online streaming

Be sure to sneak in a siesta at some point today — there's a big meteor shower happening late this evening, and the light show will go on until the wee hours of Saturday morning! In what is considered to be the best meteor shower of the year, Earth is passing through a 1,000-year-old cluster of meteors called Perseids, which should allow you to be able to spot 20-30 meteors (or "falling stars") per hour in your night sky. If your weather report is predicting clouds or fog (I'm looking at you, San Francisco), you shouldn't get too bummed — there's plenty of places to watch the show online. Check out a few destinations in the links below.

Nearly 200,000 Americans canceled their cable or satellite subscription this quarter. This loss comes as no surprise (since cable and satellite subscriptions have been heading downward all year), and while some folks are cutting back on monthly bills due to the down economy, some are moving to online streaming options.

If you're toying with the idea of canceling your outrageously priced cable subscription, check out these online streaming options that are just a mouse click away.

• Netflix — With access via gaming consoles, TVs, iPhones, and Android smartphones in addition to computers, the popular classic doesn't look to be going anywhere despite the competition and controversial new pricing structure.
• Hulu Plus — The $8 monthly subscription fee for Hulu Plus allows access to the most current episodes of TV shows and has an even larger catalog of movies available than its free Hulu counterpart. Available via iOS, Android, select gaming consoles, Samsung TVs, and computer systems.
• Blockbuster Total Access — Pricing models give customers the option to rent DVDs for home delivery with a subscription plan for $10 or $15, choose to rent DVDs without subscriptions, or stream films online on demand.

For those who love the freedom of choice, check out more streaming options after the break.

Walmart announced today its streaming media service, VUDU. The company bought VUDU in 2010 and has finally integrated the HD digital media rental company into the Walmart website.

The service is accessible through the VUDU page on Walmart's website or from VUDU-enabled devices like certain HDTVs, Blu-ray players, or PlayStation 3. Customers do not sign up for a subscription, but rather pay per film viewing. Rentals begin at $3, with new releases starting at $4 and higher for HD-quality streams; many movies can be purchased for unlimited viewing for $15.

With companies like Walmart racing to produce popular streaming video service, customers have a wide range of products and pricing plans to choose from, including the following:

• Netflix — With access via gaming consoles, TVs, iPhones, and Android smartphones in addition to computers, the popular classic doesn't look to be going anywhere despite the competition and controversial new pricing structure.
• Hulu Plus — The $8 monthly subscription fee for Hulu Plus allows access to the most current episodes of TV shows and has an even larger catalog of movies available than its free Hulu counterpart. Available via iOS, Android, select gaming consoles, Samsung TVs and computer systems.
• Blockbuster Total Access — Pricing models give customers the option to rent DVDs for home delivery with a subscription plan for $10 or $15, choose to rent DVD without subscriptions, or stream films online on demand.

For those who love the freedom of choice, check out more streaming options after the break.

Watch out Netflix, there's a new streaming site in town, and it already has upwards of 600 million users. This morning, Warner Bros. announced a new partnership with Facebook that will allow users to rent, or even buy, digital titles to stream over the social network from within fan pages. While there's only one title available now — The Dark Knight — the goal is to release more digital rentals in the coming months.

A movie will cost just 30 Facebook credits (or $3), and users have 48 hours to stream it. You can even pause and come back to it at a later time within that two-day window. You'll have access to your news stream while you're watching, so you can post status updates to let your friends know what you're up to. Live updating during a movie? Let's just hope this doesn't become another reason people unfriend.