Roku expands their streaming player product lineup today with the introduction of the Roku SD and Roku HD-XR. With these two new players, Roku now offers three different price points for consumers that have different wants and needs all while supporting streaming content from Netflix, Amazon Video On Demand, and MLB.TV.

On the low end of the spectrum, we have the Roku SD (pictured above) which features:

• Connects to TV sets via yellow/red/white video/audio cables
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g connectivity
• Ethernet port
• Stream their favorite movies and TV shows to their TV at up to DVD quality

The mid-range Roku HD and high-end Roku-HD-XR (pictured above) feature:

• HD streaming capabilities
• HDMI or component video connections (S-Video or Composite connections available also)
• Optical audio output
• Roku HD-XR features support for 802.11n dual-band connectivity
• Roku HD-XR also includes a USB port for future usage

Prices for the three players are as follows:

• Roku SD - $79.99
• Roku HD - $99.99
• Roku HD-XR - $129.99

For a limited time, buy one of these players from Roku or Amazon.com, and you’ll receive free shipping.

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Technorati Tags: Roku, Roku SD, Roku HD-XR

Big news for Sony PS3 owners who also have Netflix subscriptions – the two companies have announced a partnership to bring Netflix streaming to the PlayStation 3 platform. Due to arrive next month, Netflix streaming will be available to all Netflix members in the U.S. who also own a PS3 console.

Enabling Netflix streaming on your PS3 will be an interesting affair especially if you’re used to other means of activating Netflix-enabled devices. You’ll need to reserve a free instant streaming Blu-ray disc from Netflix which  leverages Blu-ray’s BD-Live technology to access the Internet and activate the Netflix user interface on the PS3. Of course, your PS3 console needs to be connected to the Internet in order for the activation to occur (or any streaming for that matter).

Once enabled, Netflix subscribers will be able to view movies and TV shows that can be watched instantly with titles organized into categories such as members’ personal preferences, popular genres, new arrivals, and members’ individual Instant Queues. You’ll also be able to add movies and TV shows to their Queues, read synopses, and rate movies on the PS3.

You can reserve the free instant streaming disc for the PS3 by going to www.netflix.com/ps3.

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Technorati Tags: Sony, Netflix, PlayStation 3, Netflix Streaming

Netflix is finally officially available to Windows Media Center users. Starting tomorrow, users running Windows Media Center on Windows Vista Home Premium and Ultimate systems will see a new Netflix tile powered by Microsoft Silverlight within the “TV + Movies” section.  Just click into the tile and login with your Netflix account information. Once you’re in, you’ll have full access to the Netflix library as well as access to both your Instant and DVD queues. You’ll also be able to use the Windows Media Center remote control to navigate the player controls as well as the user queues within Netflix. The only down side – this is not available to users of Windows Media Center on any build of Windows 7 at this time.

[Check it out via eHomeUpgrade]

Technorati Tags: Netflix, Netflix Streaming, Microsoft, Windows Media Center

Xbox 360 owners are loving their Xbox LIVE Netflix application. According to Microsoft, 1 million Xbox LIVE Gold subscribers have downloaded the application and in three months time, approximately 1.5 billion minutes of movies and TV episodes have been viewed via the application. That sounds like a pretty successful product don’t you think?

If you’re not familiar with the service, here’s what you need to get going.

1. Xbox 360 console along with an Xbox LIVE Gold subscription

2. Subscription to Netflix

3. Broadband Internet connection

Once you have those three components, all you’ll need to do is fire up the console, connect to Xbox LIVE, download the Netflix application, register the console with Netflix (you’ll need an Internet connected PC for that), and then start queuing up movies for the Watch Instantly service.

I’m a huge fan of the service – especially since it’s letting me catch up on old episodes of 30 Rock (yeah, I was a bit late to the show).

About the only complaint with the service is the fact that only 12,000 titles are currently available via Netflix’s watch instantly service. Hopefully studios will realize the popularity of the service and will make their content available.

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Technorati Tags: Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, Netflix Streaming

Starting today, subscribers to both Netflix and TiVo Series3, TiVo HD, or TiVo HD XL services/DVRs can access the thousands of titles available from Netflix’s Watch Instantly service directly on their DVRs.  As with other devices supporting the Netflix service, this is being made available to Netflix and TiVo subscribers for free – as long as they are subscribing to both services.

