Netflix to loosen restrictions on internet viewing option
By Darren Murph 
posted January 13th 2008 10:13PM
posted January 13th 2008 10:13PM
posted January 13th 2008 10:13PM
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The quality depends on your actual broadband speed. The system does a quick speed test right before you start watching the movie and will degrade the picture quality mid-movie if your speed slows.
With that said, my opinion (since I haven't run any tests) is that at its highest quality it is displaying a 480p signal with compression that is slightly noticeable. Of course your computer upscales that if necessary and does a decent job of it.
But overall picture quality on a 1080p display is not quite as good as an upscaled DVD.
Also my opinion on their quality scaling system is that at lower qualities, the picture is not downscaled per se, just further compressed (think JPG compression at low qualities displaying some moire effect and artifacts).
There are 3 qualities based on how fast your internet connection is. If you have a cable modem then you get the highest. If you have cheap DSL then it's the lowest.
The high quality is very good for the vast majority of movies. Not quite DVD quality, but very close. It's much better than standard-definition digital cable or satellite. There are a handful of titles where it seems the studio did not provide them with a quality source master. "Last of the Mohicans" for example looks like it was encoded from an old VHS tape (it probably was).
I've been a longtime Netflix subscriber and I love the "Watch Now" feature. I just finished watching season 1 of "30 Rock" via the Watch Now service.
Picture quality is absolutely superb.
I just wish they could get some new releases, as most of the videos (with the exception of the TV shows) are at least a few years old. However, just like the OS X issue, it most likely lies with the studios and there is little Netflix can do about it.
I watch online with a Mac, just fire up IE on VMWare and I'm there. Works great :)
I really wish the PS3 web browser would support Netflix's watch it now. I'm not one to watch very many movies on my 22" computer screen when I have a 40" Samsung LCD about 10 feet away from it.
i'd prefer they drop the 'cant stream outside of the united states' rule...being stationed oversea's means i cant use that function. it kinda sucks paying for service, but not being able to fully use it.
and yes, im aware of using proxy servers, i just have not tried yet.
Everyone, stop it with the wish lists for Netflix movies on Firefox or your Macs. That may come eventually, but the reason Netflix is doing this is to get us watching movies on our TVs, not computer screens. I know there is a group out there with HTPCs, but I doubt that will ever be the majority. Consumers want machines and set top boxes in their living rooms that DON'T resemble PCs, even if they have a computer inside. That's why Apple came out with an Apple TV, and that is why Netflix wants to inside your living room by any means known to man. Just wait and see...
I don't want another box connected to my tv. Can't they just have compatibility with a PS3, Wii, Xbox browser instead?
Nobody wants extra boxes KC, but this is just the beginning. I'm sure Netflix would like their script running on PS3s and Xbox 360s and cable boxes nationwide, but will Sony, Microsoft and cable let them do it when they have rentals and video on demand? Why let a third party come in and take their money?
Hey, if the script can run on a modded legacy Xbox, then I'd be all set!
I do like Netflix but they need to include more content and to create a Media Center addon since I use Media Center as my DVR and would like the ability to use my remote to pause or fast forward etc...
Well that's nice of them...now give Linux users the ability to actually use this service...especially later down the road when you start charging more because of a service we can't even use.
You're a Linux user, so I'm guessing you're pretty smart. So why is it a smart person doesn't get it. There is no DRM for Linux. How on earth is a service like this supposed to work on an OS with no DRM?
Linux does have DRM...or at least they *were* working on it....maybe that's what GPLv3 killed...well they are saying that the Silverlight port might give netflix support...we'll see
Linux does have DRM, though it may not be approved and hasn't found enough of a market to take off. The OGG folks came up with one such.
GPLv3 has nothing to do with the existence (or lack of) of Linux DRM. Proprietary, non-free software works just great on Linux. If Microsoft or Apple wanted to port their DRM to Linux they could. I have no problem using Microsoft DRM on my Linux box provided I can get my fair use out of it. For a download-and-watch on demand service, that's pretty easy to do; I don't expect it to be portable because having it right when I want it is the real service they are providing. What I *do* mind is having to run Microsoft Windows.
