The face of home entertainment is changing fast. Online streaming and cable service packages are making big strides and changing the way we watch movies, sports, and TV shows. Trying to navigate all the possible options can be a dreadful task. If you’re not sure what to get, here are the “essentials” for home entertainment.
If you’re not on the online TV train, you should be. Online entertainment services are fast becoming the best option for movies and even for TV shows. Many of them are now creating their own shows with mega star actors and in some cases the shows are way better than anything else on standard cable. But if your not ready to turn over your cable to the internet, or a big sports fan, you still have options.
Here are some of the best services for home entertainment:
For Movie Lovers
If you’re a movie buff, you should look at Netflix. Unless you have been living under a rock for the last decade chances are you have heard of Netflix. They are every top streaming service list. They have a large list of movies, old and new, and a long list of TV shows to boot. One nice thing about Netflix is you can choose to stream or have DVDs sent to your house.
Their library of dvds is much larger than their streaming selection, and if your looking for newer blockbusters you might have to order the dvd. But if you can wait, there is a more than better chance that they will have what your looking for. Netflix has also lead the way for indie shows and mini series, and have developed some highly rated shows of their own.
This means if you don’t want to wait for a movie in the mail, you can find something awesome to watch. Their streaming services are robust and there’re a lot of things to choose from. The layout and navigation is easy and user friendly. The service is pretty cheap and anyone looking for an online streaming service should give Netflix a look.
For the TV show Fanatic
If you love watching TV shows look at the online streaming option, Hulu. Hulu is like the Netflix of t.v. shows. When it comes to TV shows, they have just about anything you can imagine, especially the older classics. Hulu has almost all of the biggest network TV shows ready next day. That means you don’t have to bother recording anything.
They do have movies but not as many as Netflix. You can get free shows from Hulu, but most of the new stuff requires a membership fee. The cost is low, less than $10 bucks and comparable to any other streaming service.
The service does have some drawbacks. Some of the major networks haven’t moved over to Hulu yet, so be sure your favorite show is available. Unlike Netflix, Hulu does run commercials. Not as many as standard cable but you won’t be commercial free. Also shows can come and go at weird time frames. Some shows might be online for a couple of weeks, others for the whole season. If you don’t want to miss anything be sure you don’t wait to long to catch up on your favorite show. Like you need a reason to binge watch your favorite new show.
For the Sports Fans
If you’re a huge sports fan and are looking for the essential entertainment package, look for services which offer sport packages. Every sports fan knows the frustration of missing a home game because of a black-out game. Most sport packages will offer every game even those which don’t sell out. And sports fans can get access to every game not just the home team.
Football fans know the pain of missing their favorite team play on Sunday. A lot of NFL fans have moved to other cities for work or family and have trouble watching their team on game day. If you want to be sure you have access to all the games, check out DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket channels. This service will not only let you watch every game, and every red zone play, it will also allow users to watch the game on the go. Sunday ticket can be played over your tablet or phone, this means you won’t miss any action.
There’re a ton of good sport packages on the market, but if your looking for a specific sport packages look at these options: Baseball fans should checkout ballstreams.com, hockey fans look at hockeystreams.com, and basket ball fans NBA live. All of these stream options will provide fans with unfettered access to games, stats, and commentary, for all the season and offseason action.
For the Online Shopper
Some people want it all, TV, movies, and maybe what ever else you can imagine. Amazon is getting into the streaming entertainment future, and adding it to their e-commerce website store. Amazon might just have everything you will ever need in one place.
The premium service not only allows you to watch a ton of TV shows, and movies it gives you free shipping on anything you order. If you want to consolidate your shopping needs with your entertainment needs take a look at Amazon Prime. It just might change your life. You can order anything, a bar of soap, and have it sent for no shipping cost. That is worth the price alone, but if its not enough to sell you they have a large move and tv show data base. This service is a bit more like Netflix than like Hulu, in that it doesn’t have a ton of recent tv shows. So if you are looking for a streaming option to watch the show everyone is talking about, you might be in luck or you might not.
