There’s been a lot of coverage in the New Zealand media recently around the recent launch of media streaming service Netflix, an Internet-based platform that allows Kiwis to watch a large range of their favourite TV shows and movies. Pricing, which starts at $9.99 per month, competes strongly against other media streaming services already in NZ like Spark’s Lightbox and Sky’s Neon service.
Our Geeks are helping customers across the country with Netflix and other media setups. We can also assist Kiwis with easily accessing the huge range of global content from USA and UK Netflix through their NZ Netflix account.
We see Netflix as being the big reason why now is the perfect time to shift your viewing habits online, and set up your dream home entertainment system. Enjoying content you love is faster, cheaper and better quality than ever before
So, what’s Netflix?
Netflix is a media streaming subscription service that provides a huge range of video media to subscribers. Rather than having to buy a blu-ray/DVD or download a full movie onto your computer, content is streamed to your device (TV, computer, tablet or phone). This means Netflix sends you the content in real time, you watch it and there’s no space taken up on your hard drive (your Internet data will still be used though).
You can log in to your Netflix account from a wide range of devices – perfect for busy commuters with a smartphone or tablet. If you’re the only Doctor Who fan in the house, then you can find a quiet place with the iPad and enjoy high-definition, complaint-free viewing!
Photo credit: CNET
Netflix has announced its pricing plan ahead of its New Zealand launch tomorrow: http://t.co/0BINiRvA5q pic.twitter.com/wSDOIsD5hE
— nzherald (@nzherald) March 22, 2015
@samjarman And Netflix’s pricing is announced for tomorrow’s launch: http://t.co/zZy8OtsW7t That is an awesome deal! Totally getting it.
— Jack Morgan (@jackmorgannz) March 22, 2015
What are some of the shows I can watch on Netflix NZ?
- Game of Thrones (first season)
- Orange is the New Black
- Bloodline
- Top Gear
- Doctor Who
- Lord of the Rings Trilogy
- Harry Potter
- The Departed
- Inception
- Terminator films
- Robocop films
- Rocky Series
- BBC Documentaries including David Attenborough titles
- Children’s programming – Bob the Builder, Sesame Street and more
This is just a small sample of what’s available in NZ. When you add in what’s available globally, you’re never going to run out of viewing material!
Get your perfect home entertainment setup
With Netflix providing more viewing content than you’ve got time to watch, you’ll want a way to enjoy it on the big screen. Our favourite way to do this is with Google’s Chromecast device – a very affordable, media device that plugs into the back of your TV, turning it into a Netflix & YouTube powerhouse.
Using the built-in Youtube app, it’s the perfect device for those video sharing sessions with a group of friends or family as everyone with a smartphone or tablet can select and “cast” videos from their device over to the TV, using the small Chromecast tool.
The Chromecast also gives you the ability to mirror your computer screen onto the big screen of your TV. If you’re on your laptop, and certain model Android phones and tablets, you can ‘cast’ any website in Google Chrome. This is great for viewing webpages, photos and emails.
Using the built-in Youtube app, it’s the perfect device for those video sharing sessions with a group of friends or family as everyone with a smartphone or tablet can select and “cast” videos from their device over to the TV, using the small Chromecast tool.
The Chromecast also gives you the ability to mirror your computer screen onto the big screen of your TV. If you’re on your laptop, and certain model Android phones and tablets, you can ‘cast’ any website in Google Chrome. This is great for viewing webpages, photos and emails.
Good reasons to set up a home network:
- Everyone can access everyone else’s movies, music, photo in the house – Having a central computer that holds all the music, movies and photos is often referred to as a ‘Server’ and is a good way of avoiding duplicate content across multiple computers/devices, and can give you quicker and easier access.
- Remote accessibility – Access your home computers’ information from anywhere.
- Wireless printing from computers & tablets.
- Program sharing – Programs like iTunes are designed to let you access other computer’s libraries over the home network.
For more information about home networks give the Geeks team a call on 0800 424 335. You can also check out this article on Cnet about Wi-Fi vs. Internet terms.
What is video streaming?
A streamed video is coming straight from the source, through your Internet connection onto your player all in real time. The video loads content in small amounts (with enough “buffer” to account for brief interruptions to your Internet connection) as you watch and there’s little to no data actually stored on your viewing device. Video streaming uses your Internet data, without having to take up any hard drive space.
YouTube is the largest video streaming platform in the world. With today’s fast internet connections, streaming video content is a much better experience which is why services like Netflix have taken off.
The biggest advantage of streamed media is that you can start viewing content immediately upon selecting it – it’s on demand. Downloading a movie in full requires it to finish processing before you can watch it in most cases.
Most New Zealand broadband connections are fast enough to accommodate streaming services like Netflix, however Geeks on Wheels will always review your Internet speeds and more importantly, your monthly data cap to make sure you can enjoy worry-free video streaming.
Advantages of online streaming over regular TV
Moving your TV viewing to an Internet-based solution has many upsides:
- Get all the latest popular TV shows Netflix & other services give you access to, not to mention your favourite classic shows.
- Avoid advertisements – get through shows faster!
- Schedule all your viewing around your busy lifestyle – only have time for the latest episode on the morning train commute? No problem! Just watch on your phone, tablet or laptop (3G/4G connection required).
- Internet TV platforms like Netflix remember where you got up to – pick up exactly where you left off in a TV episode or movie.
- Have more control over what you watch from where – YouTube subscriptions can seamlessly become a regular part of your viewing habits.
- More affordable than full subscription TV service. Netflix/media streaming devices don’t necessarily replace SKY as live sports and news are not always on these. However a lot of people are reducing their subscription TV package by removing the TV shows/movies compenent of their package. Sport is starting to become more popular via Internet subscription services with options such as golf’s PGA Tour Live or football’s Premier League Pass.
Home Networks, Entertainment and Safety
If you’ve got a family with young children, one of the most important things during setup of your home media network is making sure there’s secure parental controls on content. Using the Netflix service, you can create multiple user accounts for different members of the family. Within each user account there are filters for young kids, older kids, teens and adults, all controlled by a PIN.
For deeper security with Internet usage across all devices and activity, there are many different controls that conpanies such as Netnanny, Apple, Google and other primary PC/device manufacturers provide.
With the age kids start using technology getting younger and younger, parents are more concerned than ever about keeping their kids safe online. Our Geeks can help set up parental controls across all your devices, so that everyone can enjoy the content appropriate for them.
I want Netflix & an up-to-date home entertainment solution – how can I set this up?
The Geeks on Wheels team are experts in setting up technology for all kinds of people’s needs. Our Geeks’ specialty is listening to exactly what you want to do with your TV, computer, devices and Internet, and coming up with a solution that works for you. Everytime we visit a customer, we make sure we provide training on how to better use their technology.
So if you are wanting an easy online home entertainment solution, get in contact with us now!