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[GeorgioCostanzaX]

Honestly, it's my go to netflix and amazon prime device, it's just so much easier to search on a touch pad and I love being able to use it as a universal remote.

 

[Later Alligator]

its decent enough

i use it on the main floor of my house for netflix (and gaming obviously). netflix on it is not great, but it does full hd on the streams that support it, which look great

there are much better alternatives available if media is your main concern (id say both the 360 and ps3 are better than it). but if you are interested in the wii u library and want something to play netflix, it works

 

[kuroshiki]

Why?

Why you want to do this?

 

[VanWinkle]

I think it's funny that you believe people who do like it are cavemen who just don't know any better.

If they know it, why would they say that's one of the main benefits the Wii U apps have?

 

[Incitemaybe]

They updated the YouTube app. It has offtv play and actually buffers video now so it's not stop-and-go... That said, Google's app still doesn't hold a candle to the browser.

what does the browser do that the app doesn't do now? I'm genuinely curious, I only got my Wii U coming up 2 weeks ago at this point and the app is awesome.

 

[Nostremitus]

If they know it, why would they say that's one of the main benefits the Wii U apps have?

Maybe they prefer being able to seamlessly transition from the TV to Gamepad and back? I do. If I'm already watching on the Wii U using the TV, it's easier to touch the screen and take it to bed than to go open the app on my phone.


Also, I had no idea Plex existed and worked on Wii U. I just installed it on my Linux media center and now stream to the Wii U. I just tested it out and it works great. All of my movies and music are also available on Wii U now.

Thanks to this thread, it just became my go-to device for all movies,TV, and music in my living room.

what does the browser do that the app doesn't do now? I'm genuinely curious, I only got my Wii U coming up 2 weeks ago at this point and the app is awesome.

The browser let's you surf the web while videos play on the TV. That's the bonus.

 

[Nostremitus]

DP

 

[Bullza2o]

Well for me I have no other choice because I can't use Netflix or Amazon on my XBL Silver account. It pains me to only hear 2.1 audio though...

 

[Oni Link 666]

The Netflix UI is great. Off-TV Play is great. The web browser is great. The TV remote is pretty barebones. It has volume, channel, and input controls and an on/off button. TVii is OK. It's a TV guide with lots of pictures. It's kind of slow for channel surfing, though. It is web-based.

 

[pretty done]

Well, considering that I specifically mentioned the Ethernet connection, the RGB range has nothing to do with my comment. No, for whatever reason, the video on the PS3 has a lot of digital noise and is subHD more often than not.

And I'm just stating solid facts, as someone who doesn't have a mysterious problem with his PS3 ethernet. PS3 has better video options, more video apps, DVD and bluray playback, etc. PS3 Media Server allows for almost any video format streaming from PC. It's the bees knees when it comes to entertainment center consoles.

 

[Nostremitus]

And I'm just stating solid facts, as someone who doesn't have a mysterious problem with his PS3 ethernet. PS3 has better video options, more video apps, DVD and bluray playback, etc. PS3 Media Server allows for almost any video format streaming from PC. It's the bees knees when it comes to entertainment center consoles.

I don't have a mysterious problem with my Ethernet either... It works great. The Amazon App on PS3 just doesn't work as well streaming video as the Wii U app. The PS3 app's UI is snappier but the video quality is worse. I'm sorry if this offends you in some way... I was just stating my personal experience having used both.

I don't typically watch DVD or Bluray movies, the only hold-up for me was streaming from my media center Ubuntu build. As I stated earlier, I now have plex streaming to Wii U. Being able to use the Gamepad to check IMDB while watching Amazon (the Xray feature pulls the profiles of the actors currently on screen), seamlessly transition to off-TV if I need to, play movies and music from my computer, and still be able to browse through my collection or surf the web while said video is still playing makes Wii U a better choice as far as I'm concerned...

I used my PS3 as a media center but it's been surpassed. As odd as it sounds, the gamepad's added functionality is what tips the scale.

 

[LaNaranja]

If it had a better Netflix app and a blu ray player then it would be the best. As it stands it is best used in conjunction with a Sony console. The Wii U browser is great at streaming stuff to your TV and YouTube.

 

[Herne]

Why?

Why you want to do this?

Why not? Searching for videos via a touchpad is far better than on a gamepad.

 

[balohna]

It's being mentioned a lot in this thread, and I'll agree.

The PS3 is the best media center for your buck on the market today. It plays most formats, has solid streaming apps, handles dvds/blu-rays, you can copy media files directly from your PC via your network or from a USB stick. The only real downside is that you can't plug in an external hard drive (or at least mine has never worked).

Nobody should buy a Wii U for Netflix, but if you want a device that can stream Netflix in HD and you also want an extra excuse to buy a Wii U... sure. It's definitely solid at what it does, but PS3 does more.

I'm pretty sure PS4 doesn't even do as much as PS3 at the moment, and Xbox One might (honestly can't recall) but half of it is behind a pay wall.

 

[iosef]

Do you like surround sound? Then no.

Watch The Avengers on Amazon Prime using your Wii U and be amazed at how shitty the sountrack conversion to 2.0 sounds. You can't hear dialogue.

 

[cacildo]

The web browser is the best, Jerry. The best.

 

[pawelranger]

I have a Samsung smart tv, PS3 and the newest Apple TV (who is built with air), and I still prefer to use Netflix on the Wii U, it has more options and better UI by far, Apple TV is the worse surprisingly, changing the language of the movie was hard to find, and still I don't get how to put subtitles to the movie and even just simply searching a specific movie is a pain in the ass, Apple TV is crap, the only positive thing is the air play which is pretty cool but sadly the Ipad resolution on the TV is very low except when you're playing a movie or displaying photos. The only downside of Netflix in the Wii U is the sound quality, it doesn't has surround.

 

[Stencil]

Thanks for all your input, guys, it's all been very helpful.
Well, most of it. I should have clarified, to those who weren't keen enough to notice, I wasn't asking about what systems can do entertainment better than the Wii U, I was asking specifically about the Wii U.

No shit, iPads and Sonys and whatevers are usually specifically made for this stuff. I have an iPhone, an iPad, a PS3, a 360. I was only wondering what I had to look forward to aside from quality videogames when I got my Wii U. Which many of you have helped shed some glorious light on, so thanks to those individuals.