Thought it was time to do the periodic check on NZ streaming video services; are we really still that poorly served?

Forums › Home Theatre (including HTPC and EPG Collector) › Thought it was time to do the periodic check on NZ streaming video services; are we really still that poorly served?

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416 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 106

#765263 18-Feb-2013 16:39

Netflix and Hulu via Unblock-US and Apple TV
US Itunes via Apple TV for TV Series and movies
Tivo for recording free view content

Not missing sky at all, although I may do when the league season kicks off.

Unblock-Us still works fine.

wasabi2k

2102 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 860

#765266 18-Feb-2013 16:39

yeah netflix via vpn is still the best. Not sold on Hulu's selection.

Roku is great for Netflix
WDTV Live will actually do USB Storage + Netflix + Hulu + a bunch of other stuff (which I figured out after buying Roku)
Apple TV works too but hate apple products with a passion.

NonprayingMantis

6434 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1528

#765267 18-Feb-2013 16:40

I use netflix via unblock us. I have over 300 things in my queue still to watch!

However there are some options for streaming some content in NZ.

Quickflix, iTunes NZ, is my, and igloo tend to get movies on pay per view at the same to,e as they get released on DVD. Of those, only iTunes has them in hd, and igloo only works through their set top box, which is pretty silly in my opinion.
Although quickflix doesn't have hd, I have found the quality to be pretty good. About DVD quality. So better than sd broadcast, but not as good as hd broadcast.

kiwitrc

4123 posts

Uber Geek
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Inactive user

#765268 18-Feb-2013 16:41

Not missing sky at all, although I may do when the league season kicks off.
.

The only thing that keeps me on Sky, dammit.

NZtechfreak

4649 posts

Uber Geek
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Trusted

#765294 18-Feb-2013 17:04

Quickflix looks OK, but no HD means no deal for me I'm afraid.

On Netflix now via Unblock-US. Swell.

If they could ever sort out licensing agreements to come here they would literally slay everything else out there.

Twitter: @nztechfreak
Blogs: HeadphoNZ.org

HowickDota

427 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 72

#765300 18-Feb-2013 17:12

Roku + Unotelly watching Netflix and Crackle here.

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Dunnersfella

4100 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 887

#765351 18-Feb-2013 19:11

Netflix and Hulu via StrongVPN - watched on the laptops / iDevices.
I'll set up my PS3 soon for Netflix I suppose... but I also have MySky, so it's not a big thing right now.
When I drop MySky I'll be getting more devices set up.

dontpanic42

1574 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 11

#765352 18-Feb-2013 19:21

NZtechfreak: Quickflix looks OK, but no HD means no deal for me I'm afraid.

From what I've heard, HD streaming on Quickflix is only on recent Sony Bravia TVs.

Source: http://pcworld.co.nz/pcworld/pcw.nsf/how-to/how-to-get-started-with-quickflix-in-nz

Can I watch in HD?

No, not yet, at least for most people. You can currently get 720p on an internet-connected Sony Bravia TV, however, which will stream automatically if your internet connection is fast enough. If it's not, you can still manually select 720p and let the video buffer.

A representative for the company said that it was trying to keep file sizes down, because we New Zealanders are still restricted by data caps in a way our Australian compatriots - who also have Quickflix - aren’t.

There’s no word on whether Quickflix’s content will soon be available in 1080p, but we doubt it - full, 1080p HD streaming uses a huge amount of data.

B1GGLZ

1961 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 136

#765360 18-Feb-2013 19:33

I just tried connecting to Netflix via Hidemyass proxy to investigate what is available but all I get is a message saying I need to turn on cookies. They are on (always have beeen) but I can't get access even when I press the "They are on now" button. Using Firefox and followed all instructions (which are different to what's in my latest version of Firefox) but no luck yet. Worked OKwith BBC a few months ago.

lchiu7

6521 posts

Uber Geek
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Trusted

#765367 18-Feb-2013 20:00

Dunnersfella: Netflix and Hulu via StrongVPN - watched on the laptops / iDevices.
I'll set up my PS3 soon for Netflix I suppose... but I also have MySky, so it's not a big thing right now.
When I drop MySky I'll be getting more devices set up.

'

Slightly OT but I used to watch Netflix on my (US) PS3. But the board died and a local guy put in a new main board but from the same generation (with SACD playback and the PS2 compatibility). But now I can't install Netflix on it. It does not show up in the Playstation Store despite putting the machine back to factory defaults, creating a US PSN account etc.

Not a huge deal since I have several other devices I can watch Netflix on but it's puzzling. I can still watch Hulu+, Amazon and Vudu on it though.

Staying in Wellington. Check out my AirBnB in the Wellington CBD. https://www.airbnb.co.nz/h/wellycbd PM me and mention GZ to get a 15% discount and no AirBnB charges.

JimmyH

2898 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1554

#765438 18-Feb-2013 21:52

I'm getting irritated with Sky as well - it's not so much the price as the limited range of movies on endless repeat cycles that's getting to me.

Also, while I mostly record programming and skip ads, the level of ads on most of Sky's other channels seems to be as bad as (or worse than) FTA TV. At least FTA commercials have some variety whereas Sky seems to have the same 4-5 promos over, and over, and over, and over again.

Given the movie range and constant endless repeats, I have toyed with dropping sky, and just re-joining for 2-3 months each year before cancelling again. In that window I can probably record and stockpile enough using my DVD recorder to get me through the cancelled period, without actually missing much in the way of movies or other programs.

Quickflix is a joke and, while I would happily pay for Netflix and Hulu+, data cap constraints simply make this impractical. Not really any other options I can think of except my local video shop. I'm not really into outright piracy and loathe to start.

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dontpanic42

1574 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 11

#765445 18-Feb-2013 22:02

JimmyH:
Quickflix is a joke and, while I would happily pay for Netflix and Hulu+, data cap constraints simply make this impractical.

I know it's not for everyone, but Slingshot AYCE runs Netflix at HD pretty much all of the time. It sometimes even flicks up to Netflix's new "SuperHD" (1080p) quality setting. I must admit though, I haven't seen it stay on "SuperHD" for very long. Mainly during off-peak hours. But it is almost always playing in HD.

Just an FYI.

1080p

1332 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 152
Inactive user

#765472 18-Feb-2013 22:17

None of the limited streaming options available stream at anything close to a decent bit rate. Some of the iTunes 720p stuff is OK but the rest is garbage.

NonprayingMantis

6434 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1528

#765500 18-Feb-2013 22:49

dontpanic42:
JimmyH:
Quickflix is a joke and, while I would happily pay for Netflix and Hulu+, data cap constraints simply make this impractical.

I know it's not for everyone, but Slingshot AYCE runs Netflix at HD pretty much all of the time. It sometimes even flicks up to Netflix's new "SuperHD" (1080p) quality setting. I must admit though, I haven't seen it stay on "SuperHD" for very long. Mainly during off-peak hours. But it is almost always playing in HD.

Just an FYI.

Even on a non unlimited plan, say 100-200GB would have to be watching a ridiculous amount of netflix to get anywhere near your cap.

IMO many people in NZ have been so used to having to watch every MB that even when they have massive plans 100GB+ they will not come anywhere near they still fear hitting that dreaded cap every time they watch a 5 minute YouTube clip.

NZtechfreak

4649 posts

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#765505 18-Feb-2013 22:57

Set up the PS3 with Netflix this evening, very straight forward (helps that I already had a US account on my PS3 I guess). Awesome stuff.

Twitter: @nztechfreak
Blogs: HeadphoNZ.org

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