Netflix Watch Instantly

How does quality of connection affect your download?

The netflix service scans your connection when you connect and adjust the bitrate of the video to give the fastest playback at the best setting. Here is how it works

Bitrate of video in Mbits / Connection required to get that bitrate

500 / 700
1000 / 1400
1600 / 2240
2200 / 3080

I am not able to watch it on my TV when connected through S-Video/Component and I get a DRM error?

Call tech support. You might have to try more than once until you get someone who know how it works

What type of video card are you using?

There are issues with some video cards and DRM compliance. There is a known issue with many nvidia cards that require atleast one video port to be VGA or DVI out. I had a problem where I had my htpc connection hooked up to my TV with an s-video connection. I ended up having to keep a monitor hooked up to the vga and drag the netflix window from the monitor to the TV using duel view mode. I upgrade to a projector with dvi/hdmi in and have not had that problem since. I got the same issue you are describing where it just wouldn't work no matter how many times I reset my DRM with their tool.

What type of display are you using and what is it connected to?

There is a possibility that some DVI connections will not work for a similar reason to the one above.

From what I have read, it is a similar issue to where you cannot upconvert an SD DVD to 1080p on certain HD players for fear you would copy the video. Some people have been able to get it to work by temporary changing their settings to 480p (640x480) instead.

Is Netflix going to come out with a set top box for netflix online? Can I use it with my PS3 or Xbox?

Netflix, LG to Bring Streaming Movies to TVs

By Terrence Russell January 03, 2008 | 11:10:26 AM Categories: Television

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.engadgethd.com/media/2008/01/1-2-08-netflix_lg.jpg

Netflix has announced a partnership with LG Electronics to produce set-top boxes that stream movies from its online catalog to HDTVs. The good news? For existing Netflix subscribers, there's no additional cost for the service (save for the set-top box itself). The bad news is that the product is part of LG's arsenal for the upcoming CES show -- so we won't be able to tinker with it until the second half of 2008.

According to Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, following in Apple TV's footsteps was the company's initial game plan for this product. "Netflix explored also offering its own Netflix-branded set-top boxes," Hastings said in a statement, "but we concluded that familiar consumer electronics devices from industry leaders like LG Electronics are a better consumer solution for getting the Internet to the TV."

With the meager reception of Apple TV, it's not surprising that a newcomer like Netflix is treading lightly and letting LG handle the hardware. Although it's most likely a wise decision, only time will tell if it's ultimately fool-proof.

For the most part, Netflix has already held up its part of the bargain. The service already has a healthy subscriber base that can access to over 6,000 movies and TV shows on-demand through its site. But up until this point feature length content was largely restricted to either computer screens or services like Apple TV. By partnering with LG, Netflix is not only poised to give Cupertino a run for its money, but also every other video on demand service out there.

Assuming, of course, that LG doesn't make consumers pay through the nose for the new player. For more info on the Netflix/LG wunderkind, be sure to tune in to the Gadgetlab's CES 2008 coverage over the next couple weeks.


Online video rental service Netflix, which already has announced it's producing a set-top box with electronics manufacturer LG that would allow movies to be streamed to your TV, apparently is working on the same thing for video game consoles.

Some Netflix members are reporting on the Internet they are receiving e-mails from the Los Gatos, Calif., to participate in a survey asking them how often they would use a service allowing them to watch streaming movies on their TVs through a PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 gaming console.

The message states that for a PS3, all the viewer needs to do is put in a $3 disc.

"Once you have the disc, you can choose from over 7,000 movies and TV series, and your choice starts playing on your television in as little as 30 seconds," the survey states. "Watching is included in your Netflix plan. There are no extra fees and there are no limits on how much you can watch."

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_8362804?source=rss

What type of video format are they using?

Netflix uses WMV. Windows Media Video (WMV) is a compressed video file format for several proprietary codecs developed by Microsoft. It is very similar in design to VC1 used on HDM, but at a much lower resolution to allow playback on lower end systems.

The Netflix Player is a frontend for Windows Media Player and often needs an upgrade before it will play. Because it uses WMP's engine, you can adjust the video playback with filters such as FFDShow. It is also possible to output this adjust the audio or sent it out bitstreamed to a receiver using filters as well.

Do we have any updates on the console "discs"?

Wife and I watched a movie off this service lastnight. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality.

I agree. Quality is similar to DVD. Haven't had any lag or bandwidth issues on my HTPC. Wish they would employ WMA 5.1 instead of stereo but with ProLogicII sound is good. Really can't complain seeing as it costs nothing on top of regular membership. God bless the guy who wrote the Netflix plug-in for Media Center!

Look like on the Netflix site under the instant watch tab they are now advertising set-top boxs by Roku for 100$

http://www.roku.com/netflixplayer/

Im wondering if the quality of this will be any good on a larger TV. According to cnets review its not even as good as a standard dvd.

Netflix is having an "investor day" webcast next week, from 8:00am to 12:30pm Pacific time...Content announcements? :D

http://files.shareholder.com/downloads/NFLX/272306905x0x191833/521e8f9c-5706-4324-afc6-9f7b8cdda7cf/Netflix%20announces%20investor%20day%20webcast%20042208%20vr 3.pdf

Edit: Next week...the 28th.

Look like on the Netflix site under the instant watch tab they are now advertising set-top boxs by Roku for 100$

http://www.roku.com/netflixplayer/

Saw the announcement this morning. I suspect this will be pretty attractive to the folks that don't have a PC hooked up to their home theater (silly people). Price seems right. The remote looks like a garage door opener :eek:

For all those who turn their noses up at streaming compressed content: no it's not perfect. Not even standard DVD quality. What's pivotal about Netflix streaming is although immature now, they have the audience, and the library to bring about some real progress in the way movies and TV shows are viewed (on demand with a flat monthly fee).

Anyone who's played around with the various streaming services over the years would likely agree - this is the best yet...and getting better ;)

I think Netflix is trying to corner the market. I saw the Roku player now I wonder what the LG box is going to look like and do that this little player can't

Will this lead to streaming HD movies at high bit rates so as not to lose quality?

The article from Electronic House says it is not streaming HD yet but from the sounds of it HD is coming soon how soon I don't know. I can tell you BlockBuster is probably scrambling to get something similar out and will probably try to add HD so it can be the first,so be on the look out for BB. Competition is always good.

I want the rumored player discs to the PS3. Its a machine more than powerful enough to handle streaming.

The article from Electronic House says it is not streaming HD yet but from the sounds of it HD is coming soon how soon I don't know. I can tell you BlockBuster is probably scrambling to get something similar out and will probably try to add HD so it can be the first,so be on the look out for BB. Competition is always good.

As long as it is not bit-starved. Otherwise it will just be HD-Lite.

As long as it is not bit-starved. Otherwise it will just be HD-Lite.

Even if its DVD quality that's pretty good for the size of the library and the unlimitedness.

We just need to make sure we get good sound that more than 2.0.

For many, but I rarely watch SD DVD's anymore....only if it is not released in HD.

As long as it is not bit-starved. Otherwise it will just be HD-Lite.

I think the first implementation we see will be a kind of "HD-Lite". Probably a 720p 5.1 @ 3mbps or so. Netflix uses WMV, so 5.1 WMA audio would be a nice addition. Total file size around 3-5GB :eek: Here's where the bandwidth limitations come into play. Would likely take 4-5 hours to download (at best). Not exactly on-demand. Get home from work and pick what the movie you want to watch, then after dinner, get the kids to bed and it's buffered out enough where you can start watching. I dunno, all speculation.

this has probably been discussed, but I was wondering. Why cant we have the hotel type hardware for on demand movies? Is it satellite driven?

What is great is that they show newly released material.

This new Roku player seems so limited now.

Paul

I think the first implementation we see will be a kind of "HD-Lite". Probably a 720p 5.1 @ 3mbps or so. Netflix uses WMV, so 5.1 WMA audio would be a nice addition. Total file size around 3-5GB :eek: Here's where the bandwidth limitations come into play. Would likely take 4-5 hours to download (at best). Not exactly on-demand. Get home from work and pick what the movie you want to watch, then after dinner, get the kids to bed and it's buffered out enough where you can start watching. I dunno, all speculation.

I don't know why you would think this. Both Vudu and AppleTV offer similar "HD-Lite" and neither take much wait period at all.

I think I might get one of these. Might as well make more use from my Netflix subscription, and it's only $99. Practically free! Ok, not really, but pretty cheap nonetheless. I assume the box is HD capable (even if they aren't offering HD right now).

My wife says don't even bother if its not DVD quality. Oh yeah, she's spoiled! :D

I don't know why you would think this. Both Vudu and AppleTV offer similar "HD-Lite" and neither take much wait period at all.

From what I understand, their "HD" has good resolution but low bitrate which is why playback starts without much wait.

I recall reading (http://gizmodo.com/352392/vudu-test-confirms-hd-download-worries-plus-what-needs-to-be-done)the "HD" from Vudu isn't much better than their SD service. The low bitrates seem to be a trend with many of these "HD" services (http://blogs.zdnet.com/Ou/?p=959). I'm living in hopes of a higher bitrate "HD" deployment from Netflix. But I rarely get what I want :o

I just ordered one. The AuPair will be able to use it to keep the offspring amused...worth it's weight in gold. If only they had Thomas & Friends available for instant download. Anyway with the purchase of this, my Comcast box goes out the window :D as the only reason we kept cable was for the kids shows on demand.

I hope Netflix in the near future makes all their titles available for instant viewing. For anyone who has'nt looked at their current instant movies lately they arent the greatest titles.

I snagged one; I figured for $99 with a 30day money back time period, why not? Often, there are movies I wouldn't mind seeing, but I don't want to waste a netflix slot for them (3 out at a time program) and miss out on a new release.

I already have an AppleTV, but am not a big fan of iTunes and their pay to view setup. I mostly use the AppleTV to view YouTube on the big screen, and to view digital photos - why I bought it in the first place.

well, at least we are heading in the right direction.

Ditto boykster. $99 was too cheap to pass on, given it'll help me get more from my Netflix membership. I've streamed a few movies to my PC via the Watch Instantly service, but I'll certainly make more use of it if I can watch from the couch.

For those with a Windows Vista Media Center HTPC, note that you can grab the vmcNetflix (http://myweb.cableone.net/eluttmann04/projects/vmcNetFlix/default.htm) plugin for improved Netflix integration -- *PLUS*, the plugin reportedly enables "Instant Watch" capability on the Xbox 360, through Vista MCE extender functionality.

edit: See this review (http://www.missingremote.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2759&Itemid=1) of the THREE current MCE Netflix plugins, as of late May2008, for more info.

Thanks for that vmcNetflix link - that is very cool. I have a HTPC connected to a 46" Sharp D62U, and the "watch instantly" movies from Netflix look quite nice - lots of the titles are anamorphic widescreen. The overall video quality is almost as nice as DVD IMO, and better than analog SD. I also think that the quality is as good or better than Amazon unbox.

I'm tempted to get this, but also tempted to wait since I have the 360 (no Vista MCE though) and hope that they will make it available through it soon.

Does anyone know if the Roku box is or will be available anywhere besides the website? If I could get it at BB, I have a $50 gift card, but don't see it listed there (yet).

I can't wait to try out the roku box. I think it will work great along with a tr-50 for a very cheap tv service. Hopefully my girlfriend will let me cancel cable.

I really like where the digital streaming is going, and while I have 2 HTPCs integrated into my video distribution system, I only use them for watching ripped DVDs using DVDLobby + ZoomPlayer.

Changing those systems to include MCE or other method for streaming netflix would require a major overhaul to those systems, and they are very stable, entirely controlled by IR remote, and WAF friendly to the point that my wife uses it regularly on her own. Heck, even my parents who are in their 60's use the system easily on their own.

By dropping this netflix box into the video system and adding some remote pages/codes to the pronto remotes it seems that I'll have an easy addition for minimal $ and effort.

I ordered one (already have a netflix subscription). I'll return it if the quality is too poor.

I hope Netflix in the near future makes all their titles available for instant viewing. For anyone who has'nt looked at their current instant movies lately they arent the greatest titles.

Pretty sure its a contractual/legal thing. I really doubt Netflix is the one limiting the quality of the titles unless they are concerned about their server load. I would imagine if I were Netflix I wouldn't waste my time encoding independent and B-list crap no one watches to instant download unless I needed to fill out my library because the major studios are hesitant to allow rights.

As far as Netflix is concerned an oscar winner takes as much space on a hard drive and takes as much encoding time as Bob and Doug's backyard horror flick. I would imagine all things being equal they would devote their time to the one somebody is going to watch.

If the Netflix business plan works and it becomes popular I would be horribly afraid if I were the studios. I mean as much as a collector I am I know of about two dozen less DVDs I would have bought if I had them available on Netflix instant download. Even if it was slightly less than DVD quality I wouldn't mind on some titles, especially the TV series. Besides, if Netflix sees this taking off they might invest more into improving the quality and infrastructure.

Its a win win for the consumers and Netflix if they can get the quality passable. A flat fee instant rental service combined with huge saving in postal costs for Netflix and less worry about inventory management

I bought the device and am excited to get it, I know the titles aren't great but they have a lot of the history channel shows I like to watch, I don't mind Modern Marvels being less than perfect quality because well... it looks horrible on cable anyway... I've watched a bunch of the old black and white shows on my pc and they seem to be pretty decent. Besides like i said, I'm willing to trade quality for convenience on some titles, You still have the option to wait for the DVD or Blu-Ray on the titles you really care about the presentation. But for Crappy B-List films, films you want to watch on a whim, Stand up Comedy, Some TV Shows, stuff you just want on while you do something else, this is a great tool.

the watch it now selection is definitely improving. we just restarted netflix the other day and it's certainly better than it was 5-6 months ago. A ways to go, yes, but it is improving.

I received my netflix player today,and I have to say: I'm impressed!

Video quality: better than analog SD cable (for most content) but not quite DVD quality. Sound is stereo, video is 480p (I'm using component). The setup was fast and easy, the UI is very intuitive and easy to use, and I've had pretty much ZERO problems with pausing or stuttering during playback. I've had it on for several hours now, and I've had 2 minor audio blips.

Sure, the selection is slim for new releases, but there's some real gems that I've been wanting to see, but didnt' want to release a slot in my dvd queue for. I've been watching the BBC "The Office" as well as Tripping the Rift and a bunch of other things.

I would much rather watch this, than to watch SD cable movies on my 92" screen / AE900u 720p projector.

I received my netflix player today,and I have to say: I'm impressed!

