Just last week had the much anticipated premiere of the Arrested Development reboot on Netflix, granted it was a bit of a flop, but the point is that online streamers are focusing on commissioning their own exclusive content.
In March last year, The Daily Mail reported that online streaming subscriptions in the US would surpass physical videos. Do you think that could ever happen here in the UK, or are we too set in our own ways to take the leap?
Will our rubbish broadband speeds prevent us from ever truly enjoying online movies? After all, the buffering screen has to be one of the most irritating things created by the internet.
So, with all that in mind, I’m going to take a look at the best way for you to watch films and TV shows right now.
Price
Netflix: Online streaming is £5.99 per month – one single flat fee.
Lovefilm: It’s £4.99 per month for online streaming, but Lovefilm’s packages are more complicated than that as they also offer DVD, Blu-ray and video games rental. The price increases depending on how many discs you want at once, it’s £7.99 for one up to £13.27 for three.
DVDs & TV: The first cost associated with live television broadcasting is your TV licence, which is £145.50 for the year (or £12.13 a month). If you want to watch DVDs, you’re looking at paying a few quid for each. However, you can keep costs down by taking advantage of discount vouchers for Zavvi, HMV and Play.com.
Content
Netflix: As I’ve already mentioned, Netflix has the exclusive rights to the new series of Arrested Development. There had been a lot of hype about the reboot, but it fell a little flat when it finally premiered. However, other original content commissioned by Netflix includes House of Cards, Lilyhammer and Hemlock Grove.
Lovefilm: Although it has a couple of TV shows, they’re not quite as polished as though found on Netflix. The most popular is probably Alpha House, a political satire, but others include Betas and Zombieland (not the movie, the original TV pilot).
DVDs & TV: Obviously, you can get your hands on every single movie under the sun on DVD if you look hard enough. This is a task made a little easier by Play.com shopping vouchers as they’re available from just £3.99. Live broadcasting television also means you’ll be able to watch the soaps and dramas offered by the BBC and ITV.
Devices
Lovefilm: you are able to watch Lovefilm on many devices, including the iPad, Xbox 360, PS3, Sony Home Cinema system, Onyx Digital Stream, Kindle Fire HD, Blue-ray players, Wii and internet-enabled/smart TVs.
Netflix: if you have a Wi-Fi enabled device, you will probably be able to access Netflix, as it’s available on Xbox 360, Wii, Apple TV, PS3, iPad/iPhone, Kindle Fire HD, all Android-based smartphones and tables, Blu-ray players, smart TVs and certain streaming players.
DVDs & TV: you can watch your own DVDs and live broadcasts on any TV, provided you have a DVD player. However, if you want to watch catch-up TV on BBC iPlayer, you’ll need either a video games console, such as Xbox, PS3 or Wii, computer or smartphone.
If you want to try out Netflix or Lovefilm, you can get a one month free trial for either, but don’t forget to cancel after 30 days or you’ll be charged for the next month’s subscription.
Get your DVDs for less by taking advantages of free UK coupons, such as 5% off all DVD orders at The Hive Store or up to 70% off at Amazon.
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