Here’s our list of ten tools to get the most out of Netflix:

Instantwatcher.com. This site is invaluable for Netflix users, if only for one feature: Netflix regularly has to take offline movies and TV show episodes based on the rights it has negotiated. Instantwatcher has a list of all these “expiring” titles so you can catch them before they’re gone. The site also makes it possible to browse the best- and worst-ranked movies on Netflix (B-movie night, anyone?), and it even offers advanced queues, including the ability to restrict access to content based on age ratings to members willing to pay $10 bucks a year. That said, it’s free to browse all the lists, and definitely very helpful.

Want to know which device to get for your Netflix fix? Then check out or ebook Cut the Cord: All You Need to Know to Drop Cable

The Instant Watch DB. This site offers detailed search functionality for Netflix’s online catalog. Want to find a PG-rated comedy released after 2004 that’s available in HD? Then this is the place to go.

WhichFlicks. Yet another way to navigate Netflix’s online catalog, utilizing Rotten Tomatoes as well as Netflix ratings. Very visual, it provides an easy way to find something in seconds. WhichFlicks also has its own iPhone app.

Netflix’s RSS feeds. Another way to keep track of all the titles added to Netflix’s online catalog is to subscribe to the site’s RSS feeds. Netflix has a dedicated feed just for new Watch Instantly additions, which you can add to your Google Reader or your browser’s live bookmarks (check this helpful guide if you’re new to RSS feeds).

Feedfliks. Is it time to finally downsize or ditch your DVD subscription and possibly go streaming-only? Feedlix analyzes your Netfix usage data and tells you how much you’re actually spending per movie watched. The site also offers a list of titles that will be added to Netflix’s online catalog in the future, complete with the ability to automatically add them to your Instant Queue once they’re available.

The Netflix iOS apps. (Link opens iTunes) Netflix released an app for the iPad in early 2010, followed by an app for the iPhone and iPod Touch a few months later. Those apps are more than just great ways to watch Netflix on the go; they’re also a neat way to populate your Instant Queue.

Clicker. Want to watch a movie, but don’t know whether it’s available on iTunes, Amazon VOD or Netflix? Then use Clicker’s search engine, which lets you select from various sources.

Netflix Ratings Granulizer. Not satisfied with the current Netflix ratings system? This browser extension allows you to add half stars, so you can differentiate between the movie you absolutely hated and the ones you just didn’t like at all. Available both for Firefox (with Greasemonkey) and Chrome.

Netflix Pivot. This may not be the most useful tool to explore the Netflix catalog, but it’s definitely cool, if only for the fact that zooming in and out of all of those movie titles really shows you how much video you’ll have at your fingertips. The site makes it possible to browse Netflix’s top 3,000 titles and arrange them by rating.

Rottenflix. This is a Greasemonkey script that displays the Rotten Tomatoes rating of any Netflix movie directly on Netflix.com. You’ll need both Firefox and the Firefox Greasemonkey extension to make this work.

And here’s our latest episode of Cord Cutters, which explains how to get the best quality Netflix streams:

Got some tips and tricks to share that helped you to improve your Netflix experience? Fire away in the comments!

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I got the PS3 last December, and it’s the only device in my living room right now aside from my cable box. Yeah, I’m the only NewTeeVee staffer who’s not a cord-cutter — though more and more I’m thinking about shutting it off. The PS3 is a big factor in that.

Netflix Instant

First off, the disc-less version of Netflix Instant, which became available this Monday, has thus far worked like a dream. The option to download the app appeared automatically in my menu screen, and it’s a major upgrade to the previous interface with only one notable exception: I miss having my queue be the first available option. Typically, when I sign into Netflix, it’s to watch something I’ve previously picked out.

The video below gives you a look at the new interface, which is strikingly different from the disc-less Netflix for the Wii:

Hulu Plus

The PS3 was the first console to get access to Hulu Plus, and since activating it, I’ve found it to be a solid solution for when I forget to DVR certain shows or want to enjoy classic TV series like M.A.N.T.I.S. (shut up that show was great).

I do wish more Hulu content were available on the Plus service, however, especially since getting Hulu Plus access requires upgrading one’s account to PlayStation Plus, which comes with an additional $50 a year fee.

The PlayStation Store and Third-Party Applications

I haven’t made much use of the PlayStation store. The exclusive video content available is limited pretty much to the reality series The Tester, and my one attempt to rent a movie using the service lead to multiple incomplete downloads that ended up expiring before I could finish watching Date Night. The service in general has a history of glitches and errors.

When it comes to watching other media, I do have to say that the one thing that the PS3 doesn’t do as well as I’d like is stream downloaded content from my computer to the TV; the downloadable third-party app MediaLink — in theory — provides this service, but I’ve experienced a lot of stuttering and stalling.

Medialink is very dependable when it comes to streaming music from iTunes, though, and for downloaded media, there’s an easy workaround: .avi, .mov and .mp4 files all play perfectly off a flash drive plugged into one of the front USB slots.

Medialink is the best option available for Mac users, but GigaOM Pro director of product (and PS3 owner) Celeste LeCompte uses the third-party app PlayOn to connect her TV to her networked PC via the console, and loves it. “It’s like Craigslist — it’s not pretty or fancy, but g-d it works great.”

I do miss the ability to watch a lot of web-native content, because while the PS3 does include a web browser, not many video sites work on it. YouTube’s the big exception, with an optimized browser that’s pretty simple to use with a remote or controller. I’d love to see solutions for browsing Blip.tv or other services, though.

Why You Really Buy the PS3

The PS3, in short, does a couple of big things well, but if you were to plot its features on our Google TV/Apple TV/Roku/Boxee Box chart, it’d be missing some big stuff, like VEVO, Pandora and Twitter.

However, the delightful thing about the PS3 is that these features aren’t technically the PS3′s raison d’être; this all comes on top of its gaming capabilities and Blu-ray player. And while I’m not much of a gamer (except for the occasional Portal or Heavy Rain session), the video quality of Blu-ray has me believing in physical media to a certain extent.

Sure, both Steve Jobs and Bill Gates think that the format will soon be discarded in favor of pure streaming media — and those guys aren’t exactly dumb. But watching something like J.J. Abrams’ update of Star Trek on Blu-ray makes me hope it’ll stick around for a while, because the video quality on a high-def TV is noticeably different.

Below is a video comparison between Netflix Instant and Blu-ray, using the PS3 and the first 30 seconds of Star Trek. The differences are subtle, but if you pay attention to the definition of the lens flare, you can tell which image is sharper.

The PS3 currently retails for around $299.99 (120 GB model) or $349.99 (250 GB). Apple TV and Roku, at $99 each, are a third of the price, it’s true, but for me the Blu-ray capability, Hulu Plus access and gaming are worth the additional cost.

In 2009, In-Stat found that consoles were the most popular way to pipe web video to TV sets, a trend they predicted would continue through the year 2013. That’s not shocking news — it’s a numbers game.

While Roku hopes it will sell more than a million units by the end of the year, as of June 2010, there were nearly 38 million PS3s sold worldwide since 2006. The Xbox 360? 41.7 million. The (somewhat more limited) Nintendo Wii? 73.97 million (PDF).

Even if you write those sales numbers off as just gamers who want to shoot Nazi zombies, there are approximately 160 million set-top boxes in the world, which are less and less just something you might buy to play Rock Band with friends.

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