Netflix 5.1 surround sound

Just checked. I think it's 5.1
finally!!

Really? Both of those are older (not old, but certainly not new). I'd be surprised that they were able to sneak it under the radar and didn't announce it.

I will check later. As soon as my wife is done watching Dancing With Z-List Celebs.

i watched several things over the weekend and none of them were 5.1.. all were stereo.

Just checked Pan's Labyrinth and both Matrix movies (that are available to watch instant). All were in stereo.

I suspect your receiver is just doing some conversion since the PS3 says it's getting a stereo signal.

Trust me when I say when Netflix does get 5.1, it will be all over the interwebz as a major announcement and not something they sneak in a couple of titles.

Yep. My bad. No 5.1. YUCK!!!!!

I obviously meant when something official concerning dates/titles/systems is available. I do think it will be part of the 360's fall update (usually in November) so I think we'll hear an official announcement in June/July (possibly at E3). Just my completely unsubstantiated no-facts-to-back-it-up thoughts.

They usually do 2 updates each year.... I hope its part of the spring update (which has yet to go out)

I kindof think if it was we'd have heard about it by now and they'd be touting it more than the ability to use flash drives (which is the only update we know about right now)

Just my two cents. I kindof hope they announce Netflix using the Zune Marketplace 1080p 5.1 tech (even if it's licensed just for XBOX since that's what I use). That's most likely very wishful thinking, but I can dream

That would be my dream as well.... They typically trickle features out (to get more buzz about each one). The spring and fall updates are always more than one or two fixes/enhancements.

Well this is strange - on my XBOX360 - why I try to play Pans Labyrinth it show the normal testing connecting message and the '5.1 surround' lights up on my receiver! It says I have an HD connection - but instead of playing - it then does another test - HD again but this time stereo and the movie plays. Very repeatable and only on Pans Labyrinth. I wonder if they are testing something? On my BD390 Pan Labyrinth tests the connection and starts up normally in stereo.

I'll revisit it tonight and try Pan's Labyrinth on both my 360 and PS3 and let you know.

I was thinking of getting this service because it was free. But now I am questioning - why would anyone do this for movies if all you got was stereo. I would just order the DVD.

I am really missing all the hype - unless this is just for people who enjoy watching movies on a PC with stereo headphones. I guess that would work for me on a plane - but frankly even then I would just rather read a book.

I think I will stick with BluRay, Vudu, and then DVD.

Don't get me wrong. I love Netflix as a service. I just don't get the poor quality download service in stereo. I would rather get the DVD in the mail next day. And of course BluRay is the best option. But it seems that all this hype is over convenience and heck - people watch movies on Iphone size devices - so to each his own I guess.

I will be interested in their service once they get 5.1. Then - for free - I guess the convenience of streaming does come in handy if I can't get the disc right away and Vudu doesn't have it in HDX.

^^
PQ is fine for most titles and many movies don't need 5.1. Do you really care if a documentary or a dialogue-driven film is in 5.1? Or a TV show that was never in 5.1 in the first place?

Obviously action/horror/sci-fi etc would be better in 5.1, but it's not necessary for many dramas/comedies/documentaries, etc where the rear channels wouldn't be used anyways.

I love the streaming, but for any special effects or surround-heavy films, I still get the Blu-Ray (if available) sent to me.

PQ is ok on a PC or small TV. Looks horrible in my hometheater. On documentaries I do not care about audio. However most new docs are coming out on BluRay or are in HDX on Vudu. TV shows do not require 5.1 unless they are HBO/Showtime series like Rome/Tudors/ True Blood etc. Also, any TV worth watching is in HD 5.1 and can be Tivoed or ordered later on BluRay. With so much high quality HD content out there - not sure why i want to waste my time with OK or "fine" picture and stereo sound.

I guess if I just have to watch that old TV show that was not in HD - Netflix streaming is the place to go though.

It is services like this that dumb down or go backwards in quality in favor of convenience. To be fair - there are a lot of people who opt for low cost and convenience though.

The day Netflix delivers a Vudu or better yet -- XstreamHD experience via streaming -- I will be a happy camper.

The day Vudu HDX or Zune Smooth Streaming offers Netflix pricing I will be a happy camper!

I do agree I have a lot of TV and Movies on a 1TB Directv HD DVR and would watch them there first - or get the Blu-Ray from Netflix.

But I am also surprised that you find the Netflix HD quality so bad - it looks better than DVD and often close to Directv HD on a 50" TV - at least for much of the recently available TV shows and Movies.

Agreed on Vudu pricing model.

My theater has a 10 foot screen - so everything shows up. BluRay looks awesome of course! I guess I am just a little picky also.

Thought I'd mention that I am also getting 5.1 Dolby and DTS on netflix streams. I'm using a Denon 1610. It's possible to simulate 5.1 with different settings with the Denon but this is clearly Dolby and DTS per the receiver. What gives?

What titles?

Neither Matrix Reloaded nor Pans Labyrinth are streaming in 5.1 via my Xbox360. I am connected w/ optical to a Sony dts receiver.

It must be only on PS3 for now.

Oh well... At least it means it's coming soon! I'm stoked nonetheless!

I've checked both films on my PS3 and I'm not getting 5.1. While watching, press the SELECT button and look at the information at the top. I see "Dolby Digital 2 Ch. 48 kHz 128 kbps" for those films as well as all others when streaming Netflix to the PS3. I used to think that I saw the PLII indicator light up on my AVR when watching streams on either the PS3 or the Xbox, but I don't see it now.

I've ripped Blu-ray to .mkv files and used mkv2vob to produce files in MPEG-TS containers (playable on the PS3, unlike the MKV container). mkv2vob has an option to translate DTS into 2 channel PCM, which when received by an AVR will be recognized as DTS. When playing these, the PS3 player info display will show "Linear PCM 2 Ch. 48 kHz 1.5 Mbps", so it doesn't know that it's DTS, but to pull off this trick it has to send it as an undecoded bit stream (undecoded because it's been told that it isn't compressed). The PS3's video player will not lie about the bit rate, and you're not going to get DTS encoded at 128 kpbs. You might encode DD5.1 in 128 kbps, but it would probably not be worth hearing (stereo MP3 files encoded at that rate are hardly worth hearing and that's three fewer channels).