[ale] Streaming video for Linux?

[Paul Cartwright]

On 11/30/2010 09:18 PM, George Carless wrote:
> To be honest, I've not yet had a chance to put the Roku through its
> paces: mine is literally sitting in a box at home, waiting for me (I'd
> have plugged it in tonight except that I got stuck in Indiana due to a
> canceled flight back!)... 
glad yer back safe & sound, flying is a real treat these days, heh:)

> however, from everything I've read it's a
> nifty little media box that will play netflix and a variety of other
> 'apps', including Hulu plus; it cost something like $60 for the model I
> bought.
ah, the catch here, and another reason I was thinking Wii.. from the
Roku page:
No PC needed.

Roku connects to your high-speed Internet connection wirelessly.

yeah, well, my internet connection is nowhere near my TV, with no way to
get it there ( easily)... the Wii is wireless, right?

this is why I never got around to doing MythTV.. never got my internet
connection near my TV. hmm, maybe a bridged router...


> If you haven't already tried netflix, I very much recommend it -
> and from what I've seen it'll run pretty well even on a slower internet
> connection... if you have a Windows or Mac machine lying around you
> might want to give it a try.  As to whether you can drop cable, I'd say
> it depends: I keep my satellite subscription around because of a few
> shows I like to watch live, but at the same time I watch a LOT of stuff
> just over Netflix - there's quite a good (and definitely growing)
> selection of stuff available on there for instant play, for
> $8-ish/month. From what I gather, too, there's a lot of good recent
> material on Hulu Plus, too, for another $8-ish/mo.
well, not having a job right now says I can't add any more $GOODIES to
my budget..
so its replace or do without for now..
>
> So, depending on your viewing preferences, you might well be able to
> drop your cable and swap in a Roku box (or some other box that plays
> Netflix).  By the way, I have a Wii too and it's a lot of fun, and its
> Netflix player is great too--but if you're JUST looking to play
> movies/tv shows then the Wii is overkill for that. (Not to dissuade you
> from a fun xmas gift, though!)

all good info, nice to think about, we will see what Santa brings!

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Paul Cartwright
Registered Linux user # 367800
Registered Ubuntu User #12459