If you’ve got kids, you may be wondering about some of the things you can do to entertain them, especially during the summer or holiday breaks. I work at home so their contentment is directly linked to my productivity. After investing in tennis camp for physical fitness, I decided to check out Netflix for those hazy and lazy indoor afternoons.
Netflix Review: DVD Rentals By Mail
I was pleasantly surprised to see a few changes at Netflix since I checked them out a couple of years ago. Netflix offers unlimited DVDs by mail and through the Internet. You can watch movies and TV episodes on your PC or use a Netflix ready device to broadcast them on your television.
To order, you point and click to add movies and TV shows to your list. With 100 shipping locations across the country, the majority of Netflix customers receive their DVDs in one business day. You can also watch your selections right away on your computer for no additional fee. My kids will love this!
How Much Netflix Costs
If you want to try Netflix for the first time, you can enjoy a one month free trial. Enter your email address, create a password and you can get started. If you don’t do anything further, the billing method you provide at registration will be charged $8.99 monthly after the first month.
You can cancel online at anytime but there are no refunds for a partial month’s fee. If you cancel before the first month is up, you aren’t charged a penny.
You can watch as many movies as you want for $8.99 per month. There are no due dates or late fees so there are no worries about getting them back on time. You receive a pre-paid envelope to return your DVD. Once they get it back, you get the next movie or TV episode on your queue.
Netflix Goes High Tech
Netflix offers Blu-Ray DVDs for the high tech individuals looking for the ultimate movie experience. You can also instantly watch your picks via Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3 right on your television. All of these familiar gaming devices connect to the Internet and stream from Netflix. My children will have endless selections to view.
For other sources of entertainment, you can also check out our Nintendo Wii review and Blu-Ray DVD Player review.
What is Starz Play?
Along with your unlimited Netflix membership, you get access to Starz Play with about 1,000 movies, series and entertainment options. There is a streaming version of the live Starz TV on all unlimited plans for no additional fee. You can also choose a Starz Play plan for only $7.99 monthly. There is no free trial for this plan and it does not have any DVDs.
The Bottom Line About Netflix
More than 13 million people currently get their movies from Netflix. I always wind up owing money to the library and video rental stores by the end of the summer for those inevitable late fees. The fees add up quickly and you usually owe more than you thought.
For just $8.99 monthly, I can get countless movie and TV selections from Netflix. We don’t have to be home at a certain time to catch a program because Netflix is 24/7. I don’t have to leave the house to rent or return DVDs. I simply put them out in my mailbox for the postman to take away. Another is delivered in a couple of days. With the first month free, you can try out the service to see if it works for you. I think Netflix offers affordable entertainment with minimal hassles.
To enjoy home entertainment further, you can also check out the TiVo. Our TiVo review looks into this device further.
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I used Netflix a few years ago, then discovered we weren’t watching the movies. My kids are out of the house, so there was no benefit there.
I tried watching a few movies on the PC, but the streaming aspect didn’t seem to work as well as I wanted. It would take several minutes to start initially and would frequently stop in mid-stream while it buffered up more of the movie. The last time I tried this, it became unusable. Maybe my network isn’t the fastest (802.11G) or maybe my ISP speed isn’t high enough (8mb/sec), but it seems like it could have been a better experience. Oddly enough, the first few times I watched streaming movies it worked perfectly.