Not so long ago, when you stepped on a long-haul flight, you had to rely on their entertainment system to keep you and your kids entertained. And that’s if worked at all.

Thanks to your tablet or smartphone, you can now download your favorite movie or boxset and watch what you want, on your own personal device, when you want. You also control what your kids can watch, which is a bonus. You have the smartphone or tablet, now you need the relevant app to download content.

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This should not come as a surprise to anyone reading this wonderful website, but here at BetaNews we love beta software. The prospect of trying new features and changes before they make it into production gets us pretty excited. That's why, for instance, we check out every Windows 10 preview build we can install -- thanks, Microsoft!

I also have to thank Google, this time around for feeding our addiction of betas on the mobile side. Many major developers have embraced this option, opening programs so that enthusiasts can help improve their favorite apps. Netflix is the latest to (re)join the list.

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It has been two years since Apple announced its 4th-generation media box. While it hasn't been the most popular device for home media, it is certainly one of the most elegant. Quite frankly, to call it a media box is a bit of a misnomer. Actually, Apple TV is also a full-fledged video game console too.  You can use the innovative remote to control music and videos, but it can also serve as a game controller. Optionally, you can also pair a more traditional game pad if you prefer. Hell, it can even order pizza!

The biggest criticism of the 4th-gen Apple TV has been the lack of 4K support. Two years ago, Ultra HD televisions were fairly rare, so Apple was probably smart to focus on 1080p at the time. In 2017. however, 4K is much more prevalent. And so, today, the iPhone-maker unveils the all-new 5th-generation Apple TV with 4K support. Besides the improved resolution output, it also supports both Dolby Vision and HDR10 for HDR video. This will lend to sharper imagery.

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T-Mobile may not be the best cell carrier from a coverage perspective, but it provides its users with a lot of value. The company and its foul-mouthed CEO, John Legere, often use outside-the-box thinking to disrupt the mobile phone industry. For instance, the company once gave free Domino's pizza to its customers through its "T-Mobile Tuesdays" scheme. Even without the added bonuses, its unlimited service is quite affordable compared to, say, Verizon.

Today, T-Mobile is once again giving away something for free, but it is much better than some cheap chain-restaurant pizza. You see, subscribers to its T-Mobile ONE family plans will now get free Netflix! This is well-timed, as the hit series "Stranger Things" returns to the streaming video site next month with season two. Of course, Netflix has much more content than that -- a solid library of original programming and a less-impressive collection of ho-hum films. The complimentary "Netflix On Us" subscription is not automatic, however -- users must activate it.

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During its Q3 earnings report, Disney announced plans to launch its own streaming service in 2019. As part of this shift in business, the company will end its distribution agreement with Netflix.

The company also announced that it has agreed to acquire an additional 42 percent stake in BAMTech. The $1.58 billion makes Disney a majority stakeholder and will give it greater control over the ESPN-branded multi-sport video streaming service due to launch in early 2018.

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Verizon Wireless customers complained this week that the company was throttling Netflix traffic. With talk of net neutrality ringing in their ears, people were upset to find that download speeds were capped at 10Mbps.

When Netflix denied implementing a cap, the finger of suspicion pointed at Verizon. Now the company has owned up to testing a new "video optimization" system, but it's not clear how this resulted in the cap-like effects experienced by many users.

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UK mobile operator Three has introduced a new tariff that lets subscribers stream music, TV and movies from a number of services without eating into their data allowance. The Go Binge Tariff allows for all-you-can-eat streaming access to Netflix, TVPlayer, Deezer and SoundCloud.

If this sounds a little familiar, that's because T-Mobile has a similar tariff with an incredibly similar name: Binge On. Of course, there is potentially a slight catch: price.

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While rooting Android does not make it necessarily less secure, some software makers would rather you keep your device stock. Why? Well, because when you gain elevated privileges, which is what rooting enables, you might cause some issues or do some things that run afoul of their rules.

Netflix now seems to have a problem with Android devices that have been rooted and/or have an unlocked bootloader, as it just dropped support for those devices on Google Play.

