by Netflix is finally available in South Africa, causing many people to rejoice, however there are those who are not impressed with the offerings currently available on the service.
If Netflix SA isn’t quite what you’d hoped it would be, there are alternatives.
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Enter Showmax. Nasper’s answer to Netflix. Launched in August 2015, Showmax is available in South Africa as well as a number of other countries.
Entering the fray with a bang, the service launched with an extensive library of over 600 different titles and about 20 000 hours of viewing pleasure.
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One package at R99.
That’s right folks. Showmax is only R99 per month. So why would anyone even want to consider other options like Netflix where the standard package is R120? Let’s break down the good, the bad and the ugly of Showmax.
Showmax Currently Offers:
- Over 25 000 episodes, movies, documentaries, series and kids shows with over a 1000 different titles.
- Watch from your smartphone, tablet, smart TV or PC/Mac.
- 2 devices can be logged in simultaneously with up to 5 different devices per account.
Drawbacks of Showmax?
While Showmax does offer HD output they only offer up to 720p resolution. The reason is believed to be based on common connection speeds in SA.
For those with a 4Mbps line, which is currently the average speed of ADSL subscriber, 720p is decent enough.
To ensure the adaptive streaming gives you that 720p resolution, all your bandwidth should all be directed at the Showmax platform. That means disconnecting everything, including your smartphone, from Wi-Fi to ensure smooth streaming.
If you have a line that’s faster than 4Mbps, or you’re one of those blessed with fibre, 720p is a letdown as you have the capability to get full HD (1080p) or even 4K (picture quality that’s 4 times as good as full HD).
In a nutshell, Showmax boasts a far bigger arsenal of content and is the better option for people with access to ADSL speeds of up to 4Mbps.
