Netflix

[EDarby]

OK, now that's news I like to hear!
Thanks, Greg!

Originally Posted by Greggo

There's no problem streaming Netflix onto a laptop if you can get at least 2 or 3 bars of WiFi reception. I use a Straight Talk mobile hotspot and have streamed with 3G. An hour long show gobbles up about 300-400mb. No sweat. Battery doesn't last long so an inverter helps.

Greg

[Brian B-P]

Redbox rentals are so cheap that if it takes two or three days before the movie is returned, it doesn't matter much to me. Also, the first "day" ends at 9:00 pm on the day after you rent, so you could pick one up on Monday morning as you leave one location, spend Monday night in another location, and be in yet a third location Tuesday evening to return it... still for a single day rental fee.

They rent Blu-ray movies as well; since almost all video displays are high-definition now, and DVDs can only provide standard definition, I much prefer Blu-ray. If you only have a DVD player, make sure you get the right kind of movie.

My comments are based on using Redbox in Canada; the U.S. may be different. You do need to return in the same country you rented from.

[EDarby]

Sounds good, Brian, thanks! I've not used Redbox yet--will be trying it out soon, just to know what it's like.

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

spend Monday night in another location, and be in yet a third location Tuesday evening to return it... still for a single day rental fee

[Greggo]

Thread is about Netflix but Amazon's out there with great flix you can rent or buy outright online. That started me doing some research on copying movies off the internet (or from a dvd for that matter) to a memory stick for playing on a laptop or notebook. Surprisingly easy. Wifie wants a new laptop and I'm intrigued by the new Chromebooks. Cheap ($200 range!), compact, fast and battery life up to 11 hours, you read that right, 11 hours!!! Problem is no DVD player. Think I'm onto something since there's always WiFi someplace but not always at the campsite.

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by Greggo

Thread is about Netflix but Amazon's out there with great flix you can rent or buy outright online. That started me doing some research on copying movies off the internet (or from a dvd for that matter) to a memory stick for playing on a laptop or notebook. Surprisingly easy. Wifie wants a new laptop and I'm intrigued by the new Chromebooks. Cheap ($200 range!), compact, fast and battery life up to 11 hours, you read that right, 11 hours!!! Problem is no DVD player. Think I'm onto something since there's always WiFi someplace but not always at the campsite.

As a media platform or for Google docs, etc, the Chromebook is just fine. Just remember it does have limitations compared to a pc. Printing can be a hassle unless you have Cloud Print capabilities, and many of the 'apps' you can install in Windows are not really apps at all with the Chromebook, but browser shortcuts. It essentially a cloud computing system where almost everything is done via a browser. You can stay quite productive with a laptop when there is no internet connection -- with a Chromebook, not so much.

[Greggo]

thanks, didn't know about the printing issues but as a takealong on camping, it seems pretty good. Super long battery life, fast and great connectivity for streaming or for viewing off a peripheral like a memory stick, portable dvd player or aux drive. My WD terabyte drive will hold a ton of vid's.

[EDarby]

I've always had Macs and had never heard of the Chromebook. Verrrrry interesting. Googled: so many manufacturers. Lots more to learn about it. Thanks for the lead!!!

Originally Posted by Greggo

I'm intrigued by the new Chromebooks. Cheap ($200 range!), compact, fast and battery life up to 11 hours, you read that right, 11 hours!!!

[EDarby]

Important piece to know - thanks!

Originally Posted by rbryan4

You can stay quite productive with a laptop when there is no internet connection -- with a Chromebook, not so much.