All About The Netflix Streaming Service

It seems like Internet Streaming is taking over the World, at least in terms of TV viewing, as more and more people are "cutting the cord" and letting their DVD and Blu-ray Discs collect dust, and who actually records TV shows anymore onto VHS or DVD?

When we think of streaming TV shows and movies, the first thing that comes to mind for most of us is Netflix, and for good reason, it is now the dominant source for streaming TV shows and movies.

What is Netflix?

For those that don't remember, or never took notice, Netflix started in 1997 as a company that pioneered the concept of "renting DVDs by mail" with the innovative concept of charging a flat monthly fee, instead of charging by each DVD "ordered" and, as a result, the corner video rental store phenomenon started to die, and by 2005, Netflix had a loyal 4.2 million DVD-by-mail rental subscriber base.

However, that was just the beginning, as in 2007 Netflix made a bold announcement (at the time) that it was, in addition to its DVDs-by-mail rental program, going to add the ability for subscribers to stream TV shows and movies directly to their PCs.

Then, in 2008, a very interesting thing happened, Netflix partnered up with LG to introduce the first Blu-ray Disc player that also was able to connect to the internet for streaming Netflix provided content. Blu-ray Disc playback and internet streaming in the same box (the network Blu-ray Disc Player was born)- now that was not only convenient but provided a way to suck in DVD and Blu-ray Disc fans into the streaming alternative.

Needless to say, it didn't take long for Netflix streaming to become available on the Xbox, Apple devices, and a growing number of TVs. In fact, today, you can even watch Netflix on many smartphones!

How Netflix Works

As mentioned above, Netflix content can be accessed through many internet-connectable devices, including Smart TVs, Blu-ray Disc Players, Media Streamers, Game Consoles, Smartphones, and Tablets. However, Netflix is not a free service (Although a free 30-day trial is available).

Netflix is a subscription-based service that requires a monthly fee. As of 2018, its fee structure is as follows:

• Basic: $7.99 per month for new subscribers that only want SD resolution access only. Limited to 1 device.
• Standard: $10.99 per month. Up to 1080p resolution, viewing on 2 devices at the same time allowed.
• Premium: $13.99 per month. Up to 4K UHD resolution. Allows viewing on up to 4 devices at the same time.

Once you have access to the Netflix service, an onscreen menu display on the TV screen that allows you to navigate through hundreds of TV shows and movies via clicking on icons (look like DVD covers), or via a search tool. It is important to note that the appearance of the Netflix onscreen menu varies slightly depending on the device used to access it.

What You Can Watch Through Netflix

Netflix offers hundreds of TV programs and movie titles - definitely too many to list in this article - and additions (and subtractions) are made on a monthly basis. However, to give you an idea of what to expect, here are some examples (as of 2018; subject to change at ​any time):

ABC TV Shows

Lost, Marvel's Agents of Shield, Once Upon A Time

CBS TV Shows

How I Met Your Mother, Hawaii Five-0 (Classic Series), Hawaii Five-0 (Current Series), Mash, Star Trek - The Original Series (Originally Aired on NBC, but now owned by CBS)

FOX TV Shows

Bob's Burgers, Bones, Fringe, New Girl, X-Files

NBC TV Shows

30 Rock, Cheers, Heroes, Parks and Recreation, Quantum Leap, The Blacklist, The Good Place

WB TV Shows

Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supernatural, Supergirl

AMC TV Shows

Breaking Bad, Comic Book Men, Mad Men, Walking Dead

Other TV Shows

Sherlock, Sons of Anarchy, Star Trek - The Next Generation, Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Netflix Original Shows

The Queen, Mindhunter, House of Cards, Daredevil, The Defenders, Orange Is The New Black, Sense8

Movies 

Hugo, Marvel's The Avengers, Star Trek Into Darkness, The Hunger Games - Catching Fire, The Wolf of Wall Street, Twilight, Zootopia