Video quality: better than analog SD cable (for most content) but not quite DVD quality. Sound is stereo, video is 480p (I'm using component). The setup was fast and easy, the UI is very intuitive and easy to use, and I've had pretty much ZERO problems with pausing or stuttering during playback. I've had it on for several hours now, and I've had 2 minor audio blips.

Sure, the selection is slim for new releases, but there's some real gems that I've been wanting to see, but didnt' want to release a slot in my dvd queue for. I've been watching the BBC "The Office" as well as Tripping the Rift and a bunch of other things.

I would much rather watch this, than to watch SD cable movies on my 92" screen / AE900u 720p projector.


I am glad for you. I hear a lot of people knocking watch now but I think its cool. Like I said before Netflix has the ball in their court if they can improve the video quality of watch now and it doesnt have to be true hd but clean up the images of the movie to atleast an good upconvert look then this little piece of equipment is going to catch fire.

I am glad for you. I hear a lot of people knocking watch now but I think its cool. Like I said before Netflix has the ball in their court if they can improve the video quality of watch now and it doesnt have to be true hd but clean up the images of the movie to atleast an good upconvert look then this little piece of equipment is going to catch fire.

Videos look great streaming through my XBox 360. I have a fast internet connection so I'm getting the best quality stream. And my 360 is hooked up via HDMI so the videos are upscaled. Looks DVD quailty to me so I have no complaints.

I'll be really interested to see how this box fares when they do offer HD content. I have an AppleTV and have viewed their "HD" trailers and it's pretty decent. Its certainly not BluRay quality, but for a streaming solution, its pretty impressive. I just dont like Apple's fee structure / policy.

For $99 the netflix box is a really good deal. If it was $200, not so much.

I really like where the digital streaming is going, and while I have 2 HTPCs integrated into my video distribution system, I only use them for watching ripped DVDs using DVDLobby + ZoomPlayer.

Changing those systems to include MCE or other method for streaming netflix would require a major overhaul to those systems, and they are very stable, entirely controlled by IR remote, and WAF friendly to the point that my wife uses it regularly on her own. Heck, even my parents who are in their 60's use the system easily on their own.

By dropping this netflix box into the video system and adding some remote pages/codes to the pronto remotes it seems that I'll have an easy addition for minimal $ and effort.

teach me your ways master so I too can avoid the "honeeeeey come fix the TV"

I received my netflix player today,and I have to say: I'm impressed!

Video quality: better than analog SD cable (for most content) but not quite DVD quality. Sound is stereo, video is 480p (I'm using component). The setup was fast and easy, the UI is very intuitive and easy to use, and I've had pretty much ZERO problems with pausing or stuttering during playback. I've had it on for several hours now, and I've had 2 minor audio blips.

Sure, the selection is slim for new releases, but there's some real gems that I've been wanting to see, but didnt' want to release a slot in my dvd queue for. I've been watching the BBC "The Office" as well as Tripping the Rift and a bunch of other things.

I would much rather watch this, than to watch SD cable movies on my 92" screen / AE900u 720p projector.

are you able to post any screenshots of the interface?

are you able to post any screenshots of the interface?

I can certainly go take a few pics and post them here.

Ok, mind the flash and reflections, these are quick shots from my 42" panasonic plasma. Don't consider this a good gauge of video quality either, I didn't pause, control lighting etc, but I did do an A/B comparison of Ghostbusters to my DVD of it, and the PQ on the Netflix player is a bit softer than the DVD - noticable, but for non-critical viewing, its just fine.

1. This is the built in rotating logo screensaver
2. Instant View Queue
3. Movie Details
4. The loading screen once you play a title - note the quality reading and the progress bar.
5. Movie playing

6. View when you press "Select" - pauses the movie and shows keyframes forward and backward. This is also the view you see if you press "left" or "right" while watching the movie (not ffw or rew) - video then jumps to the next/prev keyframe.

7. Pause view. Play/Pause button toggles pause and playback. One feature missing is the ability to pop that timeline bar while the movie is still playing, but I already submitted that as a feature request and hopefully they'll implement it.

8. FFW/REW view. This is the preview you get while quickly moving through a film. A thumbnail keyframe preview is constantly updated (still pic though) so you can keep reference where you are in the movie. Its small, but still usable and better than ffw/rew blind.

9. This is another view of the queue, but this time of a tv series. Notice that it lists how many episodes are in the set

10. TV Series detail view - pretty much the same as the movie view, with the exception of the menu to choose a different episode.

11. This is the page to choose the episode. You get a synopsis of the episode. There is no unique image per episode, but there does seem to be a placeholder up above for it possibly in the future. Who knows.

Hey guys,

I am patiently awaiting my Roku box which should arrive in the next few days. In the mean time I have done a little research and set up my XBOX 360 to run Netflix via Windows Media Center on my living room TV (Samsung 40" 1080p). The XBox is connected via HDMI.
My question is if anyone has had experience with both. If instant viewing via the XBOX 360 is of better quality or the same as the Roku then I am considering just using the Xbox in the living room and putting the Roku in the bedroom.
So far my experience with the XBOX 360 has its pros and cons. I have trouble getting the plug-in for Media Center to work smoothly with the XBOX 360 and it is requiring re-initializations and extender resets each time to work. However, the XBOX 360 is already integrated in my Home Theater setup and isn't limited by having to set up a queue online via PC. You can pick any available movie directly and watch instantly. And I can place movies in my "mail" queue from my TV.
Has anyone compared the two technically? Am I losing anything (PQ, AQ, ect.) by using the XBOX 360? Does the Roku box have any advantages? Any experience on the subject would be great.

Thanks

thanks for the pics, I like the interface. Pretty simple but not as bare bones as one might think for a 99 device. I plan on waiting a bit to see if netflix gets linked with ps3 or 360, but if not this box seems like a great deal.

If you already have a XBox 360 there is really no need for this device.

If you already have a XBox 360 there is really no need for this device.

For me it was as much about ease of integration as feature set. I jumped on it because it's a standalone, low power draw box, that could integrate seamlessly into my distributed video system. I already had 7 zones of video that I distribute to 7 rooms:

1. HD DVR
2. SD cablebox (scaled to 480p component output)
3. AppleTV
4. HTPC1 (DVDLobby / Zoomplayer usage only)
5. HTPC2 (DVDLobby / Zoomplayer usage only)
6. DVD player
7. Xbox360

All routed to remote displays using component video / stereo audio (except theater which gets digital audio to the AVR), switched by an Extron 12x8 matrix switch, and controlled by a central IR system that handles routing and control for the remote viewing zones. I could have expanded the HTPC role to play the netflix content, but that would have required a large paradigm shift in how these PC's are used, an interface change, etc, and as I've previously stated, I've got these to the point of being as stable and easy to use as an STB, so I didn't want to mess with that.

I could have gone the xbox360 route as well, but that has a more complicated interface, is multi usage so not as easy for someone to just "pick up" (ie parents), and is much higher power draw than this little netflix box.

I wasn't looking for another video source, but this guy was too hard to pass up. I agree, if you have an HTPC using that MCE plugin, or have your Xbox360 setup for it, you don't need this device. But it's inexpensive, works exactly as advertised, and was a good fit for me.

;)

If you already have a XBox 360 there is really no need for this device.

not everyone has windows media center on their pc.

not everyone has windows media center on their pc.

True. I hadn't thought about that. My bad.

In that case, for $99 for the device and $9 a month for netflix service this really is a great deal.

I received my netflix player today,and I have to say: I'm impressed!

Video quality: better than analog SD cable (for most content) but not quite DVD quality. Sound is stereo, video is 480p (I'm using component). The setup was fast and easy, the UI is very intuitive and easy to use, and I've had pretty much ZERO problems with pausing or stuttering during playback. I've had it on for several hours now, and I've had 2 minor audio blips.

Sure, the selection is slim for new releases, but there's some real gems that I've been wanting to see, but didnt' want to release a slot in my dvd queue for. I've been watching the BBC "The Office" as well as Tripping the Rift and a bunch of other things.

I would much rather watch this, than to watch SD cable movies on my 92" screen / AE900u 720p projector.

I received my Roku player yesterday and my experience pretty much mirrors yours. Setup is a breeze. PQ is better then most SD content I get through DirecTV (although this may very depending on content, I only played around with it for about an hour last night). So far I would have to say this is money very well spent. I have certainly paid more and gotten less (the xbox 360 wireless adapter comes to mind). This with the combo of getting new release s on Blu is great IMO as most of the stuff I am watching on this thing is older movies and TV shows and who know if or when this content will ever come to Blu. Anyone who is interested in this product I would recommend going over to netflix and view their watch now movies and TV shows. If there are enough there then I would jump in. I did and I'm certainly not looking back as I am very pleased with this little box so far.

For those with a Windows Vista Media Center HTPC, note that you can grab the vmcNetflix (http://myweb.cableone.net/eluttmann04/projects/vmcNetFlix/default.htm) plugin for improved Netflix integration -- *PLUS*, the plugin reportedly enables "Instant Watch" capability on the Xbox 360, through Vista MCE extender functionality.

edit: See this review (http://www.missingremote.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2759&Itemid=1) of the THREE current MCE Netflix plugins, as of late May2008, for more info.

Thank you for this. I've been waiting for MCE integration.

A question for anyone familiar with this service already and/or has one of these Roku boxes -- the specs for Internet connection speed say you really need a minimum of 1.5 Mbps. I believe we only really get about 1.0 Mbps at the moment. Will this new service work for us, then? Or will we need to upgrade the connection speed? (Not something I'm sure we want to do right now as it's going to cost even more than we're already paying the cable co., and that's a LOT.)

Thanks in advance.

DGK

A question for anyone familiar with this service already and/or has one of these Roku boxes -- the specs for Internet connection speed say you really need a minimum of 1.5 Mbps. I believe we only really get about 1.0 Mbps at the moment. Will this new service work for us, then? Or will we need to upgrade the connection speed? (Not something I'm sure we want to do right now as it's going to cost even more than we're already paying the cable co., and that's a LOT.)

Thanks in advance.

DGK

You can still use it I believe. You will experience much degraded quality however. There are 4 levels of video "quality" and the box will adjust to your connection speed. I forget how 1.0 Mbps compares but I think the best quality feed requires 2.2 Mbps or something to that effect. So figure about half quality. Check out the first post in this topic to see the bitrate breakdowns. With 1.0 Mbps you will get 1 "dot" of quality.... if you have 1.5 Mbps maybe 2.

Does this device have BUILT-IN wireless or do you need to add an adapter?

Does this device have BUILT-IN wireless or do you need to add an adapter?

It is built-in. I'm using wired, but several other users on the Roku board have been using wireless with good success as well. There have been a few users with crowded wireless environments causing some signal problems, but Roku tech support has been very responsive with troubleshooting and helping resolve those issues.

Because it uses WMP's engine, you can adjust the video playback with filters such as FFDShow.

:( How? I've been trying, and failing, to get FFDShow to activate when I play NetFlix On Demand. I desperately need FFDShow in order to fix the black level issues. When I watch Heroes, for example, the black crush is so insane it's unbearable.

My setup:
Windows XP
Card: ATI 9700 Pro with up-to-date drivers
Connection: DVI-HDMI
TV: Panasonic 800u, Black Level = "Light" (Dark just clips the blacks further)
(EDIT) Output mode: 1080p/60

While I'm at it, what are the correct FFDShow settings to fix this issue? I assume the problem is that 16-235 is being expanded to 0-255, and my TV thinks that black is still 16. I see numerous options that might or might not fix that: (RGB conversion, 12 different output colorspace options, etc.)

What's the right way?

Thanks for any help!

PS I've verified that it's not an issue with my TV's settings. I can max/min picture and brightness and it won't reveal the calibration bars on Avia DVD using WMP. The bars are immediately visible if I run the DVD using PowerDVD.

I received my netflix player today,and I have to say: I'm impressed!

Video quality: better than analog SD cable (for most content) but not quite DVD quality. Sound is stereo, video is 480p (I'm using component). The setup was fast and easy, the UI is very intuitive and easy to use, and I've had pretty much ZERO problems with pausing or stuttering during playback. I've had it on for several hours now, and I've had 2 minor audio blips.

Sure, the selection is slim for new releases, but there's some real gems that I've been wanting to see, but didnt' want to release a slot in my dvd queue for. I've been watching the BBC "The Office" as well as Tripping the Rift and a bunch of other things.

I would much rather watch this, than to watch SD cable movies on my 92" screen / AE900u 720p projector.

Is 480i available as an output option? Hopefully they're sending 480i as it will conserve bandwidth. I don't like the idea of having this little box deinterlacing for me compared to my scaler. Although for $99 it may do in a pinch for TV shows or something not requiring top notch video.

larry

The output is 480p, and 480p only until HD is available, and then 720p and 1080i will be available via the HDMI connector (don't know about 1080p).

I was checking out the list here: http://weathernuts.com/netflix_instant_watch.htm

I already ordered this from Roku (two weeks backordered) but the list seems pretty weak on offerings. Are you guys happy with the selections?

I was checking out the list here: http://weathernuts.com/netflix_instant_watch.htm

I already ordered this from Roku (two weeks backordered) but the list seems pretty weak on offerings. Are you guys happy with the selections?

IMO it's not that bad a list to start off with, but I'm more of a fan of TV shows (old and new) than movies anyway. I'm sure there will be more added to the list later on...

DGK

Yep, the selection is a bit weak at the moment, but like DeeKaye07 said, if you're a fan of old tv shows, or oddball BBC stuff, etc there's plenty to keep you busy now, and more being added regularly.

Its certainly NOT a replacement for getting new titles - I will continue to buy/netflix mail new BluRay and DVD titles.

I have had mine for almost a week now and am quite impressed. The inteface is quite nice, if was VERY easy to integrate into the automation in my theater and the picture quality is quite good, when the source material is good. Can't polish a turd you know.

Interestingly I have found that some content is in mutichannel sound. I was lead to believe that everything was stereo, but this seems not to be true.

Interestingly I have found that some content is in mutichannel sound. I was lead to believe that everything was stereo, but this seems not to be true.
Really? What title(s)?

I spent all day with head of NetFlix's compression operation, and he seemed pretty sure they were still doing stereo :).

Multiple Queue's - Help

I have my Netflix account set up with 3 separate queues for myself and my two children. Will they each be able to add items to their "watch instantly" queue or will it only link to the main one?

Figured it out:

If you have multiple queues only the main queue has access to the "watch instantly" tab. I have collapsed the three queues for me an my kids into one, now we get to fight again on which movie is top of the queue.

