NY Times compares/contrasts #Netflix and #Hulu

I’m experimenting with putting hash-tags in my title because these posts are getting bounced to Twitter.

I love the Amazon app. I’ve probably spent more money on entertainment because of it, but it’s still super handy. Breaking Bad, Portlandia, Downton Abbey, Doctor Who, Adventure Time, and so many other shows I can watch the day after they air on my TV via the PS3. I also own a Kindle Fire. I mentioned that this week I am going to Dragon*Con so I am in the process of selecting a couple movies to put on the device so I can watch on the plane.

But, Netflix does still seem to trump Amazon. I definitely wouldn’t consider dumping Netflix for Amazon Prime (which I don’t subscribe to).

I guess it all comes down to your preference and what you prefer to spend money on. But, do take a look at this article for a nice breakdown of what devices play which service, how much each catalog holds, and which app just works better.

Reality killed the video star?

One of the reasons I live without cable is because there is a lot of what I consider to be crap on TV. It’s really possible to spend all day flipping through stations and find nothing interesting to watch. When I worked a different work schedule I used to hang out at my mom’s house before work, who has digital cable, but I would end up using the on demand feature just to find an offering from one of the channels she subscribes to. I mean why wouldn’t I want to tailor what I watch? Take MTV for instance. Two stations stations most likely playing a show about pregnant teens or a rerun of the Jersey Shore.

Give me a sec while I grab my cane and put in my false teeth because back in my day MTV played music videos all day long! Even when they played reality tv (you know, “Real World” and “Road Rules”) you could still find music videos 95% of the rest of the time.

As the NY Times points out, MTV does still play music videos. Just…you know…at a time of the day when no one really watches. And although the article mentions the return of “120 Minutes” don’t mistake that for the channel celebrating it’s milestone birthday. It’s not. MTV is acting like a former prom queen that’s afraid of impending middle age. If 30 was still considered middle age. Come on MTV! Even if most of us don’t give a damn about your programming anymore (you know, except for having Jersey Shore as a very, very guilty pleasure that we never talk about) at least acknowledge that once-upon-a-time a large population of people grew up with you in our lives. It was a huge success for me when my family finally did get cable around the time I was 14 and I thought I was sooooo cool and could FINALLY watch MTV like a cool kid.

Maybe MTV is just too cool to celebrate it’s own birthday?

Well looky here!

The NY Times has a short article talking about cutting the cord. No, not about my blog; about what my blog is about. Living life without cable. I like that the survey they talk about used Netflix as a focal point. It’s so true. A lot of what we watch involves Netflix’s watch instantly content. I always look forward to finding new content and refreshing our queue with new things to watch.

Check it out. “When the Diffusion Group surveyed Netflix members in 2010, they found that 16 percent of customers were planning to downgrade or cancel their cable television service.” It’s now 2011. Imagine what that number has jumped to! We originally cut the cord for economic reasons. And we still keep it that way for pretty much the same reason – we save a lot! But we also realized we don’t need cable. Channel flipping is a huge waste of time. We definitely love picking one thing at a time and watching it. The discussion goes something like “what do you want to watch tonight?” “Let’s do a movie” or “Want to continue watching Parenthood?” We’re not tied to a broadcast schedule.
Freeeedoooommmmmm!