[Rclark]

Netflix has just entered a new arena, exclusive, HBO style dramatic series. This show stars Steven Van Zandt (Sopranos) as a mafia man under witness protection, moved to Norway of all places.

The show has an all Norwegian cast, and speaks Norwegian, with subtitles. It's definitely different. The premise of a NY wiseguy in a wholly different culture and environment is pretty amusing.

There are 8 episodes in this first season, each an hour and I must say I like Netlix's method of delivering the whole season at once, rather than dropping one per week, etc.

The show streams in X-High/HD 5.1. The image quality and audio are excellent.

If you have Netfix, no need to search, it will be the first thing you see. If you dont have Netflix, it is $9.00 a month, And becoming a greater bargain with each day. You can stream on multiple devices, even phones.

[ajzepp]

I saw this a few months ago and loved it.

[Rclark]

 Netflix is really impressing me a lot lately. They aren't letting it sit stagnant, the newest updates to the service are very very slick (for example during a series of shows, at the end, it cuts away and give you menu options while the credits roll).

 And the image/sound quality of their top tier stuff in X-High/HD is pretty damned impressive for a streamed movie. I would place the format, depending on film, as sometimes above and generally at DVD quality, which is amazing. Very sharp, and the sound is excellent.

 Bagging a series like this show prove they are putting money back into the business, and I am constantly seeing new stuff being brought in. I like where this company is going.

 Between this service and Cinemanow you almost never need to go to the theaters again. Our sound systems are better anyway 


 .. Finished the first season. It had a general interest, not as good as the Sopranos, more like a fully fleshed out side story. Zandt is the stong point and thankfully they keep most of the attention on him.

[ajzepp]

Wish I agreed with you about Netflix as much as I agree about Lilyhammer...I've been a customer for over 10 years and am really disappointed with the direction they've taken the company. The other day I cancelled my dvd portion and am now only using the streaming service. They simply can't meet my needs anymore, whereas prior to a year ago I had literally not rented a SINGLE DVD or Bluray from any other source. I used to love Netflix like it was part of my family...but we're on the verge of a divorce 

[Tyson]

I'm a fan of Netflix's policy of not putting commercials into every friggin show.  But I"m more of a fan of Hulu's massive collection of the Criterion collection, plus about the same current movie releases as Netflix, and much, much more current TV content.  Commercials are usually only 90 seconds, so I put up with them.  But it would be nice if there were an option to pay a bit more and get rid of them.

[Rclark]

Yeah Aj but you have to think eventually it's all streaming soon. I still think, even if you pay $16 for both disc and streaming it's still a hell of a deal. I do streaming only for $9 a month and then for that just-came-out stuff I stream Cinemanow.

@ Tyson, yeah no commercials is GOLD.

[ajzepp]

I agree. And I stream all the time, but I do it from Vudu (and sometimes Amazon), not Netflix. There's absolutely no comparison right now in terms of quality, and Netflix offers no option for new releases anymore. For ten years I would have new releases in my mailbox on Tuesdays before Blockbuster would even open its doors. Now you can't get most new releases for a month after their release date. So instead of Netflix getting my $25-30 per month, Vudu gets it. If I want to watch a new release, Netflix offers me no option at all - streaming or otherwise. I called and told Mr Hastings how disappointed I was because I felt Netflix was essentially forcing me to spend my money elsewhere and I hated that feeling.

For ten years I have sung the praises of Netflix on forums all over the web...but the decisions they've made have isolated me as a consumer and that is a real bummer. Just implement an additional streaming option where I can pay a few extra bucks for a new release...do SOMETHING to give me the option to remain a customer. Not all my movie watching is composed of new releases, but a significant percentage of it is. So Netflix - for now - can have my eight bucks a month...I just hope that one day I have the option to give them more of my money, but that remains to be seen.

[gooberdude]

I've been streaming netflix a while now on an HD projection tv, about 10' wide.  Hulu's video & sound quality are much better than netflix, though it seems hulu's content is more geared towards tv series.  Pretty sure i'm done with Netflix.  Interested in trying other movie websites though & would appreciate more recommendations.

Tivo syncs with Amazon Instant Video also, which i'll demo soon. 

I had been using a mac mini to stream Netflix before the Tivo arrived, and just assumed Netflix's  grainy image was the mini's fault. 

matt

[Rclark]

some of the stuff is old I think, and that's why the quality suffers. Check out cinemanow.com as well.

[ajzepp]

I've been streaming netflix a while now on an HD projection tv, about 10' wide.  Hulu's video & sound quality are much better than netflix, though it seems hulu's content is more geared towards tv series.  Pretty sure i'm done with Netflix.  Interested in trying other movie websites though & would appreciate more recommendations.

Tivo syncs with Amazon Instant Video also, which i'll demo soon. 

I had been using a mac mini to stream Netflix before the Tivo arrived, and just assumed Netflix's  grainy image was the mini's fault. 

matt

I've basically experienced the same thing. Among Netflix, Amazon, and Vudu, I'd say Netflix has the worst PQ of the three. Vudu is leaps and bounds ahead of the other two since they do 1080p (and it looks nearly as good as blurays on my projector), and I'd have to say that Amazon HD streams are a little better than my Netflix HD streams. I do like that Netflix has an ever-expanding library for their streaming program, but Amazon seems pretty intent on competing.