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.

[Check it out]

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.

[Check it out]

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

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.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, Netflix Streaming

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.

[Check it out]

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

[Check it out]

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

“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.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Netflix, Silverlight, Mac, Watch Instantly

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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.

[Check it out]

[Check out the microsite]

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

• Gone Baby Gone
• Dan in Real Life
• Next
• The Lives of Others
• No Country for Old Men
• The Pursuit of Happyness
• Deja Vu
• Apocalypto
• Becoming Jane
• Superbad
• Meet the Robinsons
• The Illusionist

These additions joins recently added content from CBS, Disney, and NBC TV shoes.

Now for the other interesting tidbit – Netflix acknowledged in this blog posting that they’re working on a “Watch Now” Mac solution which should be available by the end of the year. Other ways to watch streaming videos from Netflix include the Roku player, the upcoming LG BD300 Blu-ray Network player, and soon the Xbox 360 console.

[Check it out via News.com]

Technorati Tags: Netflix, Starz Play, Mac Watch Now

[Check it out via PC Magazine]

Technorati Tags: Netflix outage

So what’s the current status and how would Netflix respond? Well if you go to the Netflix website, you’ll see the following message:

“Our Shipping Centers Are Mailing DVDs

Delayed DVD Shipments Are Being Sent Today (Friday)

We’re happy to report that all of our shipping centers are resuming normal operations (after 3 days of issues). If you should have been shipped a disc Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, it will ship today (Friday).

We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused. To all of you whose shipments have been delayed, we’ll be automatically applying a 15% credit to your next billing statement. Or, if you are new to Netflix and your first shipments have been delayed, we recognize that this is not a good way to begin your Netflix membership and we’ll automatically extend your free trial by a week.

Again, we apologize for the delay and thank you for your understanding.

The Netflix Team“

While Netflix has not been exactly forthcoming as to what exactly happened (and they really don’t need to be), they’re at least handling customer service quite nicely. I am.. and will continue to be a Netflix customer (that 15% credit helps too).

Technorati Tags: Netflix, outage

First came the PC web browser. Then came the $99 dollar Roku Netflix Player. Next was the Microsoft Xbox 360 console. Now, Netflix finds itself with inside the upcoming LG Electronics BD300 Network Blu-ray Disc Player. OK.. “inside” might not be the right word per se, but the BD300 does come with built-in support for Netflix’s Instant Queue service which allows Netflix subscribers to view some 10,000 movies and TV shows nearly instantly over the Internet. Best of all – this is already free for unlimited Netflix subscribers out there. If you’re thinking about getting a Blu-ray player AND you’re already a Netflix subscriber, then you definitely should be thinking about this player (unless of course you plan on gaming in which case the PS3 still makes the most sense.)

The LG BD300 is also a state of the art standalone Blu-ray player with support for BD-Live which provides real-time interactivity in the form of extras, new previews, and special content. There’s also support for BonusView which is provides picture-in-picture access to special features on a Blu-ray disc. Other features include:

• Up-convert standard DVDs to 1080p
• LG SimpLink technology which allows users to control similarly equipped LG TV and AV products via on-screen menus or from the product itself

It’s certainly interesting to see Netflix slowly proliferate across multiple devices. If Netflix can continue to expand its distribution channels, it’s not hard to imagine the company negotiating with Hollywood Studios for additional content deals – perhaps finally expanding the 10,000 to 12,000 title library. More importantly, the company is positioning itself as a major player in the online video market.

The LG BD300 Network Blu-ray Disc Player will be available later this fall. 

[Check it out]

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

First let’s talk about the new Xbox Experience. The folks at Kotaku have an excellent write-up as to what the new experience will comprise of/look like. Here are some of the major tidbits for you to consider. First – why even update the Xbox Dashboard interface? Well the original interface was designed for dealing with hundreds of different pieces of content. However, the Xbox 360 has turned into a device that drives not hundreds but potentially thousands of pieces of multimedia content and thus this necessitated a new user interface.

Secondly, this update is not an optional upgrade or feature of the console. It will effectively replace the Blade user interface we’ve come to love (or hate). The user interface features an Apple iPod/iTunes like Cover-Flow user interface (or similar to the Flip 3D UI from Vista). Kotaku reports that the new Xbox Guide and user interface will be faster than the current interface. Also – more importantly, all of your old content will indeed work with the new user interface.

Other new features being introduced with the Xbox experience include:

• LIVE Party – Share your experiences with friends all over the world
• Personalize your Xbox with Avatars
• Enjoy new content from places such as Netflix, NBC Universal, Universal Studios Home Entertainment, SCI FI Channel, USA Network, Constantin, and MGM.