I like this device and will keep me a netflix customer

Very fast and easy setup. Picture quality was surprisingly good on my Sony XBR 36" tube tv. My wife thought it was dvd quality. I wouldn't say that but it was very watchable. We really like the simplicity of it and the way the pause menu works.
On netflix's site they say that this is the first (and least expensive) of future devices:

"We are working to get TV manufacturers, Blu-ray player manufacturers, and game console manufacturers to make their devices ready for instant streaming from Netflix. The first of these multi-function Netflix ready devices are likely to be available in late 2008.
The $99.99 single-function Netflix ready device from Roku, which is available now, is likely to be the lowest cost Netflix ready device for the foreseeable future."

Can't wait to see what the future will bring!

^ late 2008, eh? I hope they mean the XBOX 360. Although I did just pick up a PS3, so either one works for me. I'm kindof holding off on buying one of these or an AppleTV until I see what's going on...both with these "other" devices and with all the bandwidth caps.

^ late 2008, eh? I hope they mean the XBOX 360. Although I did just pick up a PS3, so either one works for me. I'm kindof holding off on buying one of these or an AppleTV until I see what's going on...both with these "other" devices and with all the bandwidth caps.

The survey they did with the consoles was on both. So I dont see why they would not go for both (huge market coverage) unless either company pays them for exclusivity.

The survey they did with the consoles was on both. So I dont see why they would not go for both (huge market coverage) unless either company pays them for exclusivity.

Yeah, I assume it will be both. The bandwidth cap thing worries me, although my ISP (Comcast) hasn't announced any plans that I am aware of, but I am assuming/guessing it is just a matter of time until most ISPs follow suit.

just a quick word of advise to those saying something about the console's haveing something if thats what your waiteing on i would say if there's no announcement at E3 in july its probably going to be awile would be my guess

I have been using this service for months now. The main problem is lack of good content.

PQ could also be substantially improved. The image is very soft on my 106" screen.

Some movies are for some reason presented in 4:3 aspect ratio. Why do this?

I don't expect that many new releases will make it here. That is OK. I would just like a better variety of good content, even if it is older. There is too much stiff I have never heard of and that can probably be found in the 99 cent bin in the local supermarket.

I am hopeful that this service will improve in the near future because it does have a lot of promise.

I noticed that Netflix has eliminated separate movie queues. Only the main queue could access the instant content, I wonder if that played a part.

Ralph

Are their PS3 owners already streaming videos from Netflix watch now? Or is this sometime in the future as well? Software upgrade? I'm planning to get a PS3 soon and this will be a nice additional feature. I'll rent the Bluray discs from Netlix at the same time stream videos off Netlfix. I'm trying to minimize cost on my mini home theater due to budget constraints.

The movie quality is nice. not the greatest...but my downloads are slow but I thinks its because I download so much crap, my isp is probably throttling me..

I have to say I am very impressed with the Roku Player. I have had it for about a week now. It is connected via Wi-Fi, and HDMI to my Denon4308ci A/V receiver. I have a few "advantages" such as having Turbo Road Runner, [10 mbs down, and 1 mbs up]. The receiver has an I/P scaler that I have turned on, so the Samsung HL61A750 LED/DLP is receiving an upconverted signal to 1080p, and in addition, the receiver is synthesizing 7 channel stereo from the 2 channel input. While it certainly not HD-DVD quality, fellow neighbors who have NetFlix subscriptions who have come over to see the Roku, have all commented that they didn't know that the Roku was NOT putting out an HD signal. Almost anyone on this forum would not be "fooled" but I did agree with them that the display image is as good as an SD/DVD that has been upconverted to 1080i by a so-so player. Our SD/DVD player is an Oppo 983H, and I can certainly tell the display image is not 983H quality.

Even my technophobic wife thought that it was in broadcast HD quality.

I can already tell my 'Honey DO' List is going to be growing, as I am a big classic movie fan and you can't be doing both!

Are their PS3 owners already streaming videos from Netflix watch now? Or is this sometime in the future as well? Software upgrade? I'm planning to get a PS3 soon and this will be a nice additional feature. I'll rent the Bluray discs from Netlix at the same time stream videos off Netlfix. I'm trying to minimize cost on my mini home theater due to budget constraints.

ps3 (and 360) applications of the watch now service have been rumored for awhile now. I've had my fingers crossed, hopefully we'll hear something soon, possibly at E3 in July.

ps3 (and 360) applications of the watch now service have been rumored for awhile now. I've had my fingers crossed, hopefully we'll hear something soon, possibly at E3 in July.

I'm hoping that they do something with the XBox 360 soon. I've been using the plugin for Vista MCE (vmcNetFlix (http://myweb.cableone.net/eluttmann04/projects/vmcNetFlix/default.htm)) to stream to my 360 and it works well when it works. Key phrase being "when it works". It's a nice effort on the authors part but is so buggy I've given up using it.

I took the bait and finally could not resist, I ordered mine this morning.

There was quite a bit of TV content avaiable that most appealed to me, and toss in a few movies to boot and the price is right, its hard to complain, but I'm sure I'll chime in with something :D

Looking forward to seeing this thing in motion.

I plan on maximizing this player by feeding it into a couple of other rooms via the additional ouptuts on the backplane.

I'm basically just waiting a couple of weeks until E3 to see if either PS3 or 360 support is announced (I own both).

If not, I'll order the Roku box. Although I have nothing to back this up, I am a bit afraid that they might start charging extra for this service, and maybe grandfather the early-adopters into keeping it free (similar to how Tivo used to offer lifetime subscriptions but the people who waited got burned and had to pay by the month).

That's probably just my paranoia talking though. It does that.

I'm basically just waiting a couple of weeks until E3 to see if either PS3 or 360 support is announced (I own both).

If not, I'll order the Roku box. Although I have nothing to back this up, I am a bit afraid that they might start charging extra for this service, and maybe grandfather the early-adopters into keeping it free (similar to how Tivo used to offer lifetime subscriptions but the people who waited got burned and had to pay by the month).

That's probably just my paranoia talking though. It does that.

Exactly what I am thinking. I want to be grandfathered in on a 8.99 plan and the roku box. It seems they are stirring the waters with the account changes and something big may be coming later in the year.

Exactly what I am thinking. I want to be grandfathered in on a 8.99 plan and the roku box. It seems they are stirring the waters with the account changes and something big may be coming later in the year.

I'm glad I'm not the only one thinking that they might start charging (especially when HD stuff comes). I probably should order the Roku now to be on the safe side....I can always unload it later if/when PS3 or 360 support comes, and it's only $99 so it's not like it's a major investment. That's only like 1.5 tanks of gas.

My $.02 is that I don't use nor asked for the Instant Watch feature, and Netflix should credit me back the extra amount that they will soon be charging me for Blu-rays.

My $.02 is that I don't use nor asked for the Instant Watch feature, and Netflix should credit me back the extra amount that they will soon be charging me for Blu-rays.

Wow...

Complain about the blu-ray charge if you want, but seriously Netflix added instant now support free of charge, whether you use it or not is irrelevant, they gave you something for nothing, which is unique and commendable.

In addition the HD gravy train the last few years has been the same thing, for years we were enjoying HD DVD and Blu-Ray at zero additional cost despite the added cost to Netflix.

I'm not happy with he decision to charge more for blu-ray, but the truth is Netflix has been damn good to their customers over the last few years. They added and improved service significantly and I think my bill went up maybe a dollar over that time? The way I see it if they add a few bucks for Blu-Ray or whatever it would be pretty on par to a normal acceptable increase. Besides they start charging for BD it will improve service I'm sure both with their increased revenue for stock and the fact it will reduce the customers renting blu-ray so availability should be easier. On the other hand charging for instant now would be ridiculous unless it greatly improves the catalog and adds HD.

That's my $.02...

I recieved my Roku Netflix device on Thursday and had it installed in less than 10 minutes.

It works as advertised and is very is easy to operate. I found about 100 titles that I, my wife, or kids were interested in that were viewable via "Watch Now" on Netflix to add to my Watch Now queue.

Some of the titles were TV shows with multiple episodes, so in reality we probably have a couple hundred hours worth of content.

Most of the content looks as good as DVD or only marginally worse, some of it looks better than DVD (mostly animation). The video comes across as 480P and seems to be deinterlaced very well, so it probably is significantly better than playing a DVD on an average DVD player. Probably not better than an ABT or HQV based DVD player. I am scaling the content via the Faroudja chip in my Denon 3808ci reciever and it looks good.

If you are thinking about this device, I say buy it. For $100, how can you go wrong?

-Abe

^^^ Couldn't agree more. I just ordered a second Roku box for my bedroom because I was getting tired of moving it back and forth.

not trying to be a smart-a$$, but wouldn't it have just been cheaper to order a long-assed set of cables from monoprice and run the box to both rooms?

oh yeah, as i typed i remembered the whole "being able to control (ff/rew) it" thang.
nevermind.

not trying to be a smart-a$$, but wouldn't it have just been cheaper to order a long-assed set of cables from monoprice and run the box to both rooms?

oh yeah, as i typed i remembered the whole "being able to control (ff/rew) it" thang.
nevermind.

Not only that but some folks don't want "a long-assed set of cables" all over the place.
My wife hated it when I used to run a 50ft. long ethernet cable from my old xbox to the router!

I'm getting the following error:

Video Driver Error
Your computer's video card driver may not support the Netflix Movie Viewer. Sometimes simply rebooting your computer will fix the problem. If not, please obtain the latest driver from your computer's video card manufacturer or its web site, install it, reboot your computer, and try to play a movie again.

For further information, see our Video Driver Error FAQ. If the problem persists, or you would like assistance, please contact Netflix technical support and report the following error code(s):

WMPError(C00D1197)

Windows Media Player cannot find the file. If you are trying to play, burn, or sync an item that is in your library, the item might point to a file that has been moved, renamed, or deleted.

This started yesterday, and I had no changes that I'm aware of.

I have an 8500GT via VGA running vista SP1. I also connected via HDMI for my mobo's onboard 7100 to try that, while disabling the 8500GT. Same results.

I updated and rolled back drivers, reinstalled nexflix software, restarted computer, reset modem, basically everything except reset DRM.

Any ideas why I can't access netflix watch now all of a sudden? For the majority of the time, I don't even get an error... Just a black screen as if the movie is about to load, except it never does, not does the time stamp change from all 0:00:00's

Netflix watch instantly coming to 360 soon and it doesn't sound like its coming to the PS3 by the way they worded it.

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/888/888869p1.html

11:23 AM - Exclusive partnership announced with Netflix.

11:24 AM - Netflix subscribers can watch movies in their queue via Live.

11:24 AM - And people in your Party can all watch the same movie together over Live.

Yep, sounds 360 exclusive. Did they say when this stuff was coming? I'm watching the feed, but I guess I missed the timeframe.

My GUESS would be when the fall update hits later this year (since they mention people in your party being able to watch the same movie) but I could easily be wrong. Off topic but not really liking the Wii Avatar clones.

Yeah looks like it will be with the fall update. The XBox keeps getting better and better.

Off topic: FINAL FANTASY XIII COMING TO THE XBOX 360!!!!

On Xbox.com they have a Netflix logo up now and it says coming late fall so it appears to be part of the Fall Dashboard update.

They said on tome for the holidays, so in the fall. Terrible that it requires a gold account though. But I guess they have to put value into that membership.

I like the fact that you can invite your friends from across town or across the country to sit and watch a movie with you. The new party system they are adding to live is great stuff.

Netflix watch instantly coming to 360 soon and it doesn't sound like its coming to the PS3 by the way they worded it.

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/888/888869p1.html

11:23 AM - Exclusive partnership announced with Netflix.

11:24 AM - Netflix subscribers can watch movies in their queue via Live.

11:24 AM - And people in your Party can all watch the same movie together over Live.

XBox 360 to stream Netflix movies (http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gAeLpFUmF7uINATNoiOHlH9SR_cwD91TRVSG1)

Hastings hopes to add about 8,000 more titles to the streaming service during the next 18 months.

I am wondering if we can get some of those movies in HD

Yeah looks like it will be with the fall update. The XBox keeps getting better and better.

Off topic: FINAL FANTASY XIII COMING TO THE XBOX 360!!!!

wow this is cool a forum

anyone know if bestbuy sells the roku player? i dont see it on the website, i was wondering cause if so sweet since i have $80 on my rewardzone account waiting to be used for something.

also about picture quality, i know its not dvd quality but is it as good or better than what i would get from cable or dish? I would totally ditch my cable service (i wont miss hd channels as much as id rather just upgrade my net connection and save a little money in the process)

if quality is as good or better than cable then ill get it, been planning on getting netflix anyways, and if blockbusters download service goes the netflix route ill ad them as well when they come out.

What type of audio do you get when you stream these movies? I want to know if I should drop blockbuster and go with Netflix. If it streams with Dolby Digital 5.1 I will jump on the bandwagon.

What type of audio do you get when you stream these movies? I want to know if I should drop blockbuster and go with Netflix. If it streams with Dolby Digital 5.1 I will jump on the bandwagon.

i think as of right now its just stereo

I have the Roku hooked up to my Sony XBR 36" CRT via S-VIDEO (SVHS) cable. I have a 20mB download speed and always get maximum quality.
I usually do not have any problems with the Roku. Very occasionally I notice a slight stuttering or jerkiness to the image.
But last night I was watching a French romantic comedy called "The Housekeeper."
Link here: http://www.netflix.com/Movie/The_Housekeeper/60029163?trkid=222336&lnkctr=srchrd-sr&strkid=1728931597_0_0
It was non-stop stuttering from start to finish! It was still watchable but quite annoying. I restarted the movie several times but it did not help.
I'm not sure if frames were being dropped or skipped but it was quite noticeable.
Has anyone else with the Roku noticed this? I might be mistaken but I seem to recall this problem more with foreign films than with USA films.
What I wanted to know is it just me or is it the way the film was possible encoded for netflix?
If someone could please add this movie to there queue and take a look at it for a few minutes for me and report back I would greatly appreciate it.
Thank you.

Yeah, I tried it and it did the same thing for me (on both Roku and PC). I watched different movies before and after and they were fine. Must've dropped frames during the encoding?

Yeah, I tried it and it did the same thing for me (on both Roku and PC). I watched different movies before and after and they were fine. Must've dropped frames during the encoding?

