Netflix Signs Deal With Paramount Pictures Canada

Netflix announced this week that Paramount Pictures Canada will provide movie content in a multi year agreement. Netflix now has the rights to show all of the studio’s new releases in Canada before any television channels. It’s the first exclusive deal for newer content on the streaming-video subscription service, best known for showing movies and television shows well past their initial airing date. The addition of this deal makes Netflix and even stronger competitor to the cable and satellite operators in Canada. With new titles like Iron Man 2 more Canadians will join Netflix and with more subscribers comes better content.





The other news from Netflix Canada is the ability to change video quality setting. In an effort to combat bandwidth caps in Canada there is now a setting to reduce picture quality. This will allow more hours of video playback without going over bandwidth caps.

The service keeps expanding and this year Netflix will be available in even more countries. As Netflix grows and keeps buying and creating original content it looks like they are here to stay.

Directv Alternative to Cable

Directv is offering over 6,000 free movies and television shows downloaded through their HD DVR receiver. The download service does require a high speed Internet connection. If you are not ready to cord cut or live in an area not serviced by a high speed Internet connection then satellite TV might be the only option. When you sign up for Directv you must make a commitment for 2 years on a contract, but service cost might still be cheaper than for cable television. If you need live TV for local news in an area that does not get a good over the air coverage satellite television might carry the locals. As this is a cord cutting blog I hate to review a paid service, but there are many users that might find this to be the only choice. When picking equipment make sure to get the HD DVR package as it can be used for the whole home service that allow sharing recorded content on receivers in another room. As an alternative satellite TV might work for some users. The cost of service might not be the issue for those living in areas that cannot get high speed Internet or over the air TV. Think of satellite TV as an alternative to cable.

Joost Review

The same company that created Skype is also behind the successful video content site Joost. The site started as a computer app which was a sort of video player and was made available for PC and Mac. A few years ago they dropped the computer media player and started using Flash video on their web site. There is an iPad app that work very well. The content on Joost is mostly older movies and TV shows. there are also many links to entertainment news and music videos. The content on Joost would be mostly viewed to kill time. Since Joost does not have any agreements with major content providers as a result it might put some user off. If you like YouTube then Joost might be a nice source for some video content. At this point Joost is not my major source of video content, but it fills in for those times I just want to watch random stuff on my iPad. It would be nice if Apple would make Joost an app for Apple TV 2 or add AirPlay to the iPad app. If you want a new source for video content then give Joost a try.

What it cost to watch TV online

The most asked question from would be cord cutters is what is the true cost of cutting cable and using the Internet for content. There is a small cost in getting online content, but it is not anywhere as expensive as a cable subscription. Here is a break down of the monthly cost of getting online video.

Costs:

Internet access $70.00 for 16mb fibe on DSL (I would be paying this regardless as I would need Internet access.)

Netflix $8.00 a month (The price is well worth it and I get much of my content from this service.)

iTunes $15.00 a month (I use iTunes for new movies and a few TV shows that I can not find online for free or in a legal way.)

These are the only cost I have with watching video online. The majority of the shows I watch are free and the Netflix subscription fills in a great number of hours. The total amount I pay for online TV should not include the cost of Internet access as I would be paying for this service anyways. If we do not take the cost of Internet access into account then my total is only $23.00 a months and I am getting pretty much all the shows that matter to me. If we take into account that I was paying $100 a month for cable going down to $23 has saved a nice chunk of change. The amount of free video content online has kept my TV habit going. There is so much to watch online that it would be impossible to run out of content.

Apple TV 2 Now with MLB.TV

If you have the new Apple TV 2 the most recent update brings an MLB.TV app. This was a nice addition for those who enjoy sports as it brings live games to the Apple TV. If this is a sign of things to come then the NHL and the NBA can not be far behind.

The MLB.TV app does require a paid subscription to watch live games, but it seems that you can access scores and stats for free. The premium MLB.TV package costs $119.99 and the regular package costs $99.99 if you miss live sports or baseball from cord cutting then this is a great solution. The price of the MLB.TV is still way less then paying for cable and the quality of the service has had great reviews on all devices that the service is available on.

Netflix Canada Getting More Content

The selection of titles for Netflix Canada has been growing steadily. It seems that show that aired on the CBC network are now available on Netflix. The selection of movies has also seen a great improvement from what was available at launch.

As more people sign up for Netflix Canada It will provide the sources need to buy more titles.

The Netflix service is at a great price and you can't go wrong with joining this service. There are so many titles already on the service that these titles alone would take months to get through.

The Netflix collection now also has many popular cartoons from the 80's and I am sure there is a great fan base for these titles.

Would be nice to get some older shows like the A-Team or Alf to revisit some of the classic shows.

The list of devices that support Netflix streaming has also grown for Canadians. All the games consoles now have Netflix and many brands of Blu-ray players also have The player built-in. It looks like Canadians are getting some love from Netflix and for that we say thank you to our friends at Netflix Canada.