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Released in May 2008, the Netflix streaming player – developed by Roku, a company specializing in the delivery of digital media – enables subscribers to Netflix’ traditional mail-order service to stream a select number of movies to their television sets.

Initially, the available films were anything but impressive, largely comprised of efforts that just barely rose to b-movie standards. Since then, the catalog of titles has ballooned to an impressive volume, with everything from television shows ( Law and Order, LOST, The Shield,  Heroes, etc.) – to critically acclaimed  independent gems added to its library.

With just a one-time purchase of the $99 player, the streaming is free, the only additional expense being a $9.99 monthly subscription to Netflix. Coupled with their traditional model, this new service positions Netflix as the premier source of home entertainment. As bandwidth increases, there is little doubt that streaming will facilitate a monumental shift in how media is delivered into our homes.

At this time, Netflix streaming is available on:

• PC / Mac
• Roku player
• Xbox 360

However, announced just a day ago, Netflix will begin making their streaming service available on Sony’s PS3 next month — provided users have a Netflix subscription, of course.

If you have questions, or experience any difficulty setting up your Netflix player, we’re here to help.

For more information about Netflix streaming, visit their website here

Long considered the most popular alternative to Microsoft Windows Media Player, Apple’s Quicktime is a platform that supports multiple forms of media – music, text, video, etc.

For users who wish to use it without the bloat, there is a decidedly slimmer version available, offering the fundamental utility of Quicktime in a smaller and more efficient package.  The most welcome omission is Apple’s Software Utility Update, which runs background processes that can impact performance.

Absolutely free, QT Lite is available for Windows only.

Download it here.