Streaming Netflix through the Wii?

[kristenrice]

Since I am the person in the house who sets up the electronics (computer, home network, DVD, Wii, etc), I need help!

My kids and DH have been hitting the Redbox machine like crazy so I think it is time to look into Netflix. They are all about instant gratification so I am not all that interested in getting the movies in the mail.

We have a Wii, which is not currently connected to the internet. So, walk me through this...

1) What do I need to connect my Wii to the internet? I have a wireless router set up on our desktop in the basement so I assume I would need some sort of wireless card for the Wii? What kind? Where do I get it? How much?

2) The $8.99/month for Netflix...I am pretty sure that is one movie out at a time via the mail, but what about streaming? Is there a limit?

3) How well does the streaming work? Our TV is a 10-yo CRT so picture quality is not exactly pertinent. (If it were, DH would have approved the 40" LCD that I wanted for Christmas:()

Anything else I need to know? I am sure I can figure it out, but I really don't know where to start.

:thanks:

[cjnix32]

When you sign up for netflix, they will send you a wii streaming disc. I haven't done it yet, but it says that when you put in the disc, it will give you a code and tell you how to set it up. You get to keep the disc and have to use it every time you want to stream to the wii. and for what its worth, it really is only about a two day turnaround on the movies. So if streaming will suffice, in the interim, you can still get them through the mail. Also...not all titles are available to stream. New releases are not included in the available streaming movies. There is no limit on how many movies you stream. The 8.99 plan is one movie at a time, but unlimited for the month.

[sqromano]

I have been streaming Netflix to our Wii for about 1-2 months. If you have a wireless router, you need to go into your Wii settings. There is something in one of the menus (can't remember which one, but it is there) that will allow you to set-up the wireless. The Wii finds the router's signal, you select, and then it does the work. You don't need anything else to purchase! And then when you sign up for Netflix, request the disc for the Wii streaming. I got it a couple days later. You put the disc in, it gives you a code, you input the code in your Netflix account, and you are good to go. Every time you want to watch something, you need to put the disc in, but it is easy. I have it on an 8 year old CRT TV, and it looks fine. I browse usually on my computer and add movies to stream in my account. I am not as crazy about browsing on our Wii, although I have done it. There are some newer movies and TV shows, but not as much. I think it will improve as more people do it. We just have the $8.99 plan and it works fine with supplementing with the Instant Watch (we also can do that with a Blu Ray player I got DH for his birthday). Good luck and HTH!

[kristenrice]

Thanks for the replies!

I actually got my Wii hooked up to the internet!:banana:

Now, one more question about the streaming...how long does it take? Is it something like watching stuff on hulu.com where there are pauses and breaks while it buffers the stream?

I am not too concerned about any new releases. I am more concerned about keeping the kids entertained while school is out without beating a path to the Redbox machine:rotfl:. My girls like animated movies and if we could have a "continuous feed" of Dora, Spongebob and the Disney characters, my kids would :love:LOVE it!

I figure we could try it for a month or two and see how it works out:sunshine:.

[sqromano]

Thanks for the replies!

I actually got my Wii hooked up to the internet!:banana:

Now, one more question about the streaming...how long does it take? Is it something like watching stuff on hulu.com where there are pauses and breaks while it buffers the stream?

I am not too concerned about any new releases. I am more concerned about keeping the kids entertained while school is out without beating a path to the Redbox machine:rotfl:. My girls like animated movies and if we could have a "continuous feed" of Dora, Spongebob and the Disney characters, my kids would :love:LOVE it!

I figure we could try it for a month or two and see how it works out:sunshine:.

Congrats getting the Wii hooked up! As far as timing, it takes just a few seconds to start, but there are no problems during the play.

[kristenrice]

Congrats getting the Wii hooked up! As far as timing, it takes just a few seconds to start, but there are no problems during the play.

AWESOME!! I am going to sign up for it tonight!

I wonder...will it credit before the end of the month?

[dtchgrl]

Thanks for this thread, as I've wondered about it too. My teens keep ordering pay per view and when I get the monthly bill, its definitely more than we would pay for a month of Netflix. Plus I like the option of streaming through the Wii (for at least some releases) for that instant gratification.
Jill

[momof3lovebugs]

Jumpin jiminy!
I just had this discussion with my sister and nephew! We were discussing the possibility of switching from blockbuster.com to netflix.com and doing the inet streaming thing. I a technodope, so I will definitely be referring to this thread!

And yes, when will it credit?? :D

[kristenrice]

OMG!!!! This is the coolest thing EVER!!:party:

We received the disc in the mail today so that we can stream through the Wii. I have the instant queue set up with a ton of cartoons and such and my 7 yo DD has already figured it all out. It is nasty and raining outside so the girls have been watching Netflix all afternoon!

They used my computer all weekend and I had to fight to get it away from them so I could do some surveys:sunshine:.

As far as the credit goes, it is already showing as pending in my account.:thanks: My only question is this: It said that once you sign up for a paid membership, you will get your credit. My credit card will be charged on June 24 which is when our free trial ends. But, the credit to my SR account is showing as a hold until July 17. Is it possible that it will clear before that? If Netflix has already reported it, shouldn't it credit shortly (like the 10-day hold) after my paid subscription starts?

[momof3lovebugs]

so I am still a little confuzzled....:blush: if the kids are using the wii to watch a streamed movie, does that mean I cannot be using the computer? :confused::blush: sorry, I said I was a technodope!

[kristenrice]

so I am still a little confuzzled....:blush: if the kids are using the wii to watch a streamed movie, does that mean I cannot be using the computer? :confused::blush: sorry, I said I was a technodope!

Oh, no....you can stream the movies to ANY device that is connected to the internet....Wii, laptop, cell phone, iTouch, etc. When I am at work, I can find a wi-fi hotspot and watch movies in the ambulace:rotfl:.

If you connect your Wii to the internet, Netflix sends you a disc that you insert into the Wii whenever you want to watch a movie. That lets you access your Netflix queue. Before we got that disc in the mail, the only way we could stream movies was on our laptops so the kids were using them. Now, we can watch them through the Wii so I get my computer back.

I can stream a movie to my laptop at the same time my husband is streaming something to his laptop while the kids are streaming something entirely different to the Wii! It's AWESOME!!!

[mmm611]

Oh, no....you can stream the movies to ANY device that is connected to the internet....Wii, laptop, cell phone, iTouch, etc. When I am at work, I can find a wi-fi hotspot and watch movies in the ambulace:rotfl:.

If you connect your Wii to the internet, Netflix sends you a disc that you insert into the Wii whenever you want to watch a movie. That lets you access your Netflix queue. Before we got that disc in the mail, the only way we could stream movies was on our laptops so the kids were using them. Now, we can watch them through the Wii so I get my computer back.

I can stream a movie to my laptop at the same time my husband is streaming something to his laptop while the kids are streaming something entirely different to the Wii! It's AWESOME!!!


I think the only thing I can add to this is that if you have a wired connection, you may have problems having multiple thing online at once. If it's wireless, no problems!

Since it's just myself at my place and I only have one computer, I just plug my internet directly in from my modem to puter. I got my brothers to help me get my Wii online to play them on Mario Kart, but I have the wired connection, so I can only get one or the other online at a time. One of my brothers suggested getting a wireless router when I got the Wii online, but it's cheaper to do it this way and since there's only one of me, it's not really an issue.

Bottom line -- it depends on how you connect your Wii to the internet.