Cost: Free

What to enjoy:
Crackle offers streaming feature-length movies and television (with a surprising amount of the old cartoon shows like He-Man and Voltron that children of the ’80s used to watch and love). The streaming website includes clips and trailers for upcoming films, works with independent online distributors, and even produces its own entertainment content. Crackle also has a fun wit about them, which can be found in their blog and episode descriptions.

Third-Party Features:
Crackle’s content can be accessed via many third parties, including Hulu, YouTube, Boxee, Sling, and TV.com.

News & Updates:
Variety (4/29/2009): Sony offers free films on Crackle.com – “Sony is making more of its films available for free on Crackle.com, the company’s online movie and TV video website, adding “Spider-Man 2″ and other male-skewing titles as it looks to lure viewers and advertisers.” {Read more}

Cost: Rentals: $1.99 – $3.99 | Purchases: $9.95 – $19.95

What to enjoy:
The CinemaNow library contains approximately 14,000 feature-length films, shorts, concerts, and television programs. CinemaNow allows streaming directly to your computer or Web-enabled TV.

Third-Party Features:
CinemaNow streams its content to various LG Blu-ray players: LG BD370 and LG BD390.

News & Updates:
PC World (9/15/2008): Copy CinemaNow Films with Dell’s Qflix DVD Burner – “Dell is teaming up with Sonic Solutions to offer an external drive that allows users to download movies from CinemaNow and burn them to DVDs.” {Read more}

Cost: $39.99 + 14 day free trial.

What to enjoy:
Install PlayOn onto your PC and stream media to your networked media device. If you’re still scratching your head, take a look at this diagram…

…basicially this means that you can get Netflix Instant on your Xbox 360–for example–without that pesky Xbox LIVE Gold Membership). This also means that you can get Netflix Instant on your Nintendo Wii or your PlayStation 3. PlayOn also works with HP MediaSmart TVs and Moxi HD DVRs. PlayOn is only available for the PC.

Third-Party Features:
Receive content from Netflix, Hulu, CBS, YouTube, CNN, and ESPN.

News & Updates:
Engadget (07/30/2009): PlayOn Media Server now serving Wii customers (in beta anyway) – We knew good and well that the fine folks over at MediaMall were toiling away in an attempt to bring internet TV content from YouTube, Hulu, Netflix, CBS, CNN and a host of other sources to Nintendo’s white-hot Wii, but there’s just nothing like hearing that intentions have become reality. {Read more}

Cost | What to Enjoy | Features | Video | News & Updates | Press Releases | Editor’s Assessment

Cost: Instant comes free with Subscription

What to Enjoy:
According to their website, Netflix is the world’s largest online movie rental service, boasting a deep well of over 100,000 titles (both movies and TV shows) available on DVD and Blu-ray. Netflix Instant is a free service to all subscribers that streams on-demand, DVD-quality movies and TV shows for viewing on any computer (PC or Mac). Netflix boasts “over 12,000 movies & TV episodes” are available via the stream. Depending on your subscription, you can watch as many movies as you want, as often as you wish.

Third-Party Features:
Netflix Instant’s stream is available on Xbox 360 (via Xbox LIVE Gold Membership) and Roku through exclusive partnerships. PlayOn gives Playstation 3, and Nintendo Wii owners access. Netflix Instant are also integrated into various Web-enabled TVs and Blu-ray players from LG, Vizio and Sony.

Editor’s Assessment:
Netflix has emerged as the leading DVD rental service in the United States and with their Netflix Instant integration into web based televisions and Blu-Ray players they seem to be making huge strides in the field.

Cost | What to Enjoy | Features | News & Updates | Sales Info

Cost: Free, plus a Paid On-Demand subscription

What to enjoy:
Established by cable provider, Comcast (and part of their Interactive Media Department), Fancast offers a wide selection of TV show clips, full length episodes, feature length movies, and trailers. While Fancast is offered by Comcast, you don’t need to be a subscriber to enjoy the videos.

Third-Party Features:
Content is streamed from feeds via Hulu (for Fox and NBC shows), TV.com (for CBS shows), and ABC (for their shows) the latter opens in a separate ABC video player. Their TV content is quite extensive, and you can browse for shows from dozens of TV networks: Click here to browse.

For your movie fix, Fancast’s library is just as extensive as that on Hulu’s, and it includes much of the same movies as well. For a fee, Fancast’s On-Demand service gives you the most recent movie releases (movies that just hit DVD). Both SD and HD quality are offered, designed to be best optimized by your screen resolution.

Links to content:

Fancast is currently only offered online, though CNET explains how you can access Fancast via the iPhone.

