So I've finally jumped on the console bandwagon and ordered an Xbox 360 from Amazon, mostly for the downloadable content and streaming video. I recently bought an HDTV, so I need some way to take advantage of it. Here's the plan.
I've got Netflix already, so I'll be able to watch lots of streaming content on the Xbox via Netflix.
I'm getting PlayOn so I can watch internet video through my computer and the Xbox with that.
I've got an HD tuner USB dongle for my computer and some DVR software, so if I hook that up to my antenna I should be able to record over-the-air HD content to my computer and then view that through the Xbox.
If all this goes as planned, I'll be able to cancel my satellite service and all this will pay for itself in a year or so. Only possible hitch: I may need to upgrade my DSL service for more bandwidth.
Any suggestions?
Streaming Netflix requires an insane amount of bandwidth for good-quality pictures. I thought that I was doing pretty well with about 1000kbps, and I was nowhere close. From what I can tell, it's because under current copyright agreements, Netflix can't store anything on your local player. Every pixel has to be downloaded in real time.
If you really want to give your HDTV a workout, make sure you get a good DVD player and hook it up just right. But be warned: Once you get used to those high-quality pictures, it's hard to go back to lower-quality images.
I tried it out last night, and I got three out of four bars of "connectivity" or whatever you'd like to call it. From this Netflix blog entry it appears that the bars mean:
To my untrained eye, the picture quality was better than SD DVD but not as good as some HD video I've seen.