6 years ago
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Worth a Read!
Check out the Florida Condo and HOA Legal Blog link, interesting article regarding allowing service and comfort animals.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Who needs Comcast?
For channel surfers, a new wave of online TV comes with different pricing, features
CANDICE CHOI AP Personal Finance Writer
First Posted: March 02, 2011 - 4:12 pm
Last Updated: March 02, 2011 - 6:53 pm
NEW YORK — Forget the giant flat-screen TV. It could be time to downsize to a laptop.
Amazon's launch of its free on-demand video service last week adds yet another option to the growing market of online programming.
Access to the retailer's free video library is only available to select customers and still fairly limited. But the new service underscores the movement away from the living room TV set to computer screens and even mobile devices.
For some households, online programming could be a way to cut down on expensive cable packages that can easily top $150 a month. The features and prices you'll find online vary greatly, however, so you'll want to go over them carefully.
The market is still scattered, with the same programming often available from multiple sources. But here's a look at what you get with three well-known providers:
___
Amazon
The new online video service for Amazon's Prime customers isn't exactly free. The price of admission is $79 a year for free two-day shipping and low-cost next-day shipping on all orders.
It should be noted that customers only have access to a limited set of free titles; about 4,000 TV episodes and 1,600 movies. Some newer titles are included, but most of the material is at least a few years old. So it's a nice perk if you were thinking of becoming a Prime member anyway, but streaming video shouldn't be the only reason you sign up.
Besides, the site has a vast online library of 90,000 titles that anyone can access without committing to a subscription. Customers can rent or buy movies and TV episodes a la carte. That makes it a good option if you're not an entertainment junkie but enjoy the occasional reality TV marathon.
Prices vary depending on the title and whether you rent or buy. For example, "The Social Network" costs $3.99 to rent and $14.99 to buy. Older movies cost less and TV episodes are usually 99 cents to buy. Episodes of recently aired shows, such as the current season of "Top Chef," are $1.99 each. Fans can buy a pass for the entire season to lower the cost to $1.89 per episode.
Unlike the free programming networks make available on their sites, the TV episodes sold on Amazon don't have commercials.
If you want to watch Amazon's programming on a large screen, there are several HDTVs that can connect to your broadband access. There are also several devices that do the same job. For more: http://tinyurl.com/66rnw3 .
___
Hulu
This is a popular site that gathers a broad range of current hit shows from networks including ABC, Fox and NBC. The TV shows, including "Glee," ''Jersey Shore," and "The Office," are usually posted the morning after they air but only stay up for a couple weeks. Entire seasons of older series such as "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "The A-Team" are also available.
It's hard to complain when something is free, but there are a few downsides. To start, the shows have commercials during the same intervals as you'd get on live TV and there's no way to fast forward through them. The selection of movies is also much more limited at 1,100 mostly older titles.
Visitors may have recently noticed logos for Hulu Plus. For $7.99 a month, this new service gives customers the option of watching shows on their iPhones and iPads as well. Customers also get access to entire seasons of 45 current shows and 90 past shows.
The shows still come with the same amount of ads. And not all programming available on the Hulu site is available through the apps.
Hulu Plus can also be streamed to several HDTVs. For more: http://tinyurl.com/4j4yyl2 .
___
Netflix
Most people know Netflix for its DVD delivery service. Increasingly, however, customers are turning to the company's online library to catch up with TV shows and movies.
For $7.99 a month, customers get unlimited access. The company says it has agreements with networks including ABC, Fox, NBC and Disney to make some newer shows available. But Netflix generally relies more heavily on older material.
As with Amazon, the TV shows are ad-free.
It should also be noted that the online library is far more limited than the company's DVD rental catalog of about 100,000 titles. Netflix says the online library has more than 20,000 titles, but declined to provide further details.
Customers can pay $2 more a month — or $9.99 — to get one DVD rental at a time in addition to the online programming.
To find out more about watching Netflix's online library on your TV, go to http://tinyurl.com/ydfvx7z .
CANDICE CHOI AP Personal Finance Writer
First Posted: March 02, 2011 - 4:12 pm
Last Updated: March 02, 2011 - 6:53 pm
NEW YORK — Forget the giant flat-screen TV. It could be time to downsize to a laptop.
Amazon's launch of its free on-demand video service last week adds yet another option to the growing market of online programming.
Access to the retailer's free video library is only available to select customers and still fairly limited. But the new service underscores the movement away from the living room TV set to computer screens and even mobile devices.
For some households, online programming could be a way to cut down on expensive cable packages that can easily top $150 a month. The features and prices you'll find online vary greatly, however, so you'll want to go over them carefully.
The market is still scattered, with the same programming often available from multiple sources. But here's a look at what you get with three well-known providers:
___
Amazon
The new online video service for Amazon's Prime customers isn't exactly free. The price of admission is $79 a year for free two-day shipping and low-cost next-day shipping on all orders.
It should be noted that customers only have access to a limited set of free titles; about 4,000 TV episodes and 1,600 movies. Some newer titles are included, but most of the material is at least a few years old. So it's a nice perk if you were thinking of becoming a Prime member anyway, but streaming video shouldn't be the only reason you sign up.
Besides, the site has a vast online library of 90,000 titles that anyone can access without committing to a subscription. Customers can rent or buy movies and TV episodes a la carte. That makes it a good option if you're not an entertainment junkie but enjoy the occasional reality TV marathon.
Prices vary depending on the title and whether you rent or buy. For example, "The Social Network" costs $3.99 to rent and $14.99 to buy. Older movies cost less and TV episodes are usually 99 cents to buy. Episodes of recently aired shows, such as the current season of "Top Chef," are $1.99 each. Fans can buy a pass for the entire season to lower the cost to $1.89 per episode.
Unlike the free programming networks make available on their sites, the TV episodes sold on Amazon don't have commercials.
If you want to watch Amazon's programming on a large screen, there are several HDTVs that can connect to your broadband access. There are also several devices that do the same job. For more: http://tinyurl.com/66rnw3 .
___
Hulu
This is a popular site that gathers a broad range of current hit shows from networks including ABC, Fox and NBC. The TV shows, including "Glee," ''Jersey Shore," and "The Office," are usually posted the morning after they air but only stay up for a couple weeks. Entire seasons of older series such as "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "The A-Team" are also available.
It's hard to complain when something is free, but there are a few downsides. To start, the shows have commercials during the same intervals as you'd get on live TV and there's no way to fast forward through them. The selection of movies is also much more limited at 1,100 mostly older titles.
Visitors may have recently noticed logos for Hulu Plus. For $7.99 a month, this new service gives customers the option of watching shows on their iPhones and iPads as well. Customers also get access to entire seasons of 45 current shows and 90 past shows.
The shows still come with the same amount of ads. And not all programming available on the Hulu site is available through the apps.
Hulu Plus can also be streamed to several HDTVs. For more: http://tinyurl.com/4j4yyl2 .
___
Netflix
Most people know Netflix for its DVD delivery service. Increasingly, however, customers are turning to the company's online library to catch up with TV shows and movies.
For $7.99 a month, customers get unlimited access. The company says it has agreements with networks including ABC, Fox, NBC and Disney to make some newer shows available. But Netflix generally relies more heavily on older material.
As with Amazon, the TV shows are ad-free.
It should also be noted that the online library is far more limited than the company's DVD rental catalog of about 100,000 titles. Netflix says the online library has more than 20,000 titles, but declined to provide further details.
Customers can pay $2 more a month — or $9.99 — to get one DVD rental at a time in addition to the online programming.
To find out more about watching Netflix's online library on your TV, go to http://tinyurl.com/ydfvx7z .
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)