I thought so! Thank you very much!!

ive got a question for the roku users out there.... how does it work the interface when you put a whole season for a tv show in your instant queue? ive seen some reviews of the roku device and nobody ever shows how it handles video with multiple shows under it. i would assume it just shows each episode under the season and you select the episode from there (like the website) but ive never seen it shown anywhere.

im a 360 owner so im betting it will work the same as the roku since the interfaces are somewhat similar.

ive got a question for the roku users out there.... how does it work the interface when you put a whole season for a tv show in your instant queue? ive seen some reviews of the roku device and nobody ever shows how it handles video with multiple shows under it. i would assume it just shows each episode under the season and you select the episode from there (like the website) but ive never seen it shown anywhere.

im a 360 owner so im betting it will work the same as the roku since the interfaces are somewhat similar.

Once you select a TV show it take you to another screen which has each episode listed in order with a description of the episode. There aren't any pics for the individual episodes but you do get a description.

i think as of right now its just stereo

No need for me to buy an Xbox then! The lack of surround sound has been a deal breaker for me with the PS3 and PSN. I was thinking about buying an Xbox so I could be prepped for the Netflix movies but if all you are getting is 2-channel stereo then I will pass. Not worth it for me! I'll stick with rentals and purchases.

I bought one about 45 days ago and really like it, hell I've canceled my cable because of it. However, I just bought a laptop that will sit on the coffee table and be connected to my TV so I really don't need the Roku anymore. It's out of the 30 day money back period, so will I be able to sell it to someone? This unit isn't locked into my account, is it?

No need for me to buy an Xbox then! The lack of surround sound has been a deal breaker for me with the PS3 and PSN. I was thinking about buying an Xbox so I could be prepped for the Netflix movies but if all you are getting is 2-channel stereo then I will pass. Not worth it for me! I'll stick with rentals and purchases.
Xbox 360 movie rentals are in 5.1.

When HD, makes it to the Neflix box can it be expected to have hdmi 1.3 1080p/24 output capability of Bluray with DTS-MA or Dolby TruHD 5.1 bitstreamed to the reciever for matrixing up to 7.1?

Well ...... I can dream can't I???

GBPVR plugin: http://www.epgtools.com/Plugins/Netflix/screenshots.html

I've also coded it to work on the PopcornHour NMT (running the GBPVR client). Just waiting for Syabas to implement DRM playback.

GBPVR plugin: http://www.epgtools.com/Plugins/Netflix/screenshots.html

I've also coded it to work on the PopcornHour NMT (running the GBPVR client). Just waiting for Syabas to implement DRM playback.

Can you please repeat this post in English?!?! :p:p

Can you please repeat this post in English?!?! :p:pI wrote a plugin for GBPVR (http://www.gbpvr.com) (Media Center replacement) that allows you to download movies from Netflix and watch them. The PopcornHour NMT (http://www.popcornhour.com) is an extender device of sorts and GBPVR supports it. Think of it as an HD capable Hauppauge MVP. Syabas makes the firmware for the NMT and is working on the ability to play back DRM protected files. Once they get it working, the plugin will be fully functional on the NMT.

I saw the news for this new device and rather than buy one, I thought why not just hook up my PC instead? I just wanted to check, before I bought the new cables that everything would work and the video will actually appear on my TV.
I would connect my 8800GT to my Onkyo 605 via DVI to HDMI cable and connect my onboard Realtek sound via SPDIF (COAX). Then my TV is connected to the Onkyo via HDMI. Is there any reason why this won't work?
I read through this post and saw a few mentions of this topic, but no answers, so sorry if I double queried and missed the answer. Thanks!

That should work just fine.

Cool!

has anyone had a issue with the Roku box putting out some sparks and smoke, I was thinking the movie I was watching was bad, but did not expect the Roku to self destruct.

After my shock of this and making sure the rest of the system was ok. I discovered that this may have been caused by the power supply falling apart. I had a bare circut board pluged into my power conditioner powering the Roku.

you guys may want to check the condion of the PS for the Roku, it seems there was no glue holding it together. This unit went from the box to hooked-up and stayed that way till this misshap.
Also nice sunny day here in Florida, no storms, no power surges

Regards
Bill T

60 Hz buzz

My Roku Netflix box has developed a 60Hz buzz in the left audio channel through the RCA jacks. I called it in, got a return number and will hopefully be shipped a replacement promptly.

I have had my Roku device for about 8 weeks and I love it. Yes, you can hook a computer up to your TV, but it's so much easier to use this device with the remote control than to use your computer or laptop with cables hanging out. The interface is awesome and I always get 3 or 4 out of 4 stars on the quality meter, so the majority of the movies look pretty much DVD quality. And although the Watch It Now library was a little sparse in the beginning, now it seems that Netflix keeps adding new movies to their library every day, so it's very easy to find something good to watch. I can't say enough good things about this device, it's awesome...

I had a question about the ratio that movies play at on Netflix. I use my laptop connected via s-video to watch movies on my tv. I was watching Dexter and it has black bars similar to watching a 2:35 aspect ratio movie. I saw Real Genius and it only took up 1/3 of the screen with the bars on the top and bottom. Is it the web site or just my computer that is outputing the wrong aspect?

I have had the Roku box since it first came out a few months ago and I love it. I have it hooked up to my Plasma in my bedroom. I used to to get through reality tv hell over the summer time. I primarily watch television shows on it with occasional movies thrown in. I watched both seasons of Jeremiah (which season 2 is only available on instant viewing), I started watching Heros, and I am watching Jericho.

I have a number of newer movies in my queue which I have already seen on DVD and don't care to have it in my DVD queue. The lack of surround sound does not bother me much here.

I really don't care to have a PC hooked up to any of my televisions and this is the best alternative on the market. I have have watched way to much television on this device since I got it. The Roku device is the best 99 dollars I have spent in a long time.

Now that Netflix is adding Starz play 2,500 movies on top of the 12,000 they already have this is just getting better and better.

speaking of the starz stuff anybody notice some of the content looks really good and some of it looks horrible..... ive only tried a few things since i dont have the 360 update yet and as such am watching off my pc. but some of the movies just look bad (stargate comes to mind). i know its an older flick but it looked worse than youtube video quality to me.

but some of the newer movies looked very good (potc at worlds end).

Now that Netflix is adding Starz play 2,500 movies on top of the 12,000 they already have this is just getting better and better.

Where did you get the 2,500 movie quote from??

This is from Netflix:

"The Starz Play Service includes approximately 1,000 movies, TV episodes and other entertainment."

Where did you get the 2,500 movie quote from??

This is from Netflix:

"The Starz Play Service includes approximately 1,000 movies, TV episodes and other entertainment."If you count each episode as a separate movie, it's about 2,500.

If you count each episode as a separate movie, it's about 2,500.

I just got done reading into it more. Starz Play has 2,500 movies, but they only put 1,000 of them on Netflix right now, the others will be available soon.

I took a look and found many GREAT movies available on StarzPlay to us Netflix users, but I found even more crap. I'm talking just literally crap, I saw about 40 movies or shows in a row that said Gene Autry Blah Blah, not sure who she is but I doubt I'll be watching it. My question is this: are the other 1,500 movies that will be coming to us soon the same type of "filler" crap (just to boost the quantity of titles) or will there be more great movies/shows?

Either way, I can't complain. For about $18 a month I get 3 BluRay discs out at a time and unlimited watching so I'm definitely coming out ahead.

I'm talking just literally crap, I saw about 40 movies or shows in a row that said Gene Autry Blah Blah, not sure who she is but I doubt I'll be watching it. ..

You really don't know who Gene Autry was?
http://www.google.com/musicl?lid=48YnZ2q-IyN&aid=nzkZKajwp_E

I'm talking just literally crap, I saw about 40 movies or shows in a row that said Gene Autry Blah Blah, not sure who she is but I doubt I'll be watching it.:eek: :D
"She" is a he and his movies are classics. There are a LOT of people who would not consider them "crap".

http://www.allposters.com/IMAGES/77/039_34460.jpg

LOL, I just typed that name into google and found he was born in 1907 :p:p

I stand by what I said, there is a lot of crap. Last time I looked "Gene Autry" wasn't making millions in theatres. If he had such a big following, they would re-release all that crap and make billions. Until then, all those movies and shows that everybody who lives in this century wants to see are being surpast by a bunch of filler crap like 40 Gene Autry shows.

gene autry is a LEGEND...

there may be a lot of stuff that you aren't interested in... that doesn't make it crap...

gene autry is a LEGEND...

there may be a lot of stuff that you aren't interested in... that doesn't make it crap...

Like I said, if he was so great they would be putting his crap back in the theatres and all over TV. Instead, they have good movies and shows in the theatres and on TV. Those good movies and shows are what people also want on Netflix, not the filler crap like Gene Autry.

You following what I am saying? I'm not talking opinions here, this is hard core facts. If he could actualy make a buck today they would be exploiting that, and people like me who were born in the last 3 decades would actually know his name (and the fact that he is a man and not a woman).

If you want to talk opinions, I could bring up the fact that most of the Gene Autry stuff on Netflix is rated incredibly low. When sorted by rating all the Gene Autry stuff is at the bottom. Apparently not too many people hold his work too high, in their opinion.

i see...

since movies with orson wells, jimmy stewart, john wayne, cary grant, bogey, hepburn, ingrid bergman, etc. etc. etc. aren't in "movie theaters or on tv" in today's world, they are crap...

interesting... i need to go delete a boatload of stuff out of my watch instantly queue now that i've learned they are "crap"...

i see...

since movies with orson wells, jimmy stewart, john wayne, cary grant, bogey, hepburn, ingrid bergman, etc. etc. etc. aren't in "movie theaters or on tv" in today's world, they are crap...

interesting... i need to go delete a boatload of stuff out of my watch instantly queue now that i've learned they are "crap"... Absolutely. If they aren't being brought back, they no longer have any value in todays world. You finally understand?

The world is driven by the dollar, you are apparently old enough to understand that. No body today is willing to spend that dollar on any of those names you just mentioned.

In today's world, that crap is just filling in so they could say they have 1,000 movies instead of 150 movies. You know that 40 Gene Autry titles are on Netflix as a booster, so stop denying it...

Should you do as you said and remove those movies from your queue? Well, that's up to you. Those movies are crap, as I said, but some people actually like crap. You could find people eating crap, smearing it all over their bodies, making love in it. So, some people definitely like crap, so who am I to tell them to stay away? If you want to watch your crap, go right ahead.

As for the topic of this thread, let's try and stay on it from here on out.

The world is driven by the dollar, you are apparently old enough to understand that.

...

but some people actually like crap. You could find people eating crap, smearing it all over their bodies, making love in it. So, some people definitely like crap...

Which is exactly why some of today's movies make the money they do.

Dont have much idea. I wonder what the quality and download will be like. Just let me know if it is good. May think of ordering one.

Dont have much idea. I wonder what the quality and download will be like. Just let me know if it is good. May think of ordering one.
It streams, there is no download time. If you have a fast connection it will be pretty good quality. I think a fair description of the quality is to say it's a little bit better than standard definition digital cable, IMO.

We had Netflix a while back when the first streaming option was released. I was annoyed by the 15 hour playback time, since I could eat that up fast. The movie service was always great, though.

We decided to drop NF and just use our cable TV on-demand.


However, after researching it after a recent move, and now looking at the new options available, as well as the Xbox Live stream in November, we have signed up for Netflix again, as of today.

I'm very impressed with the difference in the streaming service. We are getting rid of our cable due to their inabililty to provide us with quality service(constantly dropping out, no HD channels come through, higher digital channels are gone). As little TV as we watch, this should fit the bill nicely.

Absolutely. If they aren't being brought back, they no longer have any value in todays world. You finally understand?

The world is driven by the dollar, you are apparently old enough to understand that. No body today is willing to spend that dollar on any of those names you just mentioned.

In today's world, that crap is just filling in so they could say they have 1,000 movies instead of 150 movies. You know that 40 Gene Autry titles are on Netflix as a booster, so stop denying it...


SteelCity,
I barely post anything here, but I couldn't stand reading your "crap". Sure you have your own opinion, and here's mine. Just because the movies are old, and "they aren't being brought back" DO NOT mean they have no value today. Ever heard of the word "vintage"?

Most of movie buffs have to admit the success of "The good, the bad and the ugly", or "For a few dollars more",... and the excitement they give every time they're being rewatched (that's why walmart keeps restocking these type dvds, or TV channels such as AMC keep broadcasting them). We can tell that they don't make these western movies any more (as of now), but their big fans are still alive, still there kicking, and "the movie legends" are keep being told, taught generation after generation. The same for Gene Autry.

How could you come to such a quick conclusion that "No body today is willing to spend that dollar", and Gene Autry is "crap", when you haven't seen the movies, or have ABSOLUTELY no idea who Gene Autry was. I don't know who he was either, probably when he was popular, MY PARENTS were not even born. But I'm sure people with such a decent knowledge or basic common sense reasoning will not call a legend in film, radio, and television..."crap".

Please don't compare these old movies with current high-tech hollywood top box office movies, and call they're "crap". Hi def PS3/360 games don't make people lose interest in dirt-cheap old school 2-D Nintendo games.

If you don't like it, move along,... noob.

SteelCity,
I barely post anything here, You should probably keep that up
but I couldn't stand reading your "crap". Sorry if the truth hurts.
Sure you have your own opinion, and here's mine. I didn't ask for yours, and I really don't care what you have to say. But, for the sake of arguement, I will correct you.
Just because the movies are old, and "they aren't being brought back" DO NOT mean they have no value today. Ever heard of the word "vintage"? If your mighty word "vintage" was actually worth something, people would be exploiting that.

Most of movie buffs have to admit the success of "The good, the bad and the ugly", or "For a few dollars more",... and the excitement they give every time they're being rewatched (that's why walmart keeps restocking these type dvds, or TV channels such as AMC keep broadcasting them). We can tell that they don't make these western movies any more (as of now), but their big fans are still alive, still there kicking, and "the movie legends" are keep being told, taught generation after generation. The same for Gene Autry. If anything you mentioned was worth something, it would be on prime time ABC, NBC, etc. Not AMC. The DVD sales would be thru the roof.

How could you come to such a quick conclusion that "No body today is willing to spend that dollar", and Gene Autry is "crap", when you haven't seen the movies, or have ABSOLUTELY no idea who Gene Autry was. Because I use logic, it's really that simple. I've never seen a movie with John Smith Jr. in it, but I know it's crap. If it weren't, it would be selling all over the place. I don't know who he was either, probably when he was popular, MY PARENTS were not even born. But I'm sure people with such a decent knowledge or basic common sense reasoning will not call a legend in film, radio, and television..."crap". I'm sorry if my honesty offends you, but I just call a spade a spade. BTW, you should stay away from Netflix because just about all the users also think your buddy Gene is crap, that's why his crap is rated just about the lowest out of all the newly available Starz movies/shows.