CNET’s Crave blog has already published a hands-on look at the new service on TiVo HD box. Here’s what they have to say:

“The most important takeaway for us is that we watched several movies without any hiccups and each movie started up in a few seconds. While many streaming services “feel” like you’re streaming video over the Internet, this feels more like you’re expanding the recorded content of your TiVo. And while you lose some of the benefits of watching the actual DVD (special features, surround sound), we couldn’t help but notice that in some ways it’s better than DVD; movies loaded right away and with no previews.”

While I no longer use TiVo, I can say this much for the Netflix Watch Instantly service – it rocks – especially for owners of the Xbox 360 console. If there’s one single reason to upgrade the Xbox 360 to the New Xbox Experience, it would be for the Netflix streaming support. While video on-demand is free for subscribers, I for one would not mind paying a bit more for unlimited movies on-demand. Forget about renting on a per title basis. Go the music subscription route and let users subscribe to unlimited movies on a monthly basis.

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Technorati Tags: TiVo HD, TiVo Series 3, TiVo HD XL, Netflix

For all you Intel-based Mac users waiting for the Netflix Watch Instantly service to finish its beta period – your wait is finally over. The Boy Genius Report is stating that the short lived beta period is now officially over so head on over and enjoy some movie streaming goodness.

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Technorati Tags: Netflix, Watch Instantly Mac

Owners of the Samsung BD-P2500 and BD-P2550 standalone Blu-ray players will soon be able to access Netflix HD content via a firmware update that will be made available during the first week of December. Both players already offer Netflix streaming support with access to over 12,000 standard definition titles but the new update will provide playback support for approximately 300 HD titles at 720p resolutions. Xbox 360 consoles with the New Xbox Experience already have Netflix HD support.

[Check it out via GearLive]

Technorati Tags: Samsung BD-P2500, BD-P2550, Blu-ray players, Netflix HD

I totally forgot to mention this one last week. Timed in conjunction with the Microsoft PDC held last week in Los Angeles, Netflix announced that they have begun rolling out Silverlight support with their Watch Instantly feature. Netflix had this to say about Silverlight:

“It is expected that Netflix members who watch movies and TV episodes instantly on their computers will enjoy a faster, easier connection and a more robust viewing experience with Silverlight, due to the quality built directly into the player.”

One of the side effects of Netflix moving to Silverlight is the built-in support for Intel-based Macs. The company on Friday announced that Mac users with Netflix subscriptions could now participate in the beta program via an opt-in program. However, Netflix mentioned in their company blog to:

1. Expect bugs
2. Not all titles are available on Silverlight
3. Once you opt into the beta, you’ll need to use Silverlight

Finally, for owners of the Xbox 360 console, don’t forget that you’ll soon be able to enjoy Netflix streaming straight to the console. I can’t wait.

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Technorati Tags: Netflix, Silverlight, Mac, Watch Instantly

Samsung announced new partnerships with both Netflix and Pandora today – bringing streaming content from these vendors directly to owners of their BD-P2500 and BD-2550 Blu-ray Disc Players. A new firmware update is now available which allows these players to begin streaming content direct from these services. If you have an active Netflix account, you’ll be able to browse and stream from a collection of 12,000+ titles from Netflix – much the way owners of the Roku Netflix Player can. The same holds true for Pandora users – you’ll be able to stream Pandora’s free Internet radio service direct to the Blu-ray players. The new firmware update also brings BD-Live support to these players. In addition, Samsung announced that another firmware update will come out on October 30th which will bring support for DTS-HD High Resolution Audio format.

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Technorati Tags: Samsung, BD-P2500, BD-P2550 Blu-ray, Netflix, Pandora,

LG’s microsite is now up for their new BD300 Network Blu-ray Disc Player. The BD300 is the world’s first Blu-ray player to support Netflix’s Watch Instantly feature which streams movies and TV shows over the Internet directly to your player at home. With an active Netflix account, you’ll have access to over 12,000 titles from Netflix with titles typically starting within 30 seconds of selection. Other features of the BD300 include the following:

• Blu-ray playback with BD-Lie and BonusView support
• Full HD 1080p output via HDMI
• Support for Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby True HD and DTS-HD Advanced Digital Out
• LG SimpLink Connectivity
• DVD 1080p upconversion
• USB Media Host support
• Universal Remote Control
• Measures 16.9″ x 2.3″ x 10.9″

The BD300 has an MSRP of $399.95.

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[Check out the microsite]

Technorati Tags: LG BD300 Network Blu-ray Player, Netflix