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A hacking group by the name of TheDarkOverlord has leaked the first episode of the Netflix show Orange is the New Black [Update: the group has since leaked 9 more episodes]. The season premiere of the hit show is not set to air until June, but TheDarkOverlord released it to The Pirate Bay after Netflix failed to meet ransom demands.

The group allegedly managed to get hold of the episode after gaining access to the systems of post-production studio Larson Studios in Hollywood. When Netflix refused to comply with its demands, which are described as "modest", the show was made available for BitTorrent users.

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Most people alive today have seen the evolution of the internet over the course of a couple of decades, and can remember life before it was so integral. But there is a growing proportion of the population that has never lived without internet access, and such people have developed something of a different outlook on things.

Millennials, in particular, have been able to reap the benefits of being permanently connected, and have no experience of what it was like before. One of the side-effects of the always-on, always-available nature of content is that piracy has become second nature. Not only are most millennials streaming pirate content, they do not see it as wrong -- although downloading the same content is viewed differently.

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Streaming services like Netflix are proving increasingly popular as fans of television and movies cut the cord and look for on-demand options that better suit their needs. Having previously made it possible for iOS and Android users to download content for offline viewing -- complete with optimized codecs -- Netflix is now doing the same for Windows 10 users.

The idea is pretty simple. Netflix acknowledges the fact that subscribers may well want to be able to access their favorite shows when they do not have an Internet connection, and is therefore providing the perfect solution: Download & Go.

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Relying on a Linux distribution as your full time operating system can be great -- until it isn't. While there are many quality packages and applications that are compatible with the open source kernel, every once in awhile you will run into something that simply isn't available. When this happens, it can be very frustrating.

For a while, Netflix was not available for traditional Linux-based operating systems, meaning users were unable to enjoy the popular streaming service without booting into Windows. This was due to the company's reliance on Microsoft Silverlight. Since then, Netflix adopted HTML5, and it made Google Chrome and Chromium for Linux capable of playing the videos. Unfortunately, Firefox -- the open source browser choice for many Linux users -- was not compatible. Today this changes, however, as Mozilla's offering is now compatible with Netflix!

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The BBC's iPlayer proved popular very quickly, and its position as a well-loved catch-up streaming service is undeniable. But the broadcaster wants to take on the likes of Netflix, and this could mean viewers are not only able to download entire seasons to watch offline, but may be able to do so before shows air on television.

BBC director general Lord Hall is today due to speak with staff, setting out his plans to make iPlayer the UK's biggest online TV service by 2020. His tone makes it clear that the BBC realizes it is operating in an increasingly crowded and competitive market.

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Ultra HD and 4K are all popular words these days. It's the latest in TV and everyone is jumping on board. It costs a bit of money, as it requires a new TV, something manufacturers have been looking for a way to push since HD became common and sales slowed down. 3D didn't work out so well, but 4K seems to be more popular.

Now Netflix, the popular streaming movie and TV show provider, as well as a purveyor of original content, is bringing it's 4K Ultra HD to Microsoft's latest operating system.

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From the day I received the Oct. 14, 2016 letter about billing changes, AT&T U-verse and Internet cancellation was inevitable. I had auto-pay set up to a credit card, but the service provider wanted access to my bank account, which I didn't want to give. "Beginning in December, your credit card will be charged eight days after your Bill Cycle date", the correspondence reads. The change meant AT&T would take payment on the 8th of the month rather than the 21st. Since the company bills a month in advance, the new date would work out to about six-weeks in fees paid ahead for future service. On principle, being an independent-minded "don't tell me what to do" Mainer, I considered other options.

Ironically, the launch of another AT&T service, DirecTV Now, on October 30th, made the decision to cancel super easy. After several starts and stops, the Wilcox household has finally cut the cord for good. DirecTV Now is the nudge, but other streaming services make a big difference, too. Much has changed since the last cord-cutting effort, in November 2015, which we abandoned after about 7 weeks. The quality and quantity of original programming from Amazon, Hulu, and Netflix is greater and hugely enticing 12 months later.

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