Please don't compare these old movies with current high-tech hollywood top box office movies, and call they're "crap". I did, many times, what are you going to do about it? Hi def PS3/360 games don't make people lose interest in dirt-cheap old school 2-D Nintendo games. Sure it does! Jeeze, you're not to smart, are you? Most people have lost interest in the old Nintendo games, or else Nintendo would still be selling it. But instead, you can get a Nintendo with games for $10 on eBay because the vast majority of the world has lost interest. Where is the logic in your thinking? Or do you just speak without thinking at all?

If you don't like it, move along,... noob.
lol, noob? Is that the best you got? What a little boy...

Enough! Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and it is just that: opinion. Continued posts like the above can result in this thread being closed or deleted. No one wants that.

Back to topic:
Hopefully the addition of Starz is a precursor to greater things to the Watch Instantly service (like - hopefully - the addition of HD material).

I was thinking the other day about the general level of decorum and , well, good manners that set this forum on a level above many others.

I'm only speaking for myself, but steelcity, tone down the attitude...you are the first person to go on my ignore list in 10 years.

How do you block viewing posts from a specific users again?

How do you block viewing posts from a specific users again?http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/profile.php?do=ignorelist

I was thinking the other day about the general level of decorum and , well, good manners that set this forum on a level above many others.

I'm only speaking for myself, but steelcity, tone down the attitude...you are the first person to go on my ignore list in 10 years.

+1

mark

I was thinking the other day about the general level of decorum and , well, good manners that set this forum on a level above many others.

I'm only speaking for myself, but steelcity, tone down the attitude...you are the first person to go on my ignore list in 10 years.

well, can't say he's the first for me, but he joined a "select few"... :p

ah, to once again have the knowledge and certitude of youth... ;)

has there been any "decent" rumors about hd lately?

well, can't say he's the first for me, but he joined a "select few"... :p

ah, to once again have the knowledge and certitude of youth... ;)

has there been any "decent" rumors about hd lately?
i havent seen anything specifically but ive always heard the reason netflix hasnt gone hd was they were waiting for the silverlight 2 stuff to come out (also would be with mac support as well as integrated drm). and interestingly enough it comes out next week.

http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1634

yay! mac support!!! no more being treated like the red-headed step-child... :D

i hope silverlight 2 works "out of the box"... hopefully ms has done their q/a well...

I purchased the Roku/Netflix box when it came out but didn't install it because we didn't have a TV! Well, we finally got a Panny HD and I hooked up my box. I am impressed by the easy installation, service and the picture. It's a great addition to our movie viewing options, and if you have Netflix, there's no monthly charge (for now). While the service doesn't provide HD downloads yet, I hooked it up using a HDMI cable and the picture is clear and sharp. Like my Sonos system, the Roku/Netflix box is technology that works and is simple to install and use.

Netflix and Samsung have now teamed up. This was a bit of a surprise to me since we knew about the LG partnership way in advance of the product, but I hadn't heard about this until now. You can read about it here:

http://tech.yahoo.com/news/nm/20081023/tc_nm/us_netflix_samsung_1

speaking of the starz stuff anybody notice some of the content looks really good and some of it looks horrible..... ive only tried a few things since i dont have the 360 update yet and as such am watching off my pc. but some of the movies just look bad (stargate comes to mind). i know its an older flick but it looked worse than youtube video quality to me.

but some of the newer movies looked very good (potc at worlds end).

Some of the Starz content was loaded incorrectly. E.g., THE NET would only give 1 quality dot, whereas every other movie in my instant queue gave 4 dots. I called Netflix and they said they were aware of this and were reloading the Starz films that uploaded poorly. A couple days later, THE NET was now showing 4 circles/dots.

I simultaneously watched Resident Evil 3 (Extinction?) on both Starz broadcast cable SD and the Netflix version. Two things stood out:

1. The Starz SD version on cable was pan and scan, and the PQ was poor.
2. The Netflix Instantview Starz version was widescreen (extra picture info compared to the SD cable broadcast was easily apparent), and the PQ was much better.

So at least for this movie the Netflix/Starz edition is better and not just duplicative of Starz.

Also, the fastest wireless streaming is 2.2 Mbps, apparently. I don't know how this will work with future HD streaming. I discovered this because I was wondering if my recent increase of my Internet speed from 5/2 to 15/2 should increase the streaming of the movies to the Roku box. I asked Roku why I wasn't seeing faster streaming. The customer service guy responded:

Dear Customer,

This is to notify you that your email for CASE ID #XXXXX has been recorded with details below.

Thank you for contacting ROKU Support. My name is Steve and I will be assisting you with your query. I apologize for the delay in answering your valuable query.

Since, the player is connected with wireless connection ,we have to check the distance between the router and to the roku player. The distance should be around 25 to 30 feet. If the distance is below 25 feet then we can manually force the downloading speed in the roku player.

1. In the roku remote and press Home key -5 times, rewind -3 times and forward -2 times.
2. In the debugging mode,select the speed for the connection and try to play a movie.

I hope the information would be helpful. Please feel free to write back to us if you have further questions.

Thank you for contacting ROKU Support.

Regards,
Steve
ROKU Support

- - -

I did what he said [i.e., accessed the download speed menu choices], and wrote back the following (but did not get a response):

I compared AUTOMATIC with 2.2 Mbps and the speed was the same. If 2.2 is the fastest wireless available, then I'm already streaming movies to the Netflix player as fast as possible. The onscreen instructions said my settings would be in effect until I rebooted the Netflix player. Do I have to reboot it to set the new settings, or did my speed changes (i.e., from Automatic to 2.2) take effect when I changed the speed?

What does the "DEBUGGING enable/disable" in the menu do? I left it set at DISABLE.

Some of the Starz content was loaded incorrectly. E.g., THE NET would only give 1 quality dot, whereas every other movie in my instant queue gave 4 dots. I called Netflix and they said they were aware of this and were reloading the Starz films that uploaded poorly. A couple days later, THE NET was now showing 4 circles/dots.

If you dont mind me asking where do you see those "dots"?

when you select a movie and it shows you "retrieving", you'll see them to the right of the progress bar... at least when using the roku box...

Thanks for posting the tip, eweiss.

I was getting only two dots in this morning, so I forced it to 2.2. The movie took longer to start, but the quality was up to max.

when you select a movie and it shows you "retrieving", you'll see them to the right of the progress bar... at least when using the roku box...
ahh... i was trying to use the pc software since i dont have the 360 update yet. i was thinking it was listed on the website somewhere.

netflix goes limited hd.... things just got ALOT more interesting.

http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/10/29/hd-netflix-streaming-comes-to-xbox-360-first/

Can't wait for Nov. 19th. I hope this doesn't mean my 360 is going to RROD on Nov 18th.

Reports are its 5mbps 720p. And remember you need a good internet connection that will support that bandwidth.

c'mon netflix... gimme hd on my roku...

bandwidth, we got... :)

5mbits is a pretty good compromise to get more people that can use the hd streaming....

this is a pretty crappy example but it shows what silverlight can do at 2mbits.
http://msbluelight-0.agappdom.net/e1/d/31260/1108895/63360914400/0.ERgsk4ekzZylD_X8YvnP1onB2Y8/zziframehtml1zz.html#%2fStartWithParent%2fappId%2f%2f%2f%2f% 2f%2f%2f%2ftrue%2f1.0%2f8%2fMicrosoftAjax.js%2fSilverlightCo ntrol.js%2fSilverlightMedia.js%2fExpressionPlayer.js%2fPlaye rStrings.js%2fplayer.js%2fStartPlayer.js%2fSilverlight.js

5mbits is a pretty good compromise to get more people that can use the hd streaming....

this is a pretty crappy example but it shows what silverlight can do at 2mbits.
http://msbluelight-0.agappdom.net/e1/d/31260/1108895/63360914400/0.ERgsk4ekzZylD_X8YvnP1onB2Y8/zziframehtml1zz.html#%2fStartWithParent%2fappId%2f%2f%2f%2f% 2f%2f%2f%2ftrue%2f1.0%2f8%2fMicrosoftAjax.js%2fSilverlightCo ntrol.js%2fSilverlightMedia.js%2fExpressionPlayer.js%2fPlaye rStrings.js%2fplayer.js%2fStartPlayer.js%2fSilverlight.js

Itll look pretty good but I sure hope theres more than 2.0 sound...

c'mon netflix... gimme hd on my roku...

bandwidth, we got... :)

Yep, bring it on Roku/netflix. While you're at it Roku, add the Hulu support you mentioned a while back.

*edit
Cnet now reporting more than just the 360
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13515_3-10078091-26.html

I get better quality from my HD Comcast and don't have to wait for the download or watch on a PC screen.

I get better quality from my HD Comcast and don't have to wait for the download or watch on a PC screen.

What are you talking about?
You are comparing HD cable to netflix SD streams? I won't even get into cable HD quality (can I use that word when referring to cable HD) :)

As for the netflix service, I watch it on my tv and wait about 10 seconds for the movie to start and quality is on par with dvd. It is not claiming HD yet.

Just got my Roku box connected. I'm wireless just this second but will hard wire over the weekend. It's not jaw dropping but I am impressed. It is a sign of things to come, I'm sure. Hopefully we get Hulu and HD in the near future.

Chris White

See here:
http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/10/30/netflix-watch-instantly-coming-to-tivo/

Pretty cool. I wonder what's next? We'll almost certainly never see Netflix support on cable or satellite boxes because they view Netflix as a competitor. Same is probably true for Sony and the PS3.

So far the Roku box still has the advantage of being the only one with built-in wifi.

Oh the tivo option is is kick ass. I am so much looking forward to it. It would be what I was looking for in consilidating my Roku box with another device.

With the tivo hard drive, could netflix offer HDX quality liek Vudu?....?

Looks like HD streaming is coming to all the Netflix streaming devices soon

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13515_3-10078091-26.html

According to the article, HD streaming won't be "immediately" available for the PC or Mac however. So that means no HD streaming for HTPCs or for PS3 via playOn.

Also, the bandwidth requirements for HD streaming is supposed to be steep. From the above cited article: "Netflix estimates the requirement being in the 8-10 Mbps range."

woot! :D

actually, it's a net positive if the bandwidth requirements are steep... that should mean, just going on bitrate assumptions, that the end product should be pretty good...

the question is, is can they fill the pipe that fast on the other end? which is probably why they are limiting the titles at first...

any idea when the silverlight windows player will be available? I would assume that is when they will enable HD streaming to the PC

Just got the Roku box today. Forced to 2.2 mode, wireless, and I'm impressed!

Watching it on my 106 screen with the Marantz VP4001 projector through component input.

Had to tweak the pj component inputs, but I'm very happy with the results. Quite an enjoyable picture, and I really can't see a dropoff from standard dvd.

Hopefully, Netflix won't get stupid and start jacking up their fees. This is too sweet!

woot! :D

actually, it's a net positive if the bandwidth requirements are steep... that should mean, just going on bitrate assumptions, that the end product should be pretty good...

the question is, is can they fill the pipe that fast on the other end? which is probably why they are limiting the titles at first...

They have said the stream is a 720p 5mpbs with 2.0 sound stream. A littl emore if they decide to put in 5.1 sound. So they require a few extra mbps on top of it to make sure they don't use your entire bandwidth. So DSL 6 wont handle it, and neither will normal Cable from Comcast, it powerboosts to 10 for a minute or so, but it only handles about 5-6 sustained if that.

Hopefully, Netflix won't get stupid and start jacking up their fees. This is too sweet!

i don't think they will, at least not right away... there is a HUGE market out there for a good subcription based streamed hd movie service... with the exception of the true pq bigots, i'm (again, assuming by the bandwidth requirements) guessing the picture is going to be pretty darn good for the great majority of people...

i REALLY like the business model the way this is working out for them... they are getting a variety of devices in people's hands cheap... and when you hook those devices up, they WORK... and if they deliver a better than reasonable quality end product, they'll sell even more... cheap, easy, etc.

They have said the stream is a 720p 5mpbs with 2.0 sound stream. A littl emore if they decide to put in 5.1 sound. So they require a few extra mbps on top of it to make sure they don't use your entire bandwidth. So DSL 6 wont handle it, and neither will normal Cable from Comcast, it powerboosts to 10 for a minute or so, but it only handles about 5-6 sustained if that.

thanks for the info... 5.1 would be enough to make me happy... :)

true about dsl and cable... but fios will... ;)

heck I have 10/1.5 uverse right now, but I'll bump to the 18meg profile for HD from Netflix if the quality is there.

Frostlich, what are you referring to withh your Roku 2.2 mode? (I have a Roku box)

Frostlich, what are you referring to withh your Roku 2.2 mode? (I have a Roku box)


Per eweiss' earlier post:

1. In the roku remote and press Home key -5 times, rewind -3 times and forward -2 times.

2. In the debugging mode,select the speed for the connection and try to play a movie.

***This made a significant difference in my picture quality.***
THANKS Eweiss!

is this necessary if I always get 4 dots?

Btw, how do you know it's in 2.2 mode? I hit Select, but it just went back to my queue.

is this necessary if I always get 4 dots?

Btw, how do you know it's in 2.2 mode? I hit Select, but it just went back to my queue.

I don't know for sure, but if you're already getting 4 dots, I think that's as good as it gets. I had 2 dots, and after selecting 2.2 I get 4 dots/better quality. Sorry for the confusion.

I don't know of a way to find out if you're in 2.2. I just go and select it.

thanks for the info... 5.1 would be enough to make me happy... :)

true about dsl and cable... but fios will... ;)

True. U-verse is also sustained at whatever you buy so the 10 profile ought to be fine.

I am just afraid people are going to put this on a pedestal and then realize that the vast majority cant use it or they have to shell out to Comcast some ungodly amount to use it (the new 20 plan that is nearly 100 bucks a month!!! and all it is is 20 powerboosted and about 12 sustained).

understandable fear... over-touting of a product has been known to take place at avs... ;)

realistically though, it's a good time for them to put a toe in the water with it... there's enough of an installed base of satisfactory bandwidth out there that will buy into it, but that base isn't so large that they might be biting off more than they can chew...

if you DO have the bandwidth, it would appear to be a no brainer for a $99 box and a $9 monthly subscription fee... but we'll see... don't want to get too excited about it, because not all "no brainers" work out... it's certainly a good start though...

is this necessary if I always get 4 dots?