News & Updates:
Video Business (07/09/2009): Starz puts content in Comcast’s OnDemand trial – “Starz Entertainment will join Comcast’s OnDemand Online trial, enabling subscribers to both services to watch select Starz movies and original programming on Fancast.com and Comcast.net at no extra charge.” {Read More}

Sales Info & Figures:
Forbes.com (08/05/2009): Comcast Set To Broadcast Q2 Earnings – “Investors will be tuning in to second-quarter earnings from cable provider Comcast on Thursday morning to see whether it will echo Time Warner Cable’s disappointing comments regarding growth trends for the rest of the year.” {Read More}

Cost: Prices for Amazon’s Video On-Demand vary by title and availability (whether it’s a new release). Generally, the On-Demand rental costs $0.99. A TV Pass, allowing you to get all episodes of a particular season, will cost $1.99/per.

What to enjoy:
Amazon stands as one of the biggest entertainment retailers on the web. Known primarily as a book retailer, Amazon has effectively branched out into offering movies, music, video games, home appliances, furniture, toys, and clothes.

For movies you have two options: buying the DVD or Blu-Ray disc, or watching it immediately via their Video On-Demand service a re-branded form of what they originally called “Unbox” (Unbox is now a locally installed player that allows people to download HD-quality movies/shows).

Third-Party Features:
On-Demand is Amazon’s 24-hr rental service that works like Netflix Instant: you pay a small fee to watch movies online, on your computer, or on a portable device. You can also synch your rentals and purchases over to TV via TiVo–a similar service is set up for Sony BRAVIA users. TiVo, Sony, and Amazon have linked their services, disallowing the need for any direct connection to the computer. The service is accessible directly from TiVo, or BRAVIA’s Internet Video Link, by following a few on-screen instructions. Vice versa, you can click the TiVo icon on Amazon (this is not available for BRAVIA users). You can also synch On-Demand purchases through the Roku box. Amazon On-Demand will also be available on an upcoming Blu-ray player from Panasonic.

Video:

News & Updates:
Video Business (08/04/2009): – Panasonic enables Amazon VOD on Blu-ray set-tops – “Panasonic has formally rolled out Amazon Video On Demand to all of its current Blu-ray Disc set-top player models. The company automatically updated its player software today to deliver Amazon’s offering of 45,000 movies and TV shows, including 1,000 titles in high-definition. Users must register their player with Amazon Video On Demand to access the service.” {Read More…}

Sales Info & Figures:
Video Business (07/23/2009): – Amazon’s Q2 profit falls 10% – “Amazon.com’s second-quarter earnings fell 10% as worldwide media sales flattened on lower videogame sales and changes in foreign exchange rates.” {Read More…}

Editor’s Assessment:
Amazon On Demand offers inexpensive movies at a good quality for rental and purchase. Also consumers don’t have to worry about movies taking up space on their hard drive since all movies exist on the amazon cloud.

Cost: Free

What to Enjoy:
It probably comes at no surprise that YouTube ranks in at Number 1 on comScore VideoMetrix’s list of top video streaming sites. In the years since it’s founding in 2005–and its acquisition in 2006 by Google–YouTube has come a long way from just focusing on user-generated content (think: Star Wars Kid). Many studios and distribution companies now have their own YouTube channel, offering clips and trailers; it’s the latter that tends to generate the most views.

Content & Features:
YouTube has been branching out, allowing access to Web-enabled TVs, set-top boxes, and portable media devices. YouTube has also been building strong content partners that allow viewers to watch full length movies and television shows. YouTube has partnered with The Sundance Institute to create The YouTube Screening Room, a behind the scenes look at films and a premiere site for independent filmmakers to distribute their film to a wide audience. Here is a list of some of the major content partners:

Video:

On-Site content:
CBS: Star Trek, the original series
Lionsgate: Alf
MGM: The Addams Family

News & Updates:
Los Angeles Times (09/03/2009): Studios might use YouTube to sell, rent movies – “Sony Pictures, Warner Bros. and Lionsgate are among the Hollywood giants to consider making films available through YouTube as they’re released on DVD.” {Read more}

Video Business (08/19/2009): Warner, Turner to put clips on YouTube – “Warner Bros. and Turner Broadcasting inked a joint deal with YouTube to put movie and TV clips on the world’s most-trafficked video site.” {Read more}

CNET News (08/13/2009): YouTube launches TV-friendly site for consoles – “YouTube launched a version of their site for the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii.” {Read more}

Editor’s Assessment:
One of few sites that have changed the world. With over 2 billion users per day, youtube may be one of the greatest websites ever made. Also it’s the best place to watch a cat playing piano and who doesn’t like that???

Cost: Free to download (only runs on Mac and Linux)

What to enjoy:
Dubbed the Social Media Center, Boxee not only provides access and playback for a wide array of video and music, but also allows users to rate content, which could then be shared on various supported social networks (Twitter, FriendFeed, etc.). Boxee serves as your computer’s media player, being able to support the playback of various media files, as well as CDs and DVDs.

