current shows but that has not been the case or maybe I should say most current only.


Case in point, the wife likes Vampire Diaries and watched the first three seasons on Netflix. Hulu has pieces of season four but their episodes in the middle so she cant catch up on season 4. CW has a mobile app but again, same roadblock, only a few middle episodes.


Browsing Hulu I see a lot of shows like this. Which brings me back to my question, where can we watch current shows to catch up on them? Android, iPhone, Xbox, or PS3 would be preferred since we already have them but a Roku box could be an option too. I'm trying to avoid PC streaming because of the lack of tech skills the wife has. I'm floored that with all the technology out there we keep running into this. Probably due to some bs licensing but I figure its worth asking.
 
#2 ·
You can check out play on. I had it for awhile.
 
#3 ·
there are a lot of streaming options now.


I'm on the free month of Redbox. pretty good. will cancel as soon as the month is over, but I see promise. and they have movies that aren't on Netflix streaming.


check out the other free streaming options. there's Crackle. there's indieflix. popcornflix. lots of anime options like Crunchyroll, Manga Entertainment, Neon Alley, etc.


heck, just check out this page:
http://support.xbox.com/en-US/browse?product=apps&category=tv-and-movies
 
#4 ·
Thanks! Playon wins. $60 sale for lifetime membership + DVR. Easy sale there. I honestly forgot this even existed. Needs a PC but I happen to have a couple spares, now to build it.


My one pet peeve in the streaming world is paying 99 cents for a TV episode I can watch free with an antenna. Movies or pay channel shows I dont mind though.


Thanks for the replies!
 
#8 ·
Complete success! Watched the last walking dead I missed and the wife is on season 4 of vampire diaries. Playon is pretty slick and rdp on my tablet means no monitor required. Just need to configure xbmc, load some tunes and were set. I knew there had to be a better way and sure enough.


Thanks again for the suggestions this is a great move off cable. Still not sure if I want to keep hulu though. Seems like playon fills that need with no subscription but then again hulu does have movies. Will check out the first month since I paid for it.
 
#9 ·
Hey guys,

Been streaming FIOS TV via app and ESPN and a few movie apps. Movie apps work great and consistent. ESPN and FIOS TV has lots of buffering especially in the evening. Have the consoles connected via Cat5 and have 75 up and 35 down. Changed my DNS to google. Any fix? Same results with all three consoles. Trying to save on some box fees but so far Verizon FIOS TV app and ESPN app a letdown. I had the same kind of experience with MLBTV through my PS3 last year
 
#10 ·
Could it be your local area where everyone is at home if this is happening more in the afternoon?
 
#11 ·
No. Wireless is shutoff during the weekdays so the kids can concentrate on school. This happens if only one console is running and happens on all four consoles.SInce Netflix and other apps work flawless, I can only deduct that this is a app issue with FIOS TV and ESPN. Could be their servers. Not ready for primetime!
 
#12 ·
You know, sort of related, I was watching the Masters golf stream on my PC browser (IE) and on my Roku, same cable modem/IP network. On my PC (with plenty of CPU) the Masters buffered so much it was unwatchable but on my Roku the stream was flawless. I'm not sure where the problem was but it was real strange.
 
#13 ·
I've noticed some streaming differences myself. Might depend on where their getting the feed from. Roku might be pulling lower quality too or a combination of the two.


In my quest for the wife's vampire diaries, I notice Hulu and the CW app are nearly identical in content, playon pulls the same as well from CW since it goes to the website. My theory is that Hulu isn't much different than playon, it might have some content of its own but I'd bet it aggregates other channels like playon does for some. As opposed to Netflix that hosts all its own content. So where certain channels dont buffer, others do because their passing through so to speak. Its a theory anyway.
 
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