Btw, how do you know it's in 2.2 mode? I hit Select, but it just went back to my queue.

nope. 4 dots be as good as it gets. :)

dunno on the second question... i already had a network switch in my rack, so i just hardwired mine...

understandable fear... over-touting of a product has been known to take place at avs... ;)

realistically though, it's a good time for them to put a toe in the water with it... there's enough of an installed base of satisfactory bandwidth out there that will buy into it, but that base isn't so large that they might be biting off more than they can chew...

if you DO have the bandwidth, it would appear to be a no brainer for a $99 box and a $9 monthly subscription fee... but we'll see... don't want to get too excited about it, because not all "no brainers" work out... it's certainly a good start though...

I agree. I want to see it in more devices. ATT's U-verse cable boxes would be a perfect place. They already have some connection to Tivo, as I have seen co-advertising multiple times in the past few months. Plus, it would be a no brainer in connection with U-Verse's 10mbps internet speed.

That said, I know I cant use it as we are on DSL 6 now. U-verse 10 soon, but not yet. A $10 a month plan that gives me a new release Bluray a week and satisfactory HD quality catalog titles on demand is the best deal I have seen in a while in the media world.

the cable box would be the most "convenient" solution, but i don't it happening, unless the providers give up on vod entirely... i freely admit i could be wrong about that...

i can easily live with the roku box though... it's tiny and it works...

i would agree with you, a new release every week and a good catalog, and it's a home run... 9 bucks a month is a STEAL for that alone... plus that ignores the growing catalog of sd that's available...

disclaimer: i have been on the streaming media bandwagon from day 1... so i may be a bit over enthusiastic... ;)

the cable box would be the most "convenient" solution, but i don't it happening, unless the providers give up on vod entirely... i freely admit i could be wrong about that...

i can easily live with the roku box though... it's tiny and it works...

i would agree with you, a new release every week and a good catalog, and it's a home run... 9 bucks a month is a STEAL for that alone... plus that ignores the growing catalog of sd that's available...

disclaimer: i have been on the streaming media bandwagon from day 1... so i may be a bit over enthusiastic... ;)

I agree on the question whether ATT for example would forego VOD. But they would not have to. If anything, they can charge for new release rentals as they do now, because I doubt Netflix will ever have free new releases streaming. It would be complimentary services. ATT gives you new stuff for pay, Netflix takes care of the archives for a monthly fee. Its not like Comcast or ATT don't have free VOD libraries of antiques.

That said, I dont think any current VOD would ever supplement discs for me. After watching movies on Bluray with a high quality 5.1 or 7.1 soundtrack, I could not imagine being satisfied with a relatively low quality Netflix offering. I could watch some old catalog movies that way, but experiencing Ironman or Dark Knight, or something like Godfather or Casino Royale, or Matrix or Star Wars in just stereo and low resolution is like robbing myself of the experience. I stopped going to the movies more than once or twice a year and invested in a nice TV and 7.1 setup for a reason.

But yes, a small cheap Roku box like that is perfect, simple and to the point. I am just waiting to buy one until I see if it gets integrated into more devices, one that I may already have perhaps...

they have the public beta optin program for the silverlight player.... its quite a bit better than the old one but it is a one way process for the blog post.

http://www.netflix.com/silverlightoptin

http://blog.netflix.com/ (more info about it here)

What is the cheapest package you can buy to have access to the downloading service?

They actually have a download only package for $7.99 but I think it is limited to the starz play stuff (probably the best known of their instant offerings), but I figure why not get the 1 out at a time plus unlimited watch instantly (everything they offer for watch instantly) for $8.99.

Is there a package where I can get high definition sound with Netflix download?
I want it on my PS3 because I have a 5.1 setup. If it takes a long time to download (like 2 days), then snail mail would be faster actually since Netflix could just mail me a Blu-Ray.
Hopefully they will offer these films with HD audio and not just video.

Is there a package where I can get high definition sound with Netflix download?
I want it on my PS3 because I have a 5.1 setup. If it takes a long time to download (like 2 days), then snail mail would be faster actually since Netflix could just mail me a Blu-Ray.
Hopefully they will offer these films with HD audio and not just video.

No plan now for HD audio. And not likely in the future. It takes a lot of bandwidth and they use every bit they can to increase video quality since its more noticeable to more people.

And it wont load over a long time. It just streams on the fly. So if you dont have an internet connection that is fast enough, it wont allow you to stream HD. Gizmodo reports it requires 8-10mbps sustained connection for HD now over the Xbox360. The Roku box is supposedly going to be able to do it with less bandwidth at less quality if that's all that's available.

The best bet is to get Netflix and get Blurays from them for movies you want to watch with full blown quality (think Lord of the Rings), and use the On demand downloads for older catalog titles or stuff where top quality is not crucial (think a chick flick or comedy where 5.1 sound is not needed). This is what I am doing.

I am so excited about Netflix coming to TiVo. A few months ago I upgraded my cable to 10mbps for 5 bucks more. Ill finally have a use for it.

I finally got this up and running yesterday - a few quick observations;

(1) With a fairly new ASUS motherboard, 2gig of ram, nvidia 8600GTS video card, the video quality is very good. (with XP & Firefox 2.0.0.17)

(2) There does appear to be a noticeable a/v sync problem on a few of the videos, altho I watched Blade Runner(Director's Cut) last nite and it was excellent. At this time it's impossible to tell whether the sync problem is from their video DRM encoding or from the transmission/ISP loop somewhere along the line.

(3) The video quality varies from good to excellent, altho I don't see the same 'snap' that I do get from watching HULU.

(4) Audio appears to be straight 2-channel stereo; a 5.1 option would be nice here.

My conclusion: needs some work, but definitely watchable and enjoyable, and it's nice to have another online instant video option.

Now if they could only sack MS and come up with a Linux version....:)

LeeB

They have said the stream is a 720p 5mpbs with 2.0 sound stream. A littl emore if they decide to put in 5.1 sound. So they require a few extra mbps on top of it to make sure they don't use your entire bandwidth. So DSL 6 wont handle it, and neither will normal Cable from Comcast, it powerboosts to 10 for a minute or so, but it only handles about 5-6 sustained if that.

Depends on your area. Mine sustains at 21 mbps and jumps to 30mbps for small bursts.

Now if they could only sack MS and come up with a Linux version....:)

There is Moonlight for Linux which is being developed under the Mono project and supported by MS. I haven't tried it, but I understand that it will support Silverlight 1.0 by end of 2008 and Silverlight 2.0 by June 2009.

There is Moonlight for Linux which is being developed under the Mono project and supported by MS. I haven't tried it, but I understand that it will support Silverlight 1.0 by end of 2008 and Silverlight 2.0 by June 2009.
But Silverlight with PlayReady DRM?

I've tried this with the WMV player and the quality is very poor on my 92" screen. It's probably due to my 1.5 mps max data rate. Are there any other PC based streaming programs that have better quality by storing on the disk like VuDu does?

I'm trying to determine if the "Watch Instantly" service is perfect for me...

I receive the major network stations over the air on my HD TiVo. I also have analog Mediacom cable (not digital) for the non-network shows (South Park on Comedy Central, Burn Notice and Psych on USA Network, Family Guy on TBS, 30 Days and Nip Tuck on FX Network for example).
My plan is to cancel my analog cable subscription and utilize either a Roku or the Netflix "Instant Watch" on my HD Tivo to watch all the non-network shows (hopefully in better quality than standard cable).

I understand I may have two concerns;
1. bandwidth (this can have an effect on video quality)
2. bandwidth cap (this may effect how many shows I can download each month)

As for concern #1 I will have to try it when I get it
As for concern #2 I am unaware of any bandwidth caps placed by Mediacom

I also understand that television shows are not immediately available from Netflix. I may have to wait a day or two after the episodes have aired before they become available on Netflix.

My concern (and also something I have not been able to find out) is any limit on the number of television shows I would have "Watch Instantly" access to the device (either my HD TiVo or the Roku not both). There is a limit to the number of Movies but are TV shows limited? Are there any commercials in the TV Shows?

Aside from the two limitations mentioned above (bandwidth and bandwidth cap) this type of solution seems like the perfect answer to those seeking an "a-la-carte" alternative from their cable company.. Am I missing something here?
Thanks in advance.

I'm thinking of signing up for netflix, for the download (and the snail mail rentals). Is the download service a standard VC-1 or AVC file that would work on my PS3 using windows media server or tversity?

I'm thinking of signing up for netflix, for the download (and the snail mail rentals). Is the download service a standard VC-1 or AVC file that would work on my PS3 using windows media server or tversity?

No. You have to use Microsoft's Silverlight on the PC. Its one of the reasons streaming is so limited now.

However, you can use playon from playon.org and it will stream Netflix just like Tversity.

Here is a good post on the technical details of Netflix's HD streaming solution:

http://blog.netflix.com/2008/11/encoding-for-streaming.html

No. You have to use Microsoft's Silverlight on the PC. Its one of the reasons streaming is so limited now.

However, you can use playon from playon.org and it will stream Netflix just like Tversity.

Just a warning that the silverlight is NOT compatible with PlayOn. There's some posts over there about people who started using the silverlight version of NF, and it broke PlayOn.

Also, PlayOn won't do the HD.

However it still is a great piece of software. I use it regularly.

haven't been paying attention... have they enabled hd streaming for the roku player yet?

haven't been paying attention... have they enabled hd streaming for the roku player yet?

I am relatively sure the XBOX is the only one that HD is available on. HD didn't even show up as an option in the Watch Instantly stuff until I registered my XBOX with it.

But with that said, it's got to be coming soon to the Roku.

thanks...

i'm assuming you've tried it? any comments?

Is there any per month limit on the number of television shows available on "Watch Instantly" like there is on the number of Movies?

Also, does anyone know if there are commercials in the "Watch Instantly" TV Shows?

No, and no.

Found it and now have it running on my roku and Xbox. I just went to the Xbox screen and wrote down the authorization number typed it in at the nexflix website and are good to go

Can someone outline the steps to get the service set up on an Xbox360?

thanks...

i'm assuming you've tried it? any comments?

Yes, and it looks great. I only watched The Host though, and it was going perfectly fine for about 20 minutes.

Then I tried to Fast Forward just to see what it did. I don't have a screenshot of it, but when you do that, the picture shrinks and the screen looks like a chapter selection that you can scroll through (looks like about 5 seconds between each chapter....more like bookmarks),.

After I did that, it only played for about a minute, then it came up with a message saying that my internet connection had been interrupted and it needed to re-adjust quality. It did that twice (bumping the quality down twice), then it didn't look so great. Not bad but certainly not as good as it was looking.

I am assuming this was because I FF'd and it couldn't buffer again fast enough. I am going to try again tonight with The Signal but not FF at all to see if run into the same issue.

I only have 3 down though, so that could be the issue, and perhaps the FF was just a coincidence.

vmcNetFlix now has new download for using Sliverlight player. After you download you go to SETTINGS and change to Sliverlight player. Works great.

mark

thanks mproper.... that's good to know... looking forward to getting it here...

Ok, was on the road for a couple days and had my first chance to check out the new Netflix "Watch Now" feature through my XBOX360. I have all my components running via HDMI through an Integra DTC-9.8 to a Pioneer 150FD. I have a PS3 for BD, Toshoba HD-DVD player, as well Tivo HD. Cable and internet is Comcast.

I've had XBOX Live for several years now, and have been a long-time subscriber to Netflix. I decided to torture test my system and added about fifty films to my "Watch Now" qeue on Netflix. Installing the Netflix service on XBOX was pretty simple and straightforward. Once you have it set-up, any changes made on-line to your Netflix qeue are automatically updated when you sign-on to XBOX Live.

PQ for SD and HD was decent. I'm sure the PQ will be different for everyone, but between my Integra and Pioneer with their video processing capabilites, I was pleased. I was able to pause, fast forward, etc., without any glitches (no lost connection or system crashes.) Sound quality is only stereo, but I can utilize some of my non-Dolby Digital surround sound modes on the Integra to somewhat overcome this shortcoming.

I believe the movie and television show selection is around 12,000 titles, but I'm not sure how many of them are HD. I think that between this new feature (which is also coming to Tivo in December), as well as my snail mail Netflix, and Pay-Per-View available via XBOX Live and Sony PS3, I'll be cancelling all of my premium movie channels with Comcast shortly.

MWZ, I thought the PQ was decent for both SD and HD films I checked it out last night on my Pioneer 150FD. I just hope they continue to add to their library and eventually go to DD 5.1 sound.

That article mentions that there are some technical issues beyond bandwidth for 5.1 sound. Mainly the format they are delivering in. So it may be a while, if ever. Definitely not soon as you can see below.

Stereo Audio

Today, we cannot use WMDRM to deliver AC3 or DD+ audio, which means that only stereo (delivered via WMA) is available. PCs and Macs decode the WMA, and CE players also transcode to PCM for digital connections to receivers. We could technically include multichannel audio using WMAPro, but essentially no receivers are actually capable of decoding that. We are working on solutions to deliver multichannel audio for all the streams where we have suitable source, but this won't happen in 2008 for sure.

Subtitles, Closed Captions, and Alternate Soundtracks

All these features are desired for future releases. Delivering closed-captions via the Silverlight player is probably closest, but it won't be 2008 either.

Many Xbox Video Marketplace downloads (both HD and SD, though more of the HD) have DD5.1 soundtracks. I would have thought that those were delivered as WMDRM-protected VC-1 files. I don't know about streamed WMDRM-protected video though.

Many Xbox Video Marketplace downloads (both HD and SD, though more of the HD) have DD5.1 soundtracks. I would have thought that those were delivered as WMDRM-protected VC-1 files. I don't know about streamed WMDRM-protected video though.

True. But stream vs store is a big difference it seems. In any case, maybe eventually we will see more than stereo, although it does not seem it will be anytime soon.

That said, we watched two movies via Xbox Netflix last night, one SD, one HD, and they both judder. The frame rate is weirdly skipping throughout and the motion is all watchable but subtly and continuously jerky. I didn't notice that when streaming via PC, even when I had it hooked up to the TV via VGA. That said the quality was very good, except for the motion judder.

The 360 is hooked up via ethernet, and the Netflix test gave 4 bars of quality, so I dont think its a speed issue.

ANy suggestions?

I believe the movie and television show selection is around 12,000 titles, but I'm not sure how many of them are HD.Supposedly at least 300. If you go to the Watch Instantly tab at the Netflix site, you can select "HD" from the Genre pulldown menu to get a display of which titles are HD (however this list seems to be only 129 titles long--maybe they're counting individual TV series episodes in that advertised "300", but that would probably drive it to more than 300). None of the most popular recent theatrical release films are included, but it does include the current season of several popular TV series, including all three CSI series, NCIS, and NUMB3RS from CBS and Heroes and 30 Rock from NBC (new episodes seem to be added the day after the evening on which they originally air).

