
Netflix on our TV!
An unexpected boon of our new status as owners at Cypress Trail RV Resort is free internet. I had planned on finding out how to get hard-wired internet access while in residence, but was surprised to be handed a modem when we arrived at the gate. Free hard-wired internet! Woo hoo!
The main reason for wanting a hard-wired internet connection was to gain access to Netflix. Of course we could have signed up at any time, but we were always bumping up against our Verizon data plan limit (yeah, yeah, we have an “unlimited” plan but the fact is that the speed goes to crap after 15GB or about 4 movies). With a hard-wired internet we can, for $11 per month, have access to all that Netflix offers.
So much of yesterday was spent trying to get the internet connection operational, creating a Netflix account and trying to get the TVs configured to access Netflix. All of these were harder than they should have been, but easier than they would have been a few years back.
The most surprising part of configuring the NetGear modem was that I couldn’t do it using my laptop; I had to use my phone. Yes, the world has come to the point where a smart phone is more useful than a laptop computer. The most frustrating part was that, once configured, the modem was able to upload but was unable to download. A modem that can’t download is pretty darn useless. So I did what any intelligent person would do: I rebooted the modem a few times and jiggled some wires. And suddenly, for no good reason, it started downloading.
Signing up for Netflix was easy, but I was surprised that I could create a “profile” for both me and Jett. I was able to tell Netflix what kind of viewing I like (but, darn, “porn” wasn’t an option). I guess they offer stuff based on what I tell them I like and, presumably, on what I actually watch.
But I couldn’t do the same for Jett, even though she had a separate profile. Puzzling.
The hardest part was figuring out how to actually watch Netflix on our televisions. When we replaced our main TV a year ago I recall that I specifically looked for one with WiFi connectivity. I needn’t have bothered because it is much better to connect to Netflix using our Blu-Ray DVD players. The advantage of that is that the remote DVD controls all work for Netflix. Watching a movie on Netflix is exactly like watching a Blu-Ray DVD.
Jett hasn’t used Netflix yet, but she is going to love it.
Who knows, maybe she will love it so much that we will stay in Florida an extra month or two.
Netflix
Netflix on our TV!
An unexpected boon of our new status as owners at Cypress Trail RV Resort is free internet. I had planned on finding out how to get hard-wired internet access while in residence, but was surprised to be handed a modem when we arrived at the gate. Free hard-wired internet! Woo hoo!
The main reason for wanting a hard-wired internet connection was to gain access to Netflix. Of course we could have signed up at any time, but we were always bumping up against our Verizon data plan limit (yeah, yeah, we have an “unlimited” plan but the fact is that the speed goes to crap after 15GB or about 4 movies). With a hard-wired internet we can, for $11 per month, have access to all that Netflix offers.
So much of yesterday was spent trying to get the internet connection operational, creating a Netflix account and trying to get the TVs configured to access Netflix. All of these were harder than they should have been, but easier than they would have been a few years back.
The most surprising part of configuring the NetGear modem was that I couldn’t do it using my laptop; I had to use my phone. Yes, the world has come to the point where a smart phone is more useful than a laptop computer. The most frustrating part was that, once configured, the modem was able to upload but was unable to download. A modem that can’t download is pretty darn useless. So I did what any intelligent person would do: I rebooted the modem a few times and jiggled some wires. And suddenly, for no good reason, it started downloading.
Signing up for Netflix was easy, but I was surprised that I could create a “profile” for both me and Jett. I was able to tell Netflix what kind of viewing I like (but, darn, “porn” wasn’t an option). I guess they offer stuff based on what I tell them I like and, presumably, on what I actually watch.
But I couldn’t do the same for Jett, even though she had a separate profile. Puzzling.
The hardest part was figuring out how to actually watch Netflix on our televisions. When we replaced our main TV a year ago I recall that I specifically looked for one with WiFi connectivity. I needn’t have bothered because it is much better to connect to Netflix using our Blu-Ray DVD players. The advantage of that is that the remote DVD controls all work for Netflix. Watching a movie on Netflix is exactly like watching a Blu-Ray DVD.
Jett hasn’t used Netflix yet, but she is going to love it.
Who knows, maybe she will love it so much that we will stay in Florida an extra month or two.