Ask Slashdot: Video Streaming For the Elderly?

First time accepted submitter ChrisC1234 writes "My grandparents are getting older and don't get out much anymore, and with the demise of video stores (and not even understanding what a RedBox is), they don't see movies anymore. They've got internet access, so I'm thinking of getting them a streaming appliance and a Netflix account. So I'm wondering what device is the easiest for elderly people to use. I'm thinking either a Roku or Apple TV, but open to other options. It just needs to be easy to navigate and support closed captioning. Has anyone else done this successfully?"

Comments

Re:Apple TV

[meta-monkey]

The problem with the AppleTV paradigm is that the most prominent placement of "Movies" is the top navigation bar, and that's for the stuff tied into iTunes (either exorbitant pay-once fee, or exorbitant 24-hour rental fee).

I find that those unfamiliar with technology often have difficulty understanding the concept that there are multiple ways to accomplish the same goal, that programs or appliances can do more than one thing, and that the same (or similar) things can be done by multiple programs. OP may wind up with his grandparents confused that "But I thought these movies were free...why is at asking me to pay $19.99?" because they don't understand that, yes, you CAN buy movies from iTunes, but you shouldn't.

(Also....the fuck? Isn't this slashdot? What the hell kind of a question is "which closed source non-free software appliance should I buy to pay for DRMed content?")