The HD selection also has most of HDNet Movies' Sneak Preview series (http://www.hdnetmovies.com/movies_sneakpreviews.html), a set of independent films which HDNet airs once or twice on the day just before their theatrical release. The ones I've noticed on Netflix are Mr. Foe, Surfwise, Finding Amanda, Romulus, My Father, Shrooms, Closing Escrow, Broken English, Fay Grim, Cashback, Flawless, Diggers, Weirdsville and Quid Pro Quo. (That list includes the entire series except for Red, Outlaw, Humboldt County, Splinter and Redacted--Netflix has discs for most of those but no stream; the HD Genre list does not include Cashback or Flawless, but they were in my queue and I tried them and they showed up in HD, so there are more than the 129 HD titles in the HD Genre list).

Just wanted to remind PS3 owners that you can watch Netflix on your PS3 using a program called playon. It runs on your computer and makes your instant que available via a media server.

I just got through watching the 1st season of Heros and I am hooked. I have been experiencing problems where it pauses at the into and I must push rewind and play make it continue. This however is a minor issue for me and beats hooking up the laptop to the tv.

Daniel

Just wanted to remind PS3 owners that you can watch Netflix on your PS3 using a program called playon. It runs on your computer and makes your instant que available via a media server.

I just got through watching the 1st season of Heros and I am hooked. I have been experiencing problems where it pauses at the into and I must push rewind and play make it continue. This however is a minor issue for me and beats hooking up the laptop to the tv.

Daniel

I downloaded the program, set it up, and will try it tomorrow. if it works for me, it would be great.

Playon re-encodes the video and there is some quality loss.

Supposedly at least 300.

There are 304 HD titles. If you are seeing less, make sure you've clicked on the "Include rated & seen titles" link at the top...it defaults to excluding those ones.

You also need to have activated an XBOX in order to see the HD genre (FYI to those of you without XBOXes). I don't really notice the stutter others have mentioned.

And PlayOn works great. I notice no quality loss, but of course you cannot view the HD titles on it. I mostly use it for Hulu right now (which works and looks great since the 480p and user queue support update). I also use it for those Netflix movies that the XBOX doesn't get due to the sony/columbia licensing thing that they haven't worked out yet.

There are 304 HD titles. If you are seeing less, make sure you've clicked on the "Include rated & seen titles" link at the top...it defaults to excluding those ones.

You also need to have activated an XBOX in order to see the HD genre (FYI to those of you without XBOXes). I don't really notice the stutter others have mentioned.Ah--I'd discovered that stupid filter but forgotten about it. However, with it turned off I still only see 148 titles (it would have been strange if I'd seen and/or rated 175 out of 304). In either "gallery" or "sortable list" mode it displays 24 items per page and I get 6 full pages and a 7th with only four items. The list of HD genre titles I see is (sorted by year):

Title|Year|Rating
The Air I Breathe|2008|R
Bigger, Stronger, Faster|2008|PG-13
CSI: Miami: Season 7|2008|TV-14
CSI: NY: Season 5|2008|TV-14
CSI: Season 9|2008|TV-14
CSNY Déjà Vu|2008|R
Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed|2008|PG
Finding Amanda|2008|R
Frontline: Storm Over Everest|2008|NR
Harold|2008|PG-13
Heroes: Season 3|2008|TV-14
Kicking It|2008|NR
NCIS: Season 6|2008|TV-14
Numb3rs: Season 5|2008|TV-14
Quid Pro Quo|2008|R
2 Days in Paris|2007|R
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days|2007|NR
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead|2007|R
Before the Rains|2007|PG-13
Boarding Gate|2007|R
Body of War|2007|NR
Broken English|2007|PG-13
The Business of Being Born|2007|NR
Confessions of a Superhero|2007|NR
Cougar Club|2007|UR
Crazy Love|2007|PG-13
The Devil Came on Horseback|2007|NR
Exiled|2007|R
Fall from Grace|2007|NR
Flawless|2007|PG-13
Friday Night Lights: Season 2|2007|NR
Girl 27|2007|NR
Heroes: Season 2|2007|NR
Honeydripper|2007|PG-13
I'm Reed Fish|2007|PG-13
Interstate|2007|NR
Kim Possible: Season 4|2007|TV-G
The King of Kong|2007|PG-13
La Vie en Rose|2007|PG-13
The Life Before Her Eyes|2007|R
Lynch|2007|NR
Mister Foe|2007|R
Mr. Untouchable|2007|R
The Office: Season 4|2007|NR
The Orphanage|2007|R
Please Vote For Me|2007|NR
Protagonist|2007|R
The Rape of Europa|2007|NR
Romulus, My Father|2007|R
Slacker Uprising|2007|NR
Steal a Pencil for Me|2007|NR
Surfwise|2007|R
Tony Bennett: The Music Never Ends|2007|NR
A Very British Gangster|2007|NR
Weirdsville|2007|R
Without the King|2007|NR
30 Rock: Season 1|2006|NR
30 Rock: Season 2|2006|NR
Legacy of the Great Plains|2006|NR
American Dragon: Jake Long: Season 2|2006|TV-G
The Architect|2006|R
Cashback|2006|R
Closing Escrow|2006|PG
Comedians of Comedy: Live at the El Rey|2006|NR
Diggers|2006|R
The Emperor's New School: Season 1|2006|TV-G
Eye of the Dolphin|2006|PG-13
Fay Grim|2006|R
Friday Night Lights: Season 1|2006|TV-PG
Graduation|2006|NR
The Great New Wonderful|2006|R
Heroes: Season 1|2006|NR
The Host|2006|R
Ira & Abby|2006|R
Jericho: Season 1|2006|TV-14
John Waters: This Filthy World|2006|NR
Kiltro|2006|NR
Klimt|2006|NR
Office Tigers|2006|NR
The Office: Season 3|2006|TV-14
Outsourced|2006|PG-13
Pan's Labyrinth|2006|R
Perfect 10 Model Boxing: Vol. 1|2006|NR
How I Planned to Kill Tony Blair|2006|PG-13
Puccini for Beginners|2006|NR
Rain in the Mountains|2006|NR
The Replacements: Season 1|2006|TV-G
Reprise|2006|R
Running with Arnold|2006|NR
Saint of 9/11|2006|NR
Samoan Wedding|2006|NR
Severance|2006|R
Shrooms|2006|NR
The Signal|2006|R
Steel City|2006|R
Succubus: Hell-Bent|2006|R
Two Days in April|2006|NR
Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show|2006|R
Who the #$&% Is Jackson Pollock?|2006|PG-13
50 Cent: Refuse to Die|2005|UR
American Dragon: Jake Long: Season 1|2005|TV-G
The Bituminous Coal Queens of Pennsylvania|2005|NR
Color Me Kubrick|2005|NR
Cowboy del Amor|2005|NR
Dandelion|2005|NR
Kids in America|2005|PG-13
Miracle at Sage Creek|2005|PG
The Office: Season 1|2005|TV-14
The Office: Season 2|2005|TV-14
Puppy|2005|NR
RX|2005|R
School of Life|2005|PG
Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars|2005|NR
Straight into Darkness|2005|R
Swimmers|2005|NR
Throttle|2005|R
Ushpizin|2005|PG
Blood Angels|2004|R
Dead Man's Shoes|2004|NR
Down to the Bone|2004|NR
Keane|2004|R
Kim Possible: Season 3|2004|TV-G
Lilo & Stitch: The Series: Season 2|2004|TV-G
Loverboy|2004|R
Only Human|2004|R
Primer|2004|PG-13
Satan's Little Helper|2004|R
The Boston Red Sox Movie|2004|PG
Strange Bedfellows|2004|R
Festival Express|2003|R
The Story of the Weeping Camel|2003|PG
Cheats|2002|PG-13
Tears of the Black Tiger|2002|NR
Under Heavy Fire|2001|R
The Quiet Room|1996|PG
The Viking Sagas|1996|R
Delta of Venus|1995|NC-17
Never Say Die/Silent Hunter|1995|R
8 Seconds|1994|PG-13
Blink|1994|R
Widows' Peak|1994|PG
Chained Heat 2|1993|R
Sunset Grill|1993|R
Iron Eagle 3: Aces|1992|R
Butterfly|1982|R
The Thing|1982|R
Eraserhead|1977|UR
The Red Balloon / White Mane|1953|NRUnfortunately I do notice the judder but it doesn't bother me much. Different people are sensitive to it to different degrees. Hopefully it's something they can fix in later releases--one of the things that they supposedly did in NXE was make it a lot easier to do frequent point releases of the 360 dashboard instead of just two big releases each year.

There are 304 HD titles. If you are seeing less, make sure you've clicked on the "Include rated & seen titles" link at the top...it defaults to excluding those ones.

You also need to have activated an XBOX in order to see the HD genre (FYI to those of you without XBOXes). I don't really notice the stutter others have mentioned.

And PlayOn works great. I notice no quality loss, but of course you cannot view the HD titles on it. I mostly use it for Hulu right now (which works and looks great since the 480p and user queue support update). I also use it for those Netflix movies that the XBOX doesn't get due to the sony/columbia licensing thing that they haven't worked out yet.

I think each episode of a series is considered an item still. So a few seasons of CSI could count for as much as 50-60 items.

I am sure it will grow steadily though, no worries.

Ah--I'd discovered that stupid filter but forgotten about it. However, with it turned off I still only see 148 titles (it would have been strange if I'd seen and/or rated 175 out of 304). In either "gallery" or "sortable list" mode it displays 24 items per page and I get 6 full pages and a 7th with only four items. The list of HD genre titles I see is (sorted by year):

You're right. I thought there was 25/page and even then 25 x 6 is not 300. Duh.

Sorry about that. Don't mind me.

I think each episode of a series is considered an item still. So a few seasons of CSI could count for as much as 50-60 items.That doesn't explain the discrepancy. Here are the television series in the HD genre list, with the number of episodes for each:Title|#
30 Rock: Season 1|21
30 Rock: Season 2|15
American Dragon: Jake Long: Season 1|21
American Dragon: Jake Long: Season 2|31
CSI: Miami: Season 7|08
CSI: NY: Season 5|08
CSI: Season 9|07
The Emperor's New School: Season 1|21
Friday Night Lights: Season 1|22
Friday Night Lights: Season 2|15
Heroes: Season 1|23
Heroes: Season 2|11
Heroes: Season 3|09
Jericho: Season 1|22
Kim Possible: Season 3|12
Kim Possible: Season 4|22
Lilo & Stitch: The Series: Season 2|26
NCIS: Season 6|08
Numb3rs: Season 5|08
The Office: Season 1|06
The Office: Season 2|22
The Office: Season 3|23
The Office: Season 4|14
The Replacements: Season 1|21The episodes total 396 for 24 titles:148 - 24 = 124 + 396 = 520As I speculated back in this (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=15134639#post15134639) post, if you count individual television episodes it adds up to much more than the 300 HD titles we've been told there are.

As I also pointed out in that post, I discovered two HD titles that don't get listed, from the HDNet Sneak Preview series, Cashback and Flawless. I just happened to place those in my Instant Queue long before the Xbox player was announced and while I was figuring out which titles from that HDNet series they had, I noticed that those were missing from the HD genre list but available for streaming; when I tried streaming them to my 360 they came up in HD. If I, by chance, found two HD streaming titles which don't get listed when you filter by the HD genre, I'd guess that there are others. I think that they just don't have all of the available HD titles marked properly in their database. I'd send them a message to report it, but it looks like I can only report a problem by phone at this point--screw that.

That said, we watched two movies via Xbox Netflix last night, one SD, one HD, and they both judder. The frame rate is weirdly skipping throughout and the motion is all watchable but subtly and continuously jerky. I didn't notice that when streaming via PC, even when I had it hooked up to the TV via VGA. That said the quality was very good, except for the motion judder.Someone in TiVo Community Forums posted a reference to a feature entitled "Encoding for streaming (http://blog.netflix.com/2008/11/encoding-for-streaming.html)" on Netflix's blog. It's an excellent and detailed explanation of what they're currently doing and some of what they plan to do in the future--I recommend reading it. It contains the following note:
One class of sources has been derived from 24fps film, interlaced to i60 for TV broadcast, and then decimated to p30, and comes with restrictions on reprocessing. This results in frames that are even-odd interlaces of adjacent film frames, and a 4/5 cadence motion jerkiness. We are actively working to re-acquire these sources in better form.That might account for the judder in some content.

BTW, the HD genre list now totals 161 titles, up from 148--they're getting ever so slightly closer to the 300 :).

I also noticed a few good tv series showed up tonight.... the first seasons of the twilight zone and macgyver. (both are sd)

I also noticed a few good tv series showed up tonight.... the first seasons of the twilight zone and macgyver. (both are sd)

McGyver SD has been available via HULU and youtube for a few months now.

but these dont have commercials.... and work on my tv seamlessly.

I live in South America so Netflix content is restricted... It identifies my IP as not from USA.

Does someone knows how to get a USA IP... maybe through VPN or a Proxy and being able to use Netflix on the XBOX360 since I am not interested on using it on a PC.

Thanks

Sorry if this has been asked, but what is HD quality like on a typical 5-10MB connection?

It depends on the title. Sometimes its very good better than SD DVD but it is in 2.0 stereo. Not a problem for me since my receiver goes automatically to DPL II automaticly when stereo is detected. The problem I sometimes run into is them downgrading the resolution while I am watching the movie (which is annoying). My connection runs 4-5 usually and off peek its always better. Biggest problem right now though is the general lack of HD content. The service has been great for the kids though since they arent anywhere as picky as I am.

Sorry if this has been asked, but what is HD quality like on a typical 5-10MB connection?

I'll echo that it depends on the title. On average I would rate it on-par or very slightly below what you would see on normal HD you'd get through cable or satellite. For the most part it looks great, but don't expect Blu-Ray. However if you are ok with watching Heroes or Lost or something like that, then you'll be happy with the video quality....it's certainly acceptable.

Sound is only stereo though. All-in-all, it's a great start, and I fully expect by this time next year the selection and quality will be better. Right now I'm sticking with Blu-Ray for action/sci-fi/special effects heavy titles, but NF certainly fits the bill for most things.