The new experience also includes a new lineup of games, movies, and TV shows including the following:

• New Xbox LIVE Primetime – a collection of virtual game shows that allows thousands of gamers to become contestants from their own living rooms. One such game will be 1 vs. 100
• New console games such as Final Fantasy XIII, Gears of War 2, Resident Evil 5,Fable II, and exclusive GTA IV episodes
• Music content such as Lips, Rock Band 2, Guitar Hero World TourandDanceDanceRevolution® UNIVERSE3.
• Family titles such as Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts,Scene It? Box Office Smash and Viva Piñata®: Trouble in Paradise.

Ok.. now onto the Netflix/Microsoft partnership. You will now be able to view your Netflix Instant Queue list directly on your Xbox 360 console.  This new addition will be available to Xbox LIVE Gold members who are also Netflix subscribers. Movies can be enjoyed within 30 seconds of selecting the title with controls consisting of fast forward, pause, and rewind.

AND finally, there are two new colors available for the Xbox 360 wireless controller – a red model and a green model. The red model will sell for $64.99 while the green model will go for $44.99.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Microsoft, Xbox 360, Xbox experience, Netflix

Finally, don’t forget about the rumors that Netflix might be coming to either the Xbox 360 console or the Sony PlayStation 3.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Roku Netflix Player,

Do you want the capabilities of the Roku Netflix Player on your TV set yet don’t want to shell out $99 bucks for the player itself? Well this posting on Lifehacker shows how you COULD get a similar experience IF you have an Xbox 360 and a Windows PC lying about on a home network. The key to making this work is a combination of an add-in called the vmcNetFlix add-in, Extender for Windows Media Center, and the Netflix Watch-Instantly component. The vmcNetFlix add-in software can be downloaded here and make sure to read the notes on the webpage.

I tried out the software last night and while I saw the plugin on my Extender screen, I failed to get video playback working. Truth be told – I didn’t spend too much time on it so I’ll look into it more tonight. Now, keep in mind folks – this is a cool alternative to the Roku Netflix Player IF you have all the components already. If you don’t have an Xbox 360 and you don’t play video games, then it probably makes very little sense to go and buy an Xbox 360 strictly for Netflix content. You’re better off getting the Roku player itself.  Having said that, there are also rumors that Microsoft and Netflix are closing in on a deal that would have Netflix’s Watch Now service available for the Xbox console. All good news for Netflix and of course the Microsoft Xbox 360 console.

[Check it out via News.com]

Technorati Tags: Netflix, Microsoft, Watch Now, Windows Media Center, vmcNetflix Add-in

It’s clear that video on demand will continue to proliferate throughout the industry. A number of factors are coming together to make this all possible. You have cheap broadband, a need to switch to digital TV which is resulting in new purchases of HDTV sets, and of course cheap computing equipment.  All of these factor leads to the inevitable conclusion that your standard family is or will be very connected and that DVD rentals will be a thing of the past in a few years.

While no one really knows how successful Apple TV is, one can imagine that Apple will continue to push forward with this market. If only to make sure to keep Microsoft in check with this market with the Xbox 360. Plus let’s not forget about Sony and the PlayStation 3. And of course you have players in the form of cable companies and small independent startups all trying to get into the mix. Just looking at the players in the market alone, it’s clear that video on demand will be big .. but who will rule the roost at the end of the day?

Netflix in many ways is perfectly positioned to do so. The company already has a huge user audience. It also has cash in the bank. It just now needs to think outside of the box and work with the Hollywood studios. Experiment with different options or payment systems. See what the market is willing to bare.

Here’s a thought Netflix: If I’m willing to pay $3.99 to $4.99 for the latest HD rentals via Apple TV (and I certainly am!), then I’d be more than willing to do the same via Netflix. So listen to Mr. Sandoval’s thoughts and get on it! The public will want it… if they don’t already!

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Roku, Netflix Player, CNET, Greg Sandoval

Could be better with access to newer movies, but definitely recommended if you’re a Netflix subscriber with unlimited instant viewing.

That’s pretty much right on the mark. Seriously – for $100 bucks and nothing else to pay, this seems like a no-brainer for those WHO ALREADY have a Netflix. (if you don’t… well you should! And no.. I’m not associated with Netflix in any way. I’m just a fan!). Seriously, the Roku player makes all the sense in the world from a on-demand perspective. If Netflix can somehow garner additional movie studio support, then you’ve got yourself an extremely formidable player (though it would be nice if the unit had HD support too!)

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Roku Netflix Player, HDTV Magazine, Review