As subscribers to several streaming video services, my family and I have a lot of choices for things to watch. Navigating the vast libraries of Netflix and Amazon Prime can take quite a while, especially when you’re trying to find something the whole family can agree to watch together. Fortunately, there are a number of online resources and apps that can help you choose what to watch on your streaming services.
Can I Stream.it? is a website (www.canistream.it) and app (available for iOS and Android). I use it to find out whether a movie is available to stream as part of my subscription or available for rent or purchase. For streaming, the site checks Netflix, Amazon, Hulu Plus, Crackle, YouTube, and a few others. Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, Vudu, YouTube, Xbox, and Sony Entertainment Network are available for purchases and rentals. Just search for your movie or TV show and Can I Stream.it? will tell you how it’s available online, if at all. It also lists ways to get your movie or TV show on physical media; it even includes Redbox as one of the options.
If you know what it is you want to watch, Can I Stream.it? is the best resource for identifying ways to watch it.
Another good resource for Netflix and Amazon Prime subscribers is instantwatcher.com, which is touted as “a better way to search for Amazon Prime and Netflix videos” by Consumer Reports. This website allows you to easily browse these streaming services catalogs with Rotten Tomatoes ratings and a variety of lists that will help you quickly find a movie to watch. You can search by genre; an advanced search capability allows you to look for movies or shows with filters like video quality (SD, HD, SuperHD, UltraHD), age rating, critic ratings and awards and nominations for them.
One feature that’s really helpful is the “Expiring Soon” list. You can use this to make sure you catch the shows or movies you might miss once they aren’t available anymore.
On Nov. 14 of last year, Netflix shut down its public API. The company did allow a few third-party sites to continue to have access, and Can I Stream.it? was included.
Also worth checking out is fan.tv (www.fan.tv), which allows you to search for movies and TV shows and provides some other lists to help you find what to watch. In addition to the usual choices, like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu Plus, fan.tv includes TV channels for shows that are available on them.
Even without the API access, there are a number of other “helper” sites for Netflix that can help you find the right movie to watch. Check out “What is on Netflix?” (whatisonnetflix.com); the simple interface allows you to find the highest-ranked movies based on Metacritic, IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes. FlickSurfer (flicksurfer.com/) is another site that offers ways to find what to watch with advanced search capabilities and an attractive interface.
With so many choices available, it can become a chore to find something to watch. Let these “helpers” give you a little assistance with the monumental task of picking what to watch.
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