Netgear NTV200 : Over-the-Top Streaming for Non-Networked TVs
by Ganesh T S on December 22, 2011 10:50 PM EST- Posted in
- Media Streamer
- Home Theater
- NetGear
The NTV200's YouTube app is the leanback version with the 10-foot UI. Unfortunately, my thoughts about the leanback version are mixed at best. On a PC, I found the leanback version to be quite pleasing to use. However, on the media streamers I have tried, it is not easy to move around. My first complaint about the Leanback app on the NTV200 (or, for that matter, the WDTV Live Streaming Media Player too), is that the place and method to link an YouTube account is not immediately obvious. The result was that a random video started playing as soon as I started the app.
Searching for videos with the on-screen keyboard and the bundled remote is a nightmare. Unfortunately, the Leanback app is the only way to access YouTube in the NTV200. (In the WDTV Live Streaming Media Player, the YouTube Videos app presents a much better and intuitive interface, and it is present in addition to the Leanback app).
Does the Leanback app at least provide 1080p videos? To determine this, we used our standard HTPC test suite YouTube clip, and played the 1080p version on the PC first. The 6 minute clip downloaded approximately 180 MB of data into the PC.
YouTube Sample Stream on a PC : Bandwidth Characteristics
In the Leanback app, playing back the same clip downloaded approximately 100 MB of data. The bitrate points to a 720p HD version being played back.
YouTube Sample Stream on the Netgear NTV200 : Bandwidth Characteristics
On the whole, the YouTube experience on the NTV200 is less than ideal.
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raquel - Monday, December 26, 2011 - link
I don't understand why you're saying this is better than the Roku when the only advantage it appears to have is Vudu support. I don't know anybody who uses Vudu.I don't know anybody who uses Amazon video, either. But everybody uses Netflix, and Roku has a better Netflix client. And Roku supports Hulu, which is pretty popular. And the cheap Roku costs less than this. And it supports supports Crackle, which the cheap people who buy these cheap boxes will appreciate since it's totally free. This thing isn't going to catch on like the Roku and it'll never have the support of Roku -- like keeping the Netflix client up to date, and like MKV support which Roku has now.
I just don't see how this has anything going for it except as a cheap Vudu player if you're a huge Vudu fan and you don't have a PS3 or Xbox or Blu-ray player that supports Vudu.
ganeshts - Monday, December 26, 2011 - link
My comparison holds water as long as you can grab this one for ~$50. Let me explain:The cheapest Roku 2 is only 720p, so the latest Netflix client and full 1080p is wasted in it. There is no wired Ethernet support and Wi-Fi is not universally reliable in the 2.4 GHz band, particularly in crowded neighborhoods. Netgear says this will get 1080p Netflix and supports wired Ethernet. Hardware-wise, this is surely one in the bag for NTV200.
On to Vudu.. I am really not a big fan of the non-buffet services, but the quality of titles streamed on Vudu has to be seen to be believed. It is nice to have that extra option (say, when you want to rent a good quality movie once a month).
Roku needs your credit card even to setup the player. NTV200 doesn't. That alone is a good enough reason for some people to avoid the Roku :)
Playing back local media with Roku is often not worth the hassle.. The time and effort taken to get that up and running (often with a media server running all the time on a PC) is often worth more than the ~$20 one would save over the WDTV Live SMP.
If you have got only $50 to spend, I still suggest going the NTV200 route (if only for Vudu). If you can spend more, get the WDTV Live SMP. Personally, I think Roku is surviving because they were the one of the first guys in this media streaming market, and they have a huge advertising budget. Technically, the WDTV Live SMP is miles ahead. And price wise, the NTV200 at $50 is what I would recommend in the general case. Of course, individual requirements might vary.
raquel - Monday, December 26, 2011 - link
Best Buy and Staples have it for $60. It's a great deal if it's what you want. I just don't see there being many people saying, "I want to pay for premium streaming services but I need a box less than $100."If you're a big enough geek to have ethernet running through your house and you're paying for more streaming services than a cheap Netflix account, the WD TV Live has everything the NTV200 has plus Hulu Plus and Spotify and local media support.
I guess I'm just biased towards the Roku. I watch a lot of Netflix, and everything has a pretty terrible client and an even more terrible remote. The PS3 Netflix client just recently got updated so it doesn't crash all the time. Most of the remotes have a bunch of tiny buttons that are all the same size. The only thing I can really stand to watch Netflix on is the Roku and the Wii. But if I liked the NTV200's Netflix client and remote and thought it would get good support and updates in the future, I would think it was the best thing ever.
LoosCarl - Sunday, January 1, 2012 - link
Get this Netgear NeoTV (NTV200) Streaming Player from Amazon, if you missed it: http://cl.lk/21hkykk