Poll: Wii Netflix discs now arriving, was it worth the wait?
By Donald Melanson 
posted March 26th 2010 1:52PM
posted March 26th 2010 1:52PM
It looks like today's the day that the first Wii Netflix discs are arriving in customer's hands, which only means one thing -- time for a poll. The Wii may be the last of the big three consoles to get its instant streaming fix, but it also has the largest installed base, and plenty of eager Netflix subscribers looking for an easy way to get instant streaming in their living room. Still haven't received your disc? Then you can get a taste of what's in store in the video after the break -- and if you have received it, be sure to let us know how it's working out in the poll below.
[Thanks, Erik]
[Thanks, Erik]
| Great! Who needs one of those other consoles? | |
|---|---|
| Not bad, but the Wii's limitations are pretty evident. | |
| Wii? I'm sticking to Netflix on my Xbox 360 / PS3. | |
| You're saying I can watch movies through the interwebz? |
@tophere
Wii users simply don't have this annoying tendency of telling you that their cult will take over the planet. They're too busy flinging game controllers across the room to be snooty or obnoxious.
Wow, this is the second poll I've taken issue with. How about a fifth option that says "I've been enjoying it just fine on my Tivo or Roku box?" Or perhaps just change the existing poll question that only considers game consoles to say something like "Wii? I'm sticking to Netflix on my other connected device." Except, you know, something that reads better :)
MOOOAARR POWERRRRRR...
I'm sorry, who here hasn't lusted after a netbook, joojoo, or ipad? Sometimes other features outweigh the nerdtastic urge for moar power. IMHO the wii is on the same plane as the ipod; sure there are better mp3 players, but the wii is so user-friendly and intuitive. Couple that with the fact that most americans have slowz-ass internetz, HD streaming becomes a moot point.
If anyone wants a more permanent home for their disc than the paper sleeve, you can download a slipcover for a standard DVD case here: http://erikt.tumblr.com/day/2010/03/26
@erikteichmann
Thanks a lot for the slipcase insert for the Wii. The Netflix paper sleeves are pretty weak. Do you also happen to have one for the PS3 disc?
how about "netflix doesn't exist in my country."
I'll probably stick to my 360 until my subscription wears off. Plus the Wii is much more portable than the other two.
Do you all remember when people were angry at the fact that wii doesnt play dvds?
So wait? YOUR telling me netflix can beam vhs's directly into my brain through a series of youtubes! RIGHT OUT OF MY FAMICOM! the future is amazing
Engadget's narcissistic bias against wii is pretty evident in anything they post that has to do with consoles (I am a 360 owner; used to have a wii and i know it has its decent collection of games)
It's a stupid, lighthearted throwaway poll that no one will ever look at again, EVER. So lighten up people. And if you can't discern the intent of the poll through its conversational style then maybe you shouldn't be voting. And if people cast votes in the wrong places, oh well. Not like any random joe could just answer anything regardless of whether or not the poll answers were crystal clear.
People really need to direct their anger towards something that actually means something.
Well this is encouraging me to relocate my Wii from my living room setup to my bedroom which doesn't have an HDTV that way I can access my instant queue from my bed without using a laptop. As someone who owns all three consoles I'd have to say the Xbox has the best integration of Netflix as its built into the dashboard, however I wonder if I can rip the Netflix disc to the external HDD I have hooked up to my Wii? I'll be sure to check that when my disc arrives today. As far as my physical media collection, I've pretty much stopped buying DVDs, except when my Wife ( who is yet to really get into the concept of blu ray) buys an old movie for like five bucks. Heck I buy a few HD DVDs a year its not like my player doesnt display them in 1080p and no way am I gonna pay 25 bucks for a title that just saw its way to blu ray when the HD DVD version is on Ebay brand new for like three bucks.
I like owning my media but I have used Zune Marketplace to watch instant 1080p flicks when Netflix has long wait times on blu ray and I wanna see the movie in HD. I believe you can buy the HD movies on Xbox Live without having to download them to your HDD so you dont have to use up space, I still like owning a physical disc but that is a step in the right direction, however I feel that if any company is gonna try to sale you on digital downloads they need to sale the media at a fairly lower price then buying a disc, they didn't have to pay for the physical media it would have been encoded on or shipping it to a retailer. I don't understand how they have the nerve to sale a movie for download especially on a place like the PSN which currently forces you to use HDD space at the same price of the blu ray with digital copy.
I got the disc for completeness, since I have netflix on my xbox 360 and ps3 already. I never intend to use it. Oh yeah, that's right, wanton disregard for resources.
So am I the only person that hasn't gotten their Wii Netflix disc shipped yet? Or are they staggering the mailings? I signed up for it, but no email yet.
I would rather have instant streaming on my linux box.
They haven't emailed me or sent anything. Has this happened to anyone else?
I suppose it is, but Netflix streaming isn't the novelty it was a few years ago, simply because it's being enabled in everything. Most people who own a Wii likely own a DVD or Blu-Ray player from a major manufacturer with this capability and/or either next-gen console (or all of these devices). And don't forget about the Roku. Netflix streaming will look better depending on the connection, display, and video chip inside each device. The Wii is not exactly a video-processing workhorse and is crippled by 480p-only resolution, so enabling streams on it now seems like an afterthought.
I would have liked to have seen an option for how people like it compared to PlayOn streaming.
Or perhaps some comments by people that have both?
Mine should arrive today per the email.
Also, since this is a Wii, this disk isn't a CD or a DVD, as the Wii game discs have a unique format.
