How many of you use streaming content?

[97tbird]

Not really a PC question, but we don't have an electronics/a-v section, so...

any of you using streaming online stuff like Netflix, Pandora, etc. on your blu ray players?

Just curious...how is the Pic quality? are you satisfied with it?
My Panasonic blu ray player offers Youtube, Pandora and Amazon video and more stuff coming soon on Viera Cast (panasonic-ese for online content)...but not Netflix.
The newer model, WITH Netflix, is cheaper than what I paid for mine when I bought it...VERY tempted to sell the current one and upgrade..

I know that my 3 mbps connection is enough for Youtube and Pandora, which we WILL use for sure but i heard that for Netflix HD, one needs a min of 5 mbps... (we already have a Netflix account)

I have never connected my player to the net, but I am going to try it this week...kinda excited about that...

 

[Bill in Utah]

We stream Netflix with the kids Wii into our 47" HDTV and its impressive. Not HD but close since its going in through the AV inputs.

Rumor the new Wii will use HDMI. We will get it when it comes out.

The service has added a lot to both Netflix and the Wii for me.

Bill

 

[97tbird]

Thanks, BiU.
I thought of going with a Wii but idk if we would use it for any other functions...seems like a waste if we wouldn't.
..and i just like to keep the number of components of my set up to a min.. so that's why I am trying to get my BR player to do several things...

but like i said, to get full HD with Netflix, we will have to upgrade our DSL connection...at least to 5 mbps.

 

[JHZR2]

We use pandora on our iphones all the time. Most excellent for riding in the car.

 

[97tbird]

Yeah i have it on my BB Pearl, too - excellent. That's why i thought of trying it in the living room...my 2.1 home audio set up is quite "potent"... i am curious to see how the SQ will be via streaming with the BR player ...

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

Slacker radio on my iPhone. It has a cached mode to pull stations down to the device (iPhone in my case) so music/comedy/etc is available all the time, even when cell service isn't. Way cool.

 

[StevieC]

I stream Sirius Satellite radio on my I-Phone both on the 3G network and Wifi. I also stream Sirius on my laptop at home.

Works great!

 

[Quattro Pete]

I stream stuff, although not through a dvd player. I stream music (Slacker, Pandora, other internet radio streams) through a Logitech Squeezebox in the basement.

I also stream Hulu through an HTPC to both our TVs. Don't have a Netflix account though.

I could also stream directly though our Samsung LED, but it's somewhat cumbersome. And Samsung hasn't come up with a Netflix widget yet.

 

[CivicFan]

We stream Netflix to our Wii for 2-3 hours per day on average. None of our computers have HDMI output so no Hulu for us. All in due time, I guess.

 

[Colt45ws]

I watch a couple hours a week of NetFlix. Usually on a computer attached to the TV or the 360.
I also stream Chronix Radio on my computer for several hours a day.

 

[youdontwannaknow]

Originally Posted By: 97tbird

I know that my 3 mbps connection is enough for Youtube and Pandora, which we WILL use for sure but i heard that for Netflix HD, one needs a min of 5 mbps... (we already have a Netflix account)


I have a 7Mbps line (6Mbps practically) and I recently did a test to see how much bandwidth Netflix really uses in SD and HD modes while playing on the PC. HD takes up 5+ (5.3-5.4) consistently but I was surprised to see that even in SD it takes up a good 4+.
Based on this I would guess that if your line is less than 4Mbps you are compromising the SD quality as well (dropped packets/frames).

I used the Network Meter gadget in Win 7 to monitor real time bandwidth use.

 

[97tbird]

Yeah we will have to upgrade the BR player to the current (2010+) model for Netflix anyway, and that will be a good time to update the Internet connection, too.

For now, I just wanna use some Youtube and Pandora with the DSL connection we have...If I am able to sell my current BR player (check "items for sale" section on bitog !!), I will def. upgrade to the current model...and upgrade the internet connection.

 

[97tbird]

update:

...finally connected my Panasonic BD60 blu ray player to the relocated Linksys WRT54GL router - worked right away, and looks pretty good...my connection (dsl) is just 3.5 mbps, but Youtube is decent and the streaming German news channel (which we can understand since I and wife speak fluent German hehe) is pretty clear... I hope it stays..
We will upgrade our DSL connection pretty soon, and I think youtube will be even more clear than now...it's kind of fun...REALLY bummer that there's no Netflix on this model...oh well, the many "coming soon" boxes do give me hope for at least some other services, though...

I do like the weather and Pandora streaming- Pandora sound quality is excellent coming through my home audio set up; a LOT better than when I connect the laptop to it.

I like the Panasonic's VieraCast GUI but it has a tiny lag when choosing different functions/services with the remote. Idk if it depends on the speed of the internet connection or not...not a big deal though..the Viera GUI looks a [censored] of a lot better than the BD60's own menu-GUI, I think...

question: when listening to Pandora or some other streaming service for long periods for example, have you guys ever worried about the image on the TV being still for a long time? I have a Samsung LCD (1080p) and i know that "burn-in" is not a concern with LCDs but more with plasmas, etc ...but still.

My TV has this "Any Net" feature and if I turn the TV off the Panny BD60 also turns off...on the other hand, i guess one needs the TV display to change channels, thumb songs up/down and skip, etc...

 

[Colt45ws]

I have seen burned in images on display models before. Supposedly LCDs. My brother's 32" Vizio will ghost images that have been on it awhile. They will eventually go away, though.
I try to avoid static images on TVs if at all possible.

 

[tmorris1]

Originally Posted By: Colt45ws
I have seen burned in images on display models before. Supposedly LCDs. My brother's 32" Vizio will ghost images that have been on it awhile. They will eventually go away, though.
I try to avoid static images on TVs if at all possible.

You should not be able to burn in a LCD screen.

 

[Colt45ws]

Originally Posted By: tmorris1
Originally Posted By: Colt45ws
I have seen burned in images on display models before. Supposedly LCDs. My brother's 32" Vizio will ghost images that have been on it awhile. They will eventually go away, though.
I try to avoid static images on TVs if at all possible.

You should not be able to burn in a LCD screen.

Stolen from another forum.

 

[tmorris1]

Not sure what that was, but I am guessing that was supposed to be a burned in image on an LCD.
It should not be permanent and will probably go away. You should not burnin an LCD with normal use.

 

[simple_gifts]

Originally Posted By: tmorris1
Originally Posted By: Colt45ws
I have seen burned in images on display models before. Supposedly LCDs. My brother's 32" Vizio will ghost images that have been on it awhile. They will eventually go away, though.
I try to avoid static images on TVs if at all possible.

You should not be able to burn in a LCD screen.


We bought a bunch of Dell LCD for work which the computer has the same application window open for 10 hours a day; took < 6 months to burn in the screen.

 

[CivicFan]

Do the LCD-s have an anti-retention tool? Our plasma has a tool where a white bar scrolls across the screen and clears any burnt images.

BTW, it takes as little as one 4:3 movie to burn the dark bars at the edges on that TV.

 

[scurvy]

Originally Posted By: 97tbird
any of you using streaming online stuff like Netflix, Pandora, etc. on your blu ray players?

Just curious...how is the Pic quality? are you satisfied with it?

We frequently stream Netflix movies through our BOTB Verizon DSL connection to our 1080p 37" Vizio. They often look better than DVDs - that is, the picture quality is astounding. Having an on-demand selection of things to watch at all times is fantastic.