Netflix 'Watch Instantly' Streaming Options

[beemer330]

Netflix started streaming some of their movies to subscribed customers a while back. They continue to find new and more convenient ways to bring movies to their customers like signing exclusive deals with Starz to stream their movies. Here are some links for details and current options that i have heard of to date for using Netflix's 'Watch Instantly':

1. Microsoft is going to start making their 'Watch Instantly' movies accessible through Windows Media Center instead of relying solely on Internet Explorer.
2. In the past Microsoft also made it possible to stream Netflix movies through the Xbox 360 as long as you had an Xbox live account.
3. There is also the Roku box which just plugs into your tv which costs $99. You can also use Amazon Video On Demand with the Roku box.
4. TiVo also has an option that seems pretty popular to stream through your TiVo box.
5. My favorite option is using the vmcNetflix plugin which will allow you to stream Netflix movies through an Xbox 360 via Windows Media Center. vmcNetflix is free.
6. There are a few Blu-ray player manufactures so far that are making players that are capable of streaming Netflix movies themselves. The two are Samsung and LG. They have a network port on the back of them to connect directly to the internet.

At Netflix.com the current 'Watch Instantly' player says that it has added support for both the Safari and Firefox browsers in addition to supporting Internet Explorer, but I just tried with Firefox 3.0.10 and the site says "Your browser is currently incompatible for PC viewing". I haven't tested Safari yet. Netflix also has a new version of their streaming program using Silverlight. If you use this link; opt-in beta you can sign up for their beta testing of the new player using Silverlight. If you opt-in you can't go back to the old viewer. I've tried the new player and it works great! It even works with the same browser that the old couldn't, Firefox 3.0.10.

I tried not to make this too long, but if you've heard of anymore ideas to make Netflix movie streaming easier, any comments or if i've missed something please add.

More details:http://www.netflix.com/NetflixReadyDevices and http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/19/d...ming-shootout/

[beemer330]

Netflix released their Application Gallery last week. They describe it as, "New ways to find, explore and manage your movies—both on your phone and other websites."

Feedflix is a great way of automatically keeping track of your rental history to see if you're getting your money's worth with your current plan. It shows you your average cost per dvd rental, how many dvds you return a week and the average time you keep your dvds.