I would expect that, since it is a direct viewing app, that it would be able to handle a higher bitrate and thus, a better picture than PlayOn, which takes the NetFlix stream and converts it on the fly to Flash, which is then played on the Wii by Opera and the builtin Flash plugin.
The upside to PlayOn is that it can play just about anything on the web and relay it over to the Wii, Amazon VOD, Hulu, Discover Channel, CNN, MTV, Comedy Central, Cartoon Network, HGTV, etc.
While the NetFlix disk can only let me watch ... well, ... NetFlix.
When I want quality viewing from a streamed source, I'll use my laptop hooked up to the HDMI port and not go through the Wii anyway. But for when I am using my laptop for other things, or the kids just want to watch some old movie or TV show (e.g. Clash of The Titans, Avatar: The Last Airbender)
Most streamed media isn't HD anyway, so flaming the Wii over not having HD is a meaningless taunt.
Let's talk about how long the wait was before the PS3 got a rumble controller, now shall we? Or how common are bricked Wiis compared to RROD Xboxes?
My Wii is connected to my 26" monitor on my Media Center PC. I don't need multiply ways to stream Netflix. Two is enough. Then the 26" TV in my bedroom already has a 360 connected to it. If I had a third room to put the Wii in, the the disc would be worth it. Until then though, no.
I think it works fine to me. It doesn't stream in 1080p, but the clarity is pretty good. No complaints here. :)
ps3 is better
I have a Roku HD and a Wii, and while the Wii's Netflix disc doesn't match in quality, you can still enjoy some range of quality on the Wii option. 3 out of 5.
Netflix on the Wii is worth it, I can confirm if you have a modded Wii you can install the Netflix Instant Stream disc to an external HDD or SD card so you don't have to use the disc for streaming like you do with the PS3. It took a matter of seconds for the disc to install. Due to the Wii's lack of HD support I've made the decision to relocate my Wii to my bedroom since I don't have an HDTV there and am lacking Netflix connectivity to a TV, Netflix support for a Directv DVR would be nice but I don't see that coming anytime soon and this does beat using a laptop. The streaming works flawlessly through my wifi connection So the Wii gets a second chance at life and my 360 and PS3 remain supreme in the livingroom. I hope the HDD/SD card install tip helps someone.
I am watching Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog on Wii Netflix. Quality is better than some digital cable channels. This is on a3 0" standard def television.
I also have a PS3 Netflix (attached to a High Def TV), and I can honestly say I like the Wii interface better. The interface is much snappier. Pausing/resuming happens instantly (my PS3 has a few seconds response for that). I also can hold right or left and the list continues to scroll, whereas on the PS3 I have to keep tapping the stick or D-Pad to scroll.
We have 4 kids (10, 6, 4, newborn) and this will be great for them to watch selections from Netflix as well.
I hope this helps the people who were looking for a clear impression.
Works fine here, the interface isn't as nice as on the 360, and not having HD does kinda suck. But, overall, performance is good.
I can now cancel my X-Box Live Gold, so that makes me happy.
I've tried the netflix on my wii, it's good,picture quality is good, and it picked up the movie where I left off on my ps3, but the movie was wide screen on ps3, and half screen(full frame) on wii, guess it depends on what you are watching because wii it appears does not upconvert certain films on the service like ps3, and xbox 360 does. Btw I have all three consoles, and I like the netflix experience on the ps3 the best
I am surprised about how well it works, My Wii is connected to via WiFi and picture isnt bad at all. My family and I watched about 3 movies last night on netflix and we had no issue.
is it not suppose to ship yet because i still havent received mine.
I just got my disc friday, put it in and was told to got o netflix.com/Wii which is just the sign-up page for the Wii disc…browsed the site a little and found the activation page. So if anyone runs into that.. not sure if its a misprint on the early discs or what, go to netflix.com/Activate
I am streaming with the wireless (as most will unless they want to buy the USB adapter) and the quality is as good as my media pc thats wired and runing a DVI to HDMI connection. No complaints so far with the overal quality of my experience.
I read in an article that according to Fils-Aime (Nintendo CEO), “there really is no loss for the Wii consumer” for not having HD Netflix access because the “vast majority” of Netflix streaming content isn’t HD anyway. Personally I have only used by Media PC for a comparison and dont have any of the other platforms, so this is great for me.
Read more (and watch interview): http://www.geek.com/articles/games/reggie-fils-aime-says-wii-owners-dont-want-netflix-hd-20100115/#ixzz0jOkCKNwH
Or:
http://www.geek.com/articles/games/reggie-fils-aime-says-wii-owners-dont-want-netflix-hd-20100115/
http://www.qj.net/qjnet/wii/fils-aime-on-netflix-deal-wiis-lack-of-hd-is-not-a-loss-for-wii-owners.html
@jagnth
I had gone to Netflix.com/Wii and found the sign-up page as well. But then, I found out I had to be logged in first. :-P Once I signed in, I found out Netflix.com/Wii was the proper web location to go to. Glad to hear that you're enjoying your Wii Netflix experience also!
I just got my disc today and I have to say, I'm quite impressed! It is very fast and simple to use. Great quality and definitely a better experience then watching them on my laptop or desktop computer.
I just ordered the disc, but...
I've been streaming on the htpc for a while, and while I would like the convenience and ease of streaming through the Wii, when the PC gets HD streaming, I'll probably drop the Wii streaming and go back to PC. But I can always put the wii in the bedroom and stream there I guess.
Why couldn't they just made it a downloudable (netflex) and then suscripe? No shipping hassal and people who have trouble with shipping (Seems to be mostly canadians) could get it too!