Netflix / Amazon Prime / Now TV

SixTwoSix · 5 Sep 2014 at 09:28

In the last few months i've purchased a smart TV, cancelled Sky TV and now have subscriptions to Netflix, Amazon, Now TV and Unblock-US. Costing me a grand total of £15.50/month, as I got the NowTV for free for 4 months with the purchase of the TV.

There is a wealth of material to watch but still find myself wishing there was a bit more choice. Certain key movies/TV shows missing across all 3 services that I can't locate. I also use unblock-us to get access to Netflix around the world but still can't find certain films.

I don't mean newer movies either, there are older releases that aren't available.

Are there any other similar services out there that aren't pay-per-movie (blinkbox, etc) with different content libraries to the 3 i've mentioned?

Please don't bother mentioning downloading or torrents, I could have any movie/TV show I wanted in minutes if I went that way, I know how to do it, I choose not to. I have my reasons.

robfosters · 5 Sep 2014 at 11:35

Blimey, all that money you're spending and you want to spend more.

You might be better off reactivating your sky account.

I have sky, Netflix and Amazon and I never, ever struggle for something to watch.

Glaucus · 5 Sep 2014 at 11:44

Lol. Sky is several times more expensive and for less content.

Nothing out there as far as I know.
Do you use moreflicks ? To find if its on Netflix and if so what region.

There are some free services like hbo etc. That have some content on them.

Can always use some of the money you save to buy some missing stuff. Then if you internet goes son you always have a few things on the hdd to watch.

SixTwoSix · 5 Sep 2014 at 12:51

robfosters said:
Blimey, all that money you're spending and you want to spend more.

You might be better off reactivating your sky account.

I have sky, Netflix and Amazon and I never, ever struggle for something to watch.

LOL...Sky was £27 for a very basic package and didn't have even half the stuff I get from using these 3 services.

I'm actually spending about £12 less per month than I did for the last 2 years with Sky.

I don't want to spend more, there are just some big gaps with the existing services.

Glaucus said:
Can always use some of the money you save to buy some missing stuff. Then if you internet goes son you always have a few things on the hdd to watch.

True, a few times my net has gone off for an hour or two at a time and i've felt a bit lost.

Vonhelmet · 5 Sep 2014 at 13:08

For a lot of older films you need a postal DVD service.

CK61938 · 5 Sep 2014 at 13:15

Well, I was going to suggest XBMC.

SixTwoSix · 5 Sep 2014 at 13:56

Vonhelmet said:
For a lot of older films you need a postal DVD service.

Do any still exist?

CK61938 said:
Well, I was going to suggest XBMC.

Clue me up, what sort of content is available?

Glaucus · 5 Sep 2014 at 14:17

SixTwoSix said:
Clue me up, what sort of content is available?

Nothing, so not sure why he suggested it. It's a front end for a media system. Itself has no content. It's just a fancy media player.

http://xbmc.org/

robfosters · 5 Sep 2014 at 14:18

Glaucus said:
Nothing, so not sure why he suggested it. It's a front end for a media system. Itself has no content. It's just a fancy media player.

Mashup has films (when it works)

Glaucus · 5 Sep 2014 at 14:20

That isn't xbmc.
Xbmc has nothing, you can add addons that support youtube and other media providers. also the sites are dodgy as hell, you might as well just use torrents.

rhysduck · 5 Sep 2014 at 14:26

SixTwoSix said:
But no sport

CK61938 · 5 Sep 2014 at 15:13

XBMC offers a lot more actually. I use it to watch shows from the US live. Channels like ABC, CBS, The CW, FOX and NBC (when you set up a free account with ustvnow.com). And when you include the add-ons, you have access to just about anything including UK channels.

You can also watch movies. Yes, they work like torrents. But instead of you searching and downloading them yourself, they are streamed.

The main add-on you want is called totalxbmc. It has every single repository so far. I've even been able to watch the likes of F1 from Sky. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

But my main use is for US TV shows to watch a day later or watch live (which will happen with Arrow, The Flash, Gotham and Constantine).

Glaucus · 5 Sep 2014 at 15:16

Which again is nothing to do with xbmc.

CK61938 · 5 Sep 2014 at 15:41

Glaucus said:
Which again is nothing to do with xbmc.