I also have the issue with it downgrading the quality after awhile because it detects changes to the network speed, and there is no way to force higher quality. While I have heard nothing of this, I expect them to allow us to choose and "force" a higher quality, even if it means we have to wait while it buffers. I don't see a problem with doing this because right now that's what they XBOX Marketplace does....I usually have to wait 10 minutes or so for it download/buffer enough of a HD movie before I can start playing it. I'm willing to wait.

I'll echo that it depends on the title. On average I would rate it on-par or very slightly below what you would see on normal HD you'd get through cable or satellite. For the most part it looks great, but don't expect Blu-Ray. However if you are ok with watching Heroes or Lost or something like that, then you'll be happy with the video quality....it's certainly acceptable.

Sound is only stereo though. All-in-all, it's a great start, and I fully expect by this time next year the selection and quality will be better. Right now I'm sticking with Blu-Ray for action/sci-fi/special effects heavy titles, but NF certainly fits the bill for most things.

I also have the issue with it downgrading the quality after awhile because it detects changes to the network speed, and there is no way to force higher quality. While I have heard nothing of this, I expect them to allow us to choose and "force" a higher quality, even if it means we have to wait while it buffers. I don't see a problem with doing this because right now that's what they XBOX Marketplace does....I usually have to wait 10 minutes or so for it download/buffer enough of a HD movie before I can start playing it. I'm willing to wait.

Netflix has said they are switching over to a system where they can vary the quality more often during the streaming and allow lower quality HD for lower speed networks (what does that mean even?). However, they said they have no plans or interest in any buffering beyond what they do now. It may even have something to do with the licensing contracts (cannot store more than X amount).

I agree that the quality is good if you have a sustained good network. However, most people on cable have "powerboost" which means you get a nice high speed for a few minutes up front then sustained is significantly lower. There is no workaround for this, thats just the way cable works. For us, about halfway through a half hour show (after about 10 minutes of watching it scales back the quality). Same for movies and whatnot in HD.

It does not take the place of Blurays by any means, but its great for what you get for the money.

A couple of months ago, I tried the Watch Instantly service through my Xbox 360 and enjoyed it. I wasn't sure how much extra they were charging per download. I got my monthly bill and it was unchanged. I went and checked out Netflix.com and found out that as long as you have one of their unlimited plans, the Watch Instantly titles are free. It doesn't seem like they promote this fact very much and I had to go digging to find this out. If you've been holding back from trying out the downloads due to the fear of racking up big fees, now you can just go for it.

I also have the issue with it downgrading the quality after awhile because it detects changes to the network speed, and there is no way to force higher quality. While I have heard nothing of this, I expect them to allow us to choose and "force" a higher quality, even if it means we have to wait while it buffers. I don't see a problem with doing this because right now that's what they XBOX Marketplace does....I usually have to wait 10 minutes or so for it download/buffer enough of a HD movie before I can start playing it. I'm willing to wait.The XBL Video Store is not streaming--it's progressive playback while downloading into a permanent file on HDD. It usually makes me wait until at least 75% of the clip is down before starting playback, more or less insuring that it will never catch up with the download.

The big advantage of streaming is that playback starts "instantly" (within 30 seconds or less of the request) and that you have random access to the film from the beginning. Netflix WI keeps bookmarks in every title that you play, so that you can resume where you left off, but even if you lose your place, you can fast-forward to any spot without downloading all of the intervening video; with progressive playback, to get to the end of the film, you have to wait until that much has downloaded. Of course, with XBL Video Store, once the whole thing is down you have full random access (after all, it's all on your HDD), but that can take hours, even on a relatively high-speed connection (a 2-hour HD clip will take an 1 hour, 30 minutes to download over a sustained 10 Mbps connection).

As andydumi mentioned, they're switching to Microsoft Silverlight streaming tech, which can dynamically and seamlessly switch to a higher or lower quality stream as connection speed varies, but it's unclear whether they're doing that for all platforms. They're doing it immediately for their web player, which also allows them to support Intel Macs (with a browser plugin from Microsoft) and Linux (an open-source project called "Moonlight"). One might expect Microsoft to upgrade the Xbox player to support Silverlight tech, but I'm not sure whether the Roku, TiVo and Blu-ray deck players will support that.

I doubt that they're going to modify the players to give you the option to accept broken playback without the player downgrading to a lower quality stream.

I doubt that they're going to modify the players to give you the option to accept broken playback without the player downgrading to a lower quality stream.


They are not likely to allow you to force high quality mode.

The point is to stream "live" not download and store like you would with Live, so thats why they are implementing the new tech. They want to be more responsive to your connection speed, rather than a one off test that may end up being inaccurate.

That said, nothing will save you if you have poor speed...

The XBL Video Store is not streaming--it's progressive playback while downloading into a permanent file on HDD. It usually makes me wait until at least 75% of the clip is down before starting playback, more or less insuring that it will never catch up with the download.

The big advantage of streaming is that playback starts "instantly" (within 30 seconds or less of the request) and that you have random access to the film from the beginning. Netflix WI keeps bookmarks in every title that you play, so that you can resume where you left off, but even if you lose your place, you can fast-forward to any spot without downloading all of the intervening video; with progressive playback, to get to the end of the film, you have to wait until that much has downloaded. Of course, with XBL Video Store, once the whole thing is down you have full random access (after all, it's all on your HDD), but that can take hours, even on a relatively high-speed connection (a 2-hour HD clip will take an 1 hour, 30 minutes to download over a sustained 10 Mbps connection).

As andydumi mentioned, they're switching to Microsoft Silverlight streaming tech, which can dynamically and seamlessly switch to a higher or lower quality stream as connection speed varies, but it's unclear whether they're doing that for all platforms. They're doing it immediately for their web player, which also allows them to support Intel Macs (with a browser plugin from Microsoft) and Linux (an open-source project called "Moonlight"). One might expect Microsoft to upgrade the Xbox player to support Silverlight tech, but I'm not sure whether the Roku, TiVo and Blu-ray deck players will support that.

I doubt that they're going to modify the players to give you the option to accept broken playback without the player downgrading to a lower quality stream.

Wow I only need to load 5% before it allows me to play the HD movies. I usually wait till about 7% is loaded to avoid any chance for buffering issues towards the end of the movie. By the way watched The Thing off the netflix streaming the other day in HD it was quite good. Certainly better than DVD.

Wow I only need to load 5% before it allows me to play the HD movies. I usually wait till about 7% is loaded to avoid any chance for buffering issues towards the end of the movie. By the way watched The Thing off the netflix streaming the other day in HD it was quite good. Certainly better than DVD.


It depends on the connection speed and the length of the show.

If you are on a slow connection, Live will buffer a whole lot more (fixed quality). Netflix will just lower the quality in order to prevent much buffering from being necessary.

Wow I only need to load 5% before it allows me to play the HD movies. I usually wait till about 7% is loaded to avoid any chance for buffering issues towards the end of the movie. By the way watched The Thing off the netflix streaming the other day in HD it was quite good. Certainly better than DVD.Maybe you're getting a faster connection than I am. What speed is your service rated at? (Mine is rated 10 Mbps, which doesn't indicate what I'll get from here to the nearest Xbox Live file server).

Maybe you're getting a faster connection than I am. What speed is your service rated at? (Mine is rated 10 Mbps, which doesn't indicate what I'll get from here to the nearest Xbox Live file server).

Its just cable modem so its not lightning fast like fios. I do have my Xbox hard wired into the network hub. If I order a Xbox live movie I can usually start watching in 5 mins or less but I usually give it 10 mins just to be on the safe side. Netflix does often down grade my connection speed to watch the movie. Was watching Mission to Mars last night and the quality was poor. But then the movie was not very good so I wasn't completely devestated. I just hope they keep improving the connection speeds and compression. It is nice having a list of 20-30 movies in the queue for when TV is not so good and I have already watched the netflix bluray disc and I dont want to game.

I am interested in getting a Roku. I understand that the HD selection is limited right now, but what about the SD content? Are new releases available as SD?

I am interested in getting a Roku. I understand that the HD selection is limited right now, but what about the SD content? Are new releases available as SD?

What do you mean new releases? No movies newer than 6+ months after their DVD release that I have run into. And not every release at that, only a relatively small number. Its mostly movies several years old or classics.

ok... i guess that answers that... not sure why they do this, but I guess I'll hold off till they make the instant watch the same as their mail service offerings...

ok... i guess that answers that... not sure why they do this, but I guess I'll hold off till they make the instant watch the same as their mail service offerings...

It will likely never happen.

If you simply crank out the money numbers, there is no way they will ever make new releases day and date available for 8.99 a month, when its 5 dollars to rent/Ondemand/payperview a new release and 15-20 for the disc for each and every movie... Studios simply will never allow for example Dark Knight to be broadcast for basically free when they can charge you 15-20 for a disc for the first year or so, or 5 bucks per watch/rental.

If you want an instant watch that does have day one releases, look up Ondemand from your cable/satellite, or blockbusters online offerings, or the Live/PS3 media store, or Amazon Unbox or a slew of other possibilities. But none of them have an unlimited watch option like Netflix's.

It will likely never happen.

If you simply crank out the money numbers, there is no way they will ever make new releases day and date available for 8.99 a month, when its 5 dollars to rent/Ondemand/payperview a new release and 15-20 for the disc for each and every movie... Studios simply will never allow for example Dark Knight to be broadcast for basically free when they can charge you 15-20 for a disc for the first year or so, or 5 bucks per watch/rental.

If you want an instant watch that does have day one releases, look up Ondemand from your cable/satellite, or blockbusters online offerings, or the Live/PS3 media store, or Amazon Unbox or a slew of other possibilities. But none of them have an unlimited watch option like Netflix's.
it will happen.... just not at 8.99 like the current pricing is at for dvd's by mail and streaming. Netflix has already said as much..... we wont get much better content than we have now for a "free" addon service but they are hinting at charging more for it.

The content may get "better" (if rapid availability of big-budget theatrical releases, given their average quality, can be considered an improvement :rolleyes:), but it's highly unlikely to get any better than the offerings of cable subscription VOD. They've got a deal with Starz/Encore for their Starz Play offerings (http://www.netflix.com/WiContentPage?csid=1&lnkctr=mhwGStarz), which includes much of the stuff available on their cable subscription-VOD service.

Netflix original intent for this service was to combat the added-value of Blockbuster Online's "Total Access" plan (the ability to exchange rent-by-mail discs for new ones at their brick-and-mortar stores) by providing some added-value of their own. I don't believe that they saw it as a potential added revenue stream. (Of course, that doesn't mean that they won't turn it into one, if they can :)).

I don't see their content providers allowing streaming of major-release films day-and-date-with-rental-DVD, unless it's done on a pay-per-viewing-period VOD basis, like Amazon Unbox On Demand, AppleTV and VUDU.

it will happen.... just not at 8.99 like the current pricing is at for dvd's by mail and streaming. Netflix has already said as much..... we wont get much better content than we have now for a "free" addon service but they are hinting at charging more for it.

Thats what I meant. I dont see it ever happening as part of the free value we have now. They will likely do either a high priced premium unlimited service (30-50 a month) with all new releases, or have them available as pay as you go like all other services (much more likely).

Thats what I meant. I dont see it ever happening as part of the free value we have now. They will likely do either a high priced premium unlimited service (30-50 a month) with all new releases, or have them available as pay as you go like all other services (much more likely).

I really hope it's the buffet plan. 30-50 a month is much more appealing than $5-6 per movie on a PPV model.

im about 99% certain netflix will always keep the buffet plan.... thats always been their game.

and i might be crazy but i really think you will start to see new releases on netflix streaming by the end of 09 (with a higher price). one major studio will buck the trend and lead the others.

They could always combine the buffet plan with an a la carte pay per view option for say the first 6-12 months of a movie. In other words, wait and get it "free" or pay more now per show/movie.

I just did the update on my Roku box last night. I am floored!! This thing is great. I too do not understand the numbers Netflix is working with to make this profitable ( perhaps they are just trying top get market ) but I am loving it. $8.99 for snail mail discs plus streaming video ( some in HD )...

I have several hundred DVD in the fireball which I enjoy, but for TV shows ( Heros, Red Dwarf...) and Kid shows this is the best deal in town.

The 720p HD is fine with me as I only have a 720p projector, which btw on a 135in screen at 11 feet looks shockingly good.

If Roku adds Hulu to their box ( which seems plausable ) Vudu and the cable companies might have to rethink their model.

BTW, is anyone using the LG 300 BD player with Netflix? Just curious, does it support HD streaming yet?

I just did the update on my Roku box last night. I am floored!! This thing is great. I too do not understand the numbers Netflix is working with to make this profitable ( perhaps they are just trying top get market ) but I am loving it. $8.99 for snail mail discs plus streaming video ( some in HD )...

I have several hundred DVD in the fireball which I enjoy, but for TV shows ( Heros, Red Dwarf...) and Kid shows this is the best deal in town.

The 720p HD is fine with me as I only have a 720p projector, which btw on a 135in screen at 11 feet looks shockingly good.

If Roku adds Hulu to their box ( which seems plausable ) Vudu and the cable companies might have to rethink their model.

BTW, is anyone using the LG 300 BD player with Netflix? Just curious, does it support HD streaming yet?

I'm hoping Santa brings me the Roku box this year. If he doesn't, I'll get one for myself:). The addition of HD makes it a no brainer at $99.00.

I just did the update on my Roku box last night. I am floored!! This thing is great. I too do not understand the numbers Netflix is working with to make this profitable ( perhaps they are just trying top get market ) but I am loving it. $8.99 for snail mail discs plus streaming video ( some in HD )...

I have several hundred DVD in the fireball which I enjoy, but for TV shows ( Heros, Red Dwarf...) and Kid shows this is the best deal in town.

The 720p HD is fine with me as I only have a 720p projector, which btw on a 135in screen at 11 feet looks shockingly good.

If Roku adds Hulu to their box ( which seems plausable ) Vudu and the cable companies might have to rethink their model.

BTW, is anyone using the LG 300 BD player with Netflix? Just curious, does it support HD streaming yet?

How do you get HD programming into your watch instantly queue?

How do you get HD programming into your watch instantly queue?You can get a list of some of them from the following link:http://www.netflix.com/WiHD?ftr=false(You have to have an HD-capable device registered to see this). Put one of these in your queue and if your connection speed is high enough when you ask to play it, you'll get the HD version. Netflix has stated that they have over 300 HD Watch Instantly titles up (out of over 12,000 total instant titles), but that HD Genre list only shows 160-some (if you count individual TV series episodes, it's well over 500). Still, it's better than nothing :)--there's no notation in the description of the titles that indicates that there's a Watch Instantly HD encoding available or not.