If I am required to use Windows to use Netflix I will drop my account and look for other reasonable sources.
well, I figure right now the watch on demand is a free service more or less...so what I *am* paying for is the movies coming to me...when the price goes up because of this, then it's time to look at other options
All this talk of DRM is crap. It's about time these companies grew some balls and stood up to 'Hollywood'. All this talk of needing DRM to protect streaming content...why would it need protecting? If people really want this stuff for free or to keep copies they will either use peer-to-peer sites or just copy the DVDs and get much better quality copies. It's about time these companies stopped bending over and taking it up the ass from hollywood at the expense of their customers!
END RANT!
I'm not sure the CD paradigm works with movie rentals. You've never really been able to "rent" music like that. If I can buy a CD for $15.00 and rip it to my PMP (and by extension have the disc as a backup) or I can buy a CD digitally for $15.00 with DRM (and no hard backup), the choice is clear on which is superior. Same for buying movies online--I'm better off buying them on disc and ripping them to my hard drive.
But what if I want to rent? The business model is I get it for a short period of time, at a highly discounted rate, and then must return it. I don't own it. I can see how DRM is bad for digital movies I purchase at full market price. What I want is the rental model for movies I don't want to own specifically for that highly discounted price. The DRM is essential to get the discount and it's a fair trade.
@Shawn:
But my point still stands. You can go to the DVD rental store, rent your highly discounted rate DVD and take a copy before returning the DVD. Even with the older Netflix model, they send you a DVD which some people may copy before returning. The point is, pretending DRM stops this sort of activity is nonsense. All DRM does is treat law abiding citizens as criminals because anyone who is intent on copying it will do despite the DRM.
This is cool but between an xbox 360, ps3 & a tivo HD, I've got enough devices connected to my HDTV to go out and buy another to use netflix. Put it on tivo, netflix, and I'll subscribe. I wont drop blockbuster but I'll subscribe to netflix.
We'll never see it on the 360 or the ps3 unless both consoles are hacked to run homebrew &/or linux (properly... not gimped by a hypervisor). And the linux thing... netflix still needs to support that OS.
Bahh Thats what they said about DIVX on the X360 as well :) I think the 360 would be the easiest to port it to, and with the recent blu-ray victory, I think MSFT better look at value-added options for the 360.
@vw- but this directly competes with xbox live. Thats why I dont think you'll ever see this on the 360. MS already has a video download service in place. They could partner with Netflix to allow subscribers to download off xbox live instead of netflix's service (which would be a different way of achieving the same thing)....
hmm... I really like that idea.
Reed sits on the board of Microsoft. Apple will announce it's own rental program this week.
pretty simple.
As long as Netflix eventually gives a good implementation on the Mac, I'll be happy. I watched a movie of theirs this weekend, and a movie on openhulu; openhulu's video was low res, would cut out, and was jerky as hell, while Netflix played like a regular movie (a bit lower res, more like standard def than the HD we now expect, but still better than openhulu). I would rather they got it right, which they seem to have done thus far, rather than release something right away.
This breaks FairPlay4wm since it requires the latest Windows Media player. Too bad I won't be using this.
alright, i don't really care about the apple/linux/ps3/wii browser/drm limitations.
I think the wierd part of the whole thing is the available content on watch instantly, aside from like 2 or 3 good titles in each catagory (except independents, and documentaries, which are mostly independent) all the rest of the movies are bargain basement chaff that you see on drug store racks for .99 a dvd. and some content is there, and then dissappears quickly. for example, i watched the entire first season of ghost in the shell stand alone complex via watch it instantly. a week later, it was gone from the choices. can't get it anymore.
i'm sure it's some licensing issue more than a "well it takes a long time to convert their whole catalog" type thing. anyways, since i don't like a whole lot of 80's b movie cheese, i find that the service isn't allthat compelling (except when you find a title you do want to watch it's awesome, it's on demand, good picture and sound quality for streamed over the internet, and it's "free" on top of the delivery service) i just wish they had their whole catalog of movies up.
feel free to punch holes in my eval so that i can use the info to fuigure out how to use their service better.