And yet a lot of people who use it might say otherwise. Yes, it's a front end media player. But with it, you can access a ton of other content. Clearly you know this so I don't know why you're saying it doesn't offer anything. If it wasn't for XBMC, I wouldn't be able to watch my live shows. In the past, I would have to sift through different online streams to get a working stream that didn't stop midway through watching something.

With XBMC, I can just go to the channel that has already been set up and voila. Sit back and relax.

Glaucus · 5 Sep 2014 at 15:42

You can access the other content elsewhere though, that's why xbmc is a front end And pointless in this thread with out scatting the actual source. Once you've said the sources then you can say xbmc is the easiest way to access them. But xbmc on it's own offer no content.

HBO and the other American channels have catch up players, that you can use if you change dons/ip,

Vonhelmet · 5 Sep 2014 at 17:09

SixTwoSix said:
Do any still exist?

Lovefilm by Post through Amazon. There's also CinemaParadiso which has a very good library but is very expensive. There's probably others out there as well.

SixTwoSix · 5 Sep 2014 at 17:21

XBMC sounds like it would give me the same issues as if I were still using torrents and playing via my Popcorn Hour media tank. I'm not interested in anything that is shady or a grey area, want to remain completely legal.

I'm also not interested in using free sites/addons that sometimes go down and don't work right. I'd rather pay for a solid service.

I'm patient, I can wait for movies/shows to hit the likes of Netflix and so on, I was more wondering about if there were any services that were less well known and could fill the content gaps.

THMRK · 5 Sep 2014 at 18:59

Glaucus said:
You can access the other content elsewhere though, that's why xbmc is a front end And pointless in this thread with out scatting the actual source. Once you've said the sources then you can say xbmc is the easiest way to access them. But xbmc on it's own offer no content.

HBO and the other American channels have catch up players, that you can use if you change dons/ip,

HBOGo comes with your HBO package in America, OR you can buy it as stand alone. Either way, it costs.

To the OP: there's certain things you just won't get. For example, you get some HBO shows on Amazon Prime and Now TV, but they're not there in perpetuity. This is mostly because HBO and other pay for channels like AMC or Showtime, see streaming services as direct competition, and rightly so.

Similarly, certain services only have access to the contents of certain film and TV studios.

It's unlikely that you'll find everything you want across any of these services.

Something XBMC or Plex allow for plugins where you can access certain *ahem* "streaming" sites, but the quality can be poor, links can be broken etc so it can be a bit hit and miss, particularly if the content you're after is older.

SixTwoSix · 5 Sep 2014 at 19:16

THMRK said:
To the OP: there's certain things you just won't get. For example, you get some HBO shows on Amazon Prime and Now TV, but they're not there in perpetuity. This is mostly because HBO and other pay for channels like AMC or Showtime, see streaming services as direct competition, and rightly so.

I don't mind that they cycle the shows, i'll just catch them when they broadcast. Most HBO stuff i'd like to watch is broadcast on Sky Atlantic which is included in the NowTV entertainment package.

AMC/Showtime and the like eventually end up free on Prime, just have to be patient for those, not willing to spend £2'ish per episode.

THMRK said:
Similarly, certain services only have access to the contents of certain film and TV studios.

I've noticed this, I work in DVD distribution and I can spot swathes of releases from specific studios. Certain studios don't seem to allow anything on streaming services.

THMRK said:
It's unlikely that you'll find everything you want across any of these services.

No biggie, if I want anything bad enough that doesn't eventually show, i'll just get a physical copy.

THMRK said:
Something XBMC or Plex allow for plugins where you can access certain *ahem* "streaming" sites, but the quality can be poor, links can be broken etc so it can be a bit hit and miss, particularly if the content you're after is older.

I'm done with dodgy sites, been there, done that for years and years.

I've finally grown up and grown out of the sense of entitlement the majority seem to have towards getting media for free.

Will admit i'm really going to struggle when Sons Of Anarchy final season starts next week in the USA, have watched that weekly on release since S2.

Martini1991 · 5 Sep 2014 at 20:08

I don't think sense of entitlement enters the equation for most.
Go try and watch season 3 of Person Of Interest legitimately on your own time scale.

You can't, it's impossible.

Just one of many examples where there's no legit way to view the content you watch, streaming or physical at your own time-scale.