Productopia | Video Streaming

Back in July, Netflix announced what amounted to a massive price increase when it removed streaming video from its DVD-by-mail service and made it a separate subscription. As we blogged about, fallout was swift and largely negative. Many predicted that customers would drop part or all of the company's services as a result. Those predictions have proved acurate.  Netflix reported last week that it now expects to lose 600,000 customers this quarter -- a far cry from the 400,000 it had expected to add instead. On Monday, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings emailed subscribers with an apology of sorts. The missive started: "I messed up. I owe you an explanation." However, the news that followed -- that Netflix would split into two completely separate services, one exclusively DVD by mail, the other exclusively streaming -- didn't exactly make most feel any better about things. In fact the near universal reaction has been "Guess what, Reed, you messed up again."

We've all seen stories like this one about folks who've cancelled their cable or satellite TV service in favor of getting television programming over the air or via the web, either for free or at reduced cost . That many people are considering such a move comes as no surprise, given the state of the economy and that cable bills can run well over $100 per month for anyone desiring more than just the basics. This article at WalletPop.com explores just how much cord-cutters can save. On the other side of things, research indicates cancelling the cable subscription is probably not yet right for everyone. Whether it's right for you depends on factors like what you watch, how much you watch, the quality of your Internet connection, and even where you live. ConsumerSearch already has a number of reports that lay out some of the considerations for you, including brand new reports on video streaming services, and on digital media players that bring those services to any TV. Let's pull all of that together so you can see whether cutting the cord to your cable or satellite TV provider will work for you and your family.

Apple's Midas-like touch with technology is the stuff legends are made of. While they're greatly outnumbered by Windows-driven PCs, Apple laptop and desktop computers enjoy near-cult status among their users. The Apple iPod MP3 player is ubiquitous, while the iPhone and iPad are objects of desire that generate block-long lines when new models are released. Then there's Apple TV.

Apple's set-top box for streaming content (mainly from iTunes) to your TV seemed to be neglected and unloved by both the public and Apple itself. That changed on Wednesday as a re-imagined Apple TV got the "one more thing" treatment from Steve Jobs at the company's big product-announcement shindig in San Francisco. But will the changes be enough to get Apple TV over the hump and into the mainstream?