More On Netflix and Streaming Services

Netflix,Hulu and other video-streaming services, including 

CinemaNow, iTunes and YouTube.

Netflix offers an all-you-can-watch selection for the 

monthly fee, while CinemaNow is a la carte: you pay only 

for what you want.

The convenience of accessing commercial-free shows 

and movies when and where you want is the main selling 

feature of these services.

She says cable and satellite providers are countering the 

threat by boosting their connection speeds.

"If they can offer faster, more consistent Internet 

connections at a raised price, they can recoup the lost 

revenues from their cable/TV business. We expect 

increased competition over the next year — including 

services offered by Rogers, Videotron, Astral Media and 

Bell getting into the game."

Another draw is original content  Netflix's House of Cards, 

an exclusive and critically heralded series, is a good 

example. Here's a look at some of the players:

Netflix is the world's no. 1 video-streaming service with 33 

million members in 40 countries.

Pros: Watch as many TV shows and movies as you want 

for $8 a month on nearly any Internet-enabled device with 

no commercials or commitments. Netflix also offers a 

"Just for Kids" section and original series, too, such as 

Hemlock Grove, House of Cards and, soon, Ricky 

Gervais'Dere/e.

Cons: Because of licensing restrictions, Netflix has more 

content in the U.S. than in Canada. Netflix streams 

content, so it is not possible to download content to 

watch later.

CinemaNow

Best Buy-owned CinemaNow is a pay-as-you-go service 

that offers new release movies for rent or purchase a few 

weeks after they're out on DVD.

Pros: CinemaNow has 15,000 titles, including "next day" 

TV shows. Customers also have access to the hottest 

cable TV series from HBO, AMC and FX Network, 

including Game of Thrones, Homeland, Walking Dead, 

Boardwalk Empire, True Blood and Sons of Anarchy.

CinemaNow has recently added Ultraviolet support .

Cineplex Store 

Cons: Not as much bang for the buck as Netflix. Prices 

range from $3.99 to $4.99 per movie rental. Similarly, 

movie purchases start at $4.99, but new flicks are about 

$14.99 to $19.99 (or $22.99 to $24.99 for high-

definition). For example, Parker on Blu-ray Disc at retail 

costs $2L99 - but $24.99 for the digital version on 

CinemaNow (without all the extras, extra DVD copy, and 

more). Next-day TV shows cost $2.49, or a dollar more 

for HD quality.

iTunes

Apple offers many different ways to buy or rent TV 

shows and movies using the a la carte model.

Pros: You can rent or buy television shows and movies 

that are downloaded to your device. With an Apple TV 

($109) box connected to your television, you can stream 

TV shows and movies, which start right away (but cannot 

be watched offline). Apple TV also includes apps for 

Netflix, YouTube and others.

Cons: With the exception of Windows PCs, iTunes' 

content works only on Apple products. So someone who 

owns, say, a Samsung tablet or BlackBerry Q10 

smartphone, cannot use this service. Not

all movies can be rented rather than purchased. Movie 

rentals start at 99 cents, but new releases are typically 

$3.99 and $4.99, or $5.99 for HD; some TV shows are 

as expensive as $4.49 per episode (in HD). Buying 

movies costs up to $24.99, which is more than a DVD 

and some Blu-ray discs.

Cineplex Store

The Cineplex Store lets you buy or rent movies to watch 

online or purchase DVDs and Blu-ray discs to be shipped 

to your door.

Pros: A growing selection of classic movies and new 

releases that can be streamed to a number of devices. 

Cineplex Store was the first in Canada to support 

Ultraviolet, a "cloud-based" digital locker. It lets you 

access your movies and other content anywhere you 

have an Internet connection. Movies typically cost $19.99 

to buy, which is less than most new releases on iTunes 

and CinemaNow, while movie rentals cost about $4.99.

Cons: No Mac or Android support for streaming content 

from the Cineplex Store; must use Internet Explorer 

browser and Windows Media Player to view your 

purchased content on PCs. Can't rent popular TV shows 

like you can with other services.