PlayOn

So I've been completely sick since I got back from Manila... even as I type this, over a week later, I'm still not feeling well, but certainly better than yesterday, or even earlier today. Anyway, while I was sick, I wasn't fatigued enough to sleep all day, but not well enough to walk around or use the computer. So I spent a lot of time on the couch watching movies using my trusty Netflix account. However, when I ran out of physical DVDs I was worried I'd have to sit on the computer and watch more movies using the Instant Viewing feature. This is not nearly as pleasant as laying on a couch.

Fortunately I googled around and found that there's this badass software called PlayOn Digital Media Server that's in beta and I get 14 full days of use with it. I install it on my PC, type in my Netflix and Hulu account information, and boom I can instantly access all of my instant movies from Netflix... on my TV using my PS3! It's completely baller!

There are a few flaws -- be sure to have only one node using wireless (if you have a wireless laptop streaming data to a PS3 that's wirelessly connected, you're screwed). That's not really the software's fault, but be warned. Also, while pause works flawlessly, be wary of fast forward or reverse: you're likely to not be able to restore your film to where you were. Finally, the audio is out of sync 100% of the time, but fortunately I found a great trick to restore it 100% of the time: right at the beginning of the video, hit reverse, then hit play again, and it will sync up. Just do this immediatlely when you start a film and you'll be fine. Other than that, there were the occasional hiccups where it would fail and return to the main screen, but overall I've really enjoyed watching my Netflix films on my LCD using my PS3, and I think I may even pay the $60 fee to keep it. :)

I still prefer watching DVDs since I can instantly skip ahead or go backwards, but this is definitely a good start.