Xbox 360 Netflix streaming announced.

hatt

Links here and here for those interested in streaming Netflix onto their HDTV.

And this coming from a Netflix fanbot.

anythingwt

__________________
one love

Beta-guy

Problem is people generally stick with what they know, they know disc formats like DVD/BD. I'm a computer technician, and I had to deal with a customer that got confused by using a different image viewer, I get questions about very simplistic things surrounding computers, I've had to walk users around how to use their computer over the phone, you expect the masses to jump on the movie streaming bandwagon? Only the intermediate or higher experienced users would know or/be interested in streaming video's. If the quality isn't equal to or better than DVD, I expect this streaming nonsense to go away. Because DVD is known and comfortable to the user, and supplies a better quality A/V experience.

Lee Stewart

I believe that you gave totally ignored the HD content providers. VOD is HUGE and getting bigger everyday.

And we can see from the last 3 years that people are not clamouring to buy optical discs. The growth of DVD stopped before HDM ever came out - and the growth of rentals zoomed ahead.

By the end of this year the CST's will have about 100 HD channels to offer HDTV owners and HD On Demand (VOD). "Content is king" was always the mantra of the BD fans.

So who is going to have the most HD content by the end of 2008?

pjc

I really like the streaming option. As a Netflix subscriber and 360 owner, it's free, so I am not losing anything. I can choose not to stream if I want. I realize the quality won't be HD, but of the 288 movies in my queue right now, 76 of them are available in HD (both Blu and HDDVD). It also gives me the option to "preview" movies. We've all gotten movies before that get a lot of hype and you rent it (or "blind" buy it) and you want to shut it off after 20 minutes (Superbad and Babel come to mind for me). This service will allow you to start watching a movie available for streaming and let you decide if it's worth getting the actual disc or not.

The other thing I really like is the ablility to watch with friends over XBL. I have 2 main gaming friends who each have a 360. One friend is an hour north of me and one is an hour south. XBL allows us to still game together and this service has the potential to allow us to watch movies together. We'll see how practical it is after the service is launched.

Overall I think it is a brilliant move on the part of MS and Netflix. If you collect movies, you will still collect them and if you only rent HD media then you don't have to use the service. But if you have both Netlix and a 360, you are going to at least try it no matter what.

Beta, I am not disputing your post, it's just this comment that doesn't make sense to me. If you are using Netflix, odds are you are not going to a video store. If you have a 1 out at a time plan at Netlix, the streaming option might be good while you wait for your next movie.

MikeRox

I don't, why would they want to stop people spending Microsoft points on HD movies by letting them have them for free if they are netflix subscribers? I think they'd only look at upping to HD if their rivals started offering a similar.

__________________
REGION B 4TW!

Latest HD additions - I Love You Man - 17 Again - Born on the 4th of July - Paul Blart: Mall Cop - Monsters, Inc.

HD Movies - Um... Lost count >_< bout 250

Latest Gaming Additions - Mirrors Edge - Scene It BOS - Wartech: Senko No Ronde - Lego Indiana Jones/Kung Fu Panda 2 pack - Silent Hill

DeadmeatHD

There are non-Netflix subscribers.

The whole point of this announcement is to firmly establish Xbox 360 as the center of living room, and drive people AWAY FROM PS3 by any means necessary. Get people used to streaming and downloading, and make them forget about optical discs. This is why Toshiba CEO stated that he saw downloading as the only successor to DVD and why Toshiba was betting everything on downloading strategy, completely bypassing Blu-Ray.

Microsoft has console exclusivity on Netflix streaming. The only thing Sony can do now is to sign a similar streaming deal with Blockbuster.

GLOW

Has anyone else noticed this forum is going backwards? Doesn't anyone appreciate quality HD anymore? What's the next step? I'll tell you- 480i 1.33:1 b&w movies!!!!!!!!! F*ck yeah!!! Retro is not just about fashion and music anymore. Let's all throw our HDTVs in a big pile and burn it to the ground!!!

MikeRox

Is that why they launched HD DVD?

Drive people away from the PS3 by any means necessary you say? Personally I don't see streaming being a big "OMGZ I MUST BUY XBOX 360 FOR THAT!" I mean look at the resistance the PS3 is met with by people not wanting a "games console" for a Blu-ray player, why would they suddenly want an Xbox 360 for their shite quality movie streaming playback?

__________________
REGION B 4TW!

Latest HD additions - I Love You Man - 17 Again - Born on the 4th of July - Paul Blart: Mall Cop - Monsters, Inc.

HD Movies - Um... Lost count >_< bout 250

Latest Gaming Additions - Mirrors Edge - Scene It BOS - Wartech: Senko No Ronde - Lego Indiana Jones/Kung Fu Panda 2 pack - Silent Hill

Beta-guy

funny thing is the crowd cheering that mentality on, were big supporters of HD DVD until things started to turn sour for that, that all of a sudden downloads were the future the thing I wondered about then and still do to this day is why didn't they jump on the only other format that could do HD (and had a higher bitrate than HD DVD BTW) VMD?

hatt

VHS should be back in fashion at any time. Anything so we don't have to watch quality 1080 video and listen to lossless sound. I'd certainly jump through hoops before wanting to subject myself to that.

pjc

I agree. This is by no way a system seller, but it's nice perk if you already have both a 360 and a Netflix subscription.

pjc

But it's not a bad deal to watch stuff you can't get on HD media.

DeadmeatHD

HD-DVD was devised 5 years ago, an eternity in fast-moving tech-world.

You are not going to bother with shopping for Blu-Ray discs or ordering PSN movies if you are preoccupied with Netflix streaming.

HD was never a big draw for general public.
Netflix brings in "economy" and "convenience" factor onto the table. Factors that are hard for Blu-Ray to beat, especially when the vast majority of public doesn't care about 1080p video.

Beta-guy

1. February 2002: Blu-ray is announced, April if the same year the DVD forum decided to use thier own blue laser format but only after March 2002's great idea "In March 2002, the forum voted to approve a proposal endorsed by Warner Bros. and other motion picture studios that involved compressing HD content onto dual-layer DVD-9 discs." this is July 2008 that was April 2002 that's 6 years...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu-ray

2. I'm also not going to bother with a console that suffers from the RROD, especially not to get a lower quality version of a movie...

3. HD will never be a big draw for general public as long as they keep giving out poorer quality version of movies... that's why I chose Blu-ray to give the best possible presentation available today, you can stick with your knock off formats they'll be niche.