Crackle '" the Absolutely Free Alternative to Hulu and Netflix on Your PS3

If you have never read any of my previous articles on streaming content in your home network to your television, than you should check those out along with this one. I am all about streaming Digital Copies of my video library, Netflix on my gaming consoles or Tversity on the Xbox, but just recently I discovered a new site to use on the PS3 that could accomplish similar tasks.

By accessing the web surfing screen on my PS3 the other day, I hovered the cursor on something called Crackle. By clicking on the site, it opened up thumbnail banners for numerous movies and television shows, most of which were owned by Sony , but Filmation's animation studio who made The Masters of the Universe, She-Ra and Fat Albert. There are tons and tons more other options as well that you can check out on their browser window.

There is a major difference with this site on the PS3 and by accessing it with your computer's internet browser. You have to go to the site and create an account, which is quite simple, you can also link it with your Facebook account so that it will be one less set of login info to remember.

As you explore the site, you can add your favorite programs to your queue. You can create various queues, and add whole feature length films, whole episode clips, collections of clips and even your favorite segments of your favorite episode of Diff'rent Strokes when Arnold gets spanked, or the numerous bits of comedy gold from Ghostbusters.

II can admit that I was a bit disappointed when I went back onto the Crackle screen on my PS3 browser, but no option to access my queue. There were also less collections of clips featured on the PS3 than the computer's browser. But I did enjoy the variety as one clip kept playing after another as the PS3 shuffled through five minute hacked down episodes of Square Pegs,Silver Spoons, Facts of Life and even 227.

Crackle also offers up a downloadable app for your favorite Apple device to watch your favorites on there as well. I have recently purchased the free app for my IPad, but haven't gotten it working just yet. So, I'll just rely on my Netflix app in the meantime.

I think this device is a great and free substitute for Netflix and especially Hulu. Netflix is great and all, but you do have to pay about ten bucks a month for that service, and even more if you want to watch them on Xbox 360 due to a required gold membership. And, if you have never used Hulu, you can roughly do this same exact features that Crackle does, and with many of the same shows. But to watch your Hulu shows on anything else than your computer, you have to pay for the Hulu Plus features as well, which can be about a eight dollar monthly fee as well but they have more shows and more options to view them.

References:

Crackle.com

Crackle app at the App Store

Hulu.com