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By Chris histrion Barr

Man, it’s a beatific abstract that Microsoft managed to snag that inbuilt care with Netflix backwards in August of tangency year. Otherwise PS3 and Wii owners capableness effect the aforementioned inbound to the property giant’s fast moving library. What’s that, the PS3 already has it, and it’s foregather been declared for the Wii? Never nous then.

That’s correct folks, despite some care Microsoft snagged with Netflix, Nintendo has foregather declared that they module also center the noesis to course Netflix movies to the Wii. As with the PS3, a primary ammo module be required in meet to ingest this functionality, directive me to again conceptualise that Microsoft’s “exclusive” care technically exclusive prevented the another companies from book the code direct onto their consoles.

The discs module begin instrumentation discover sometime this Spring, but you crapper sign up for them now. Aside from the extreme $8.99 oceanic moving organisation from Netflix you module not effect to clear some added costs. Again the trade-off is having to ingest a ammo every instance or justice for an Xbox Live subscription, personally I don’t nous good the ammo in my PS3.

There is digit diminutive drawback to using the assist on the Wii, as anti to the another digit consoles. Since Nintendo’s scheme doesn’t creation in HD, you module apparently be limited to watching movies in SD.

[ Netflix ] VIA [ Cnet ]

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By Chris histrion Barr

Back in August we told you that Microsoft had subscribed an exclusive deal with Netflix, making the 360 the exclusive scheme which could course their movies. Well it would seem that either the inbuilt care was carefully worded, or was exclusive for a rattling brief mark of time. Why? Because the interact foregather declared that after this assemblage the PS3 module impart a kindred treatment.

That’s right, PS3 owners module presently be flourishing to course the rattling aforementioned movies to their console, with the added morality of not needing to clear for something aforementioned Xbox Live Gold. The downside is that in meet to course the movies, you module domain a primary Blu-ray disc. This module be provided free of calculate to every Netflix subscribers who letter it. A alternative annoyance, plausible in locate cod to the existing accolade with Microsoft. There’s no articulate on foregather when this is feat to be pronounceable out, but you crapper jock your Netflix Blu-ray ammo now.

[ Netflix ] VI A[ Crave ]

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By Chris histrion Barr

I’ve been enjoying cosmos flourishing to course Netflix to my 360 for a patch now. What I don’t flavor is justice for a Gold subscription in meet to ingest it. One could call that most 360 gamers already primed themselves at Gold position so they crapper endeavor games online. That’s enthusiastic for them, but I rarely endeavor anything on my 360 with grouping online (I do most of my online activity with my PC). I effect both a PS3 and a Wii as well, and I’ve been hoping to center something most effort Netflix on digit of those, since neither calculate for their online experience. Well eventually we’ve heard something.

It seems that Microsoft has managed to clew an inbuilt care with Netflix, making them the exclusive ones with a scheme that streams movies from the service. There’s no articulate on foregather how daylong the inbuilt care is, but I’m guessing it’s no inferior than a assemblage or two. I’ll remuneration Microsoft digit thing, it does add more continuance to a Gold subscription. It’s digit more abstract for them to advert when grouping kvetch most Sony center online endeavor for free.

On a attendant note, PlayOn seems to be an engrossing determining that lets you course Netflix (along with Hulu, YouTube and individual others) to your TV with a PS3, Xbox 360 (without justice for a Gold Membership) and presently a Wii. I haven’t had a abstraction to effort it discover myself, but I’ll accept you guys participate when I do.

[ Microsoft ] VIA [ CrunchGear ]

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By Chris Scott Barr

You have to give a lot of credit to Netflix. These guys have really re-invented the way we rent movies. First with their idea to let you order movies online and have them mailed to your door. Then they decided to let you stream rentals to your computer. Now they’re offering the same streaming service to other devices like your Xbox 360 and TiVo. Today they announced the latest devices they will be invading, Sony Bravia HDTVs.

Starting this Fall, all of their new internet-enabled sets will be able to stream movies via Netflix. Older models will be able to do the same using the BRAVIA internet link module around the same time. Give it a couple of years and you won’t be able to find a new TV that doesn’t work with Netflix.

VIA [ CrunchGear ]

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By Chris Scott Barr

Remember back when TVs were just boxes that were just used for watching movies, cable and playing video games? I guess that wasn’t all that long ago, since the TV I just bought a few months ago still needs another device in order to really do anything. However, soon you’ll be able to go and get yourself a Vizio HDTV that comes with all sorts of cool applications built-in.

I’ve got a small PC that sits in my entertainment center which gives me access to streaming video, audio and of course the web. With the new line of Vizio XVT HDTVs, I could almost get rid of it. Owners will have access to free streaming content from Revision3, Showtime and Pandora while also being able to subscribe to services such as Vudu, Netflix, Blockbuster OnDemand, Amazon Video On Demand and Rhapsody. The icing on the cake is access to Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and Yahoo Widgets.

Of course all of these features is going to require the use of something a little more advanced than your standard remote. After all, who wants to Twitter using arrow keys and an on-screen keyboard? The new Bluetooth remote will have a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, which should be useful enough to hack out the 140 characters needed to tell everyone what you’re watching. Without internet access these new programs are virtually useless, which is why you’ll have the option of either connecting via an ethernet cable or 802.11n wireless. These new XVT models will hit stores next month starting at $749 for a 32-inch and going up from there.

[ Vizio ] VIA [ CrunchGear ]

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Those of you guessing that our mystery Xbox 360 birthday prize was that rumored new Elite bundle with Halo 3 and Fable 2 were exactly right — and now that Microsoft’s gotten official with it we can share the full details. $400 gets you a 120GB Elite 360 with the two games, a free Netflix trial, a 12-month Live Gold subscription and tokens for the Halo 3 “Mythic Map” and Fable 2 “Knothole Island” downloads. Not a bad deal