So, how do you get Boxee running on your TV? Boxee is still in Alpha release (Mac and Linux users are the only ones with first dibs), and can only be downloaded onto your computer, but a set-top box release is in the works. There are also plans to license their software to third-party vendors including other set-top box manufacturers and cable companies. However, for the time-being you can take your Mac or Linux-running PC, and hook it up to your TV (most TV’s today come with VGA ports, so you can use it as a monitor). Boxee is also available via Apple TV.

Third-Party Features:
On top of being your media player, Boxee primarily is a hub of all social media content that you can find online. This includes music, video, photos, RSS feeds, and podcasts. Boxee grabs the feeds of various media providers and collects them in one single engine. Content providers include Last.fm, Pandora, Netflix, YouTube, MySpace Video, Flickr, as well as video from TV network sites (CNN, Comedy Central, ABC, MTV Music, etc.); and more will come. Also included is a BitTorrent client, enabling you to download legal trackers (however, the insidious of us could easily hook-up third-party plug-ins to enable all trackers).

What can’t you get with Boxee? Primarily, it does not support DRM files”files protected by Digital Rights Management. This includes iTunes downloads (prior to Apple going DRM-free earlier this year), and downloads from MSN Music and Audible.com.

The big site not found on Boxee is Hulu. Both companies are in the midst of a battle and the much-ado, which really is about nothing more than the right to display content, can be found here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Video:

Sales Info & Figures:
Video Business (08/13/2009): Boxee streams in $6 million for funding – “Internet TV software startup Boxee — which is hoping to score partnerships with cable and media companies — closed $6 million in financing led by venture-capital firm General Catalyst, with participation by prior investors Spark Capital and Union Square Ventures.” {Read more}

Editor’s Assessment:
Boxee’s software makes accessing the web’s video content extremely easy and convenient. With an easy to use iphone and android application and an interface that my mom even says is simply, Boxee leads the pack in video content management.

Cost: Free (for now)

What to enjoy:
Missed that episode of Family Guy? Need to catch up on 30 Rock? Hulu to the rescue! In March 2007, NBC Universal and Fox Entertainment entered into a joint venture now known as Hulu. In the years since, Disney/ABC signed on as a partner, and the site grew to be one of the top video streaming sites on the Internet. By December of 2009, Hulu’s content was being streamed more than 1 billion times–a milestone proving that people will sit in front of their computer to watch long-form content. While much of Hulu’s library is full of TV episodes, movies are also available. And, as studios are beginning to figure out the new online distribution model, more big budget classics will be added to the library.

On top of NBC/Universal, Fox, and ABC/Disney, some of Hulu’s content partners include A&E, PBS, Comedy Central, Current TV, Bravo, USA Network, Fuel TV, Big Ten Network, Syfy, E!, Versus, and NFL Network.

With the 1 billion milestone, Hulu execs are looking into a pay model, which might come to pass by the end of this year (they just have to let the dust clear from the Comcast/NBC buyout). Only speculation exists right now as to how a paid Hulu would work, but as Forrester Research analyst James McQuivey told USA Today, two pricing tiers could work: $4.99 for an ad-free Hulu, or $14.99/month for a season’s worth of shows, and access to full back catalogs.

Third-Party Features:
OnPlay offers a method of viewing Hulu on your computer via third party devices such as a Playstation 3 or Xbox 360. Also a desktop App (made for both the Mac and PC) allows viewers to watch content without having to start up a browser. Hulu also offers a desktop application, which is a start in their offline content distribution.

Video:

News & Updates:
USA Today (2/3/2010): Hulu CEO Jason Kilar: The complete video interview – “Hulu CEO Jason Kilar recently sat down with us to talk about American Idol, new viewers, and why Hulu is considering charging for some videos.” {Watch it}

USA Today (2/3/2010): Free video site Hulu explores premium pricing – “For months there have been hints from Hulu’s owners of a looming pay model, perhaps as early as this year. In an interview at Hulu’s offices here, Kilar said a free version of Hulu will always exist but that the company was exploring premium pricing. He wouldn’t give a time frame.” {Read more}

ReadWriteWeb (9/20/2009): Hulu’s Facebook App: Posse Up for the Heroes Premiere – “In an effort to build on the shared viewing experience, popular HD television site Hulu is expanding beyond its walls. The company launched its Watch Now Facebook App where audiences can watch season premieres and comment in a group setting.” {Read more}

Mashable (8/24/2009): No Hulu For UK Users Until 2010 – According to The Daily Telegraph, the Hulu UK roll-out was originally slated for September of this year, but has now been pushed backed to early 2010. This is likely a direct result of the fact that Hulu has yet to ink any deals with UK content providers. {Read more}

Editor’s Assessment:
Hulu has definitely emerged as the strongest of the streaming sites, offering a lot of content, from television to movies, in a easy user-friendly space. Rumors though are swirling about hulu soon going to be requiring a paid subscription for most of its content with critics mixed about how it may affect the site and its traffic.

*Due to licensing restrictions, Hulu is only offered in the United States.