Ok, with all this digital content everywhere, chances you are licensed to things and you don’t even know it. Here is a guide to finding things:
- Matcha is a really nice application. It shows you want is available online and where. For instance right now Bourne Legacy is only available on Apple iTunes Store and Amazon, so you can just go there. It also indexes Comcast, HBO and other subscriptions you might have.
- Comcast. They have a bunch of undiscoverable stuff, but basically, there is now a Comcast Player for iOS that let’s you stream and in some cases download movies. It is bundled with your comcast subscription. Ours for instance has STARZ and Encore and I didn’t even know it. They have a streaming service called Streampix for $5/month incremental. Don’t know if it is worth
- As an aside, this is a good time to check your Comcast subscription to make sure you aren’t paying too much. For us, we found two digital boxes that they thought we had that we didn’t also we got upsold to something called XBlast. A total of a whopping $14+$17/month that should be there (buys lots of lattes).
- Netflix. This one we all know about $10/month. A candidate to replace especially as Amazon has gotten better. Definitely the most mature software.
- Amazon. Probably the best deal now that the applications have improved. There is a free Netflix like service if you are an Amazon prime member. Main things that are bad are that you can’t actually buy a movie on Amazon without a PC. Their IOS application doesn’t support it. Also they don’t do HD on a PC or Mac (unlike Netflix).
- Tivo. If you have one, you can use KMMTG to take what’s on the Tivo and put it as an .mpg file on your server. Nice for archiving.
- The library! I just discovered this, but many libraries subscribed to ebooks, audiobook services called Overdrive. You can put an application on your phone and your PC and tablet and “borrow” digital books and audiobooks. The main issue is that of course like all libraries you have to wait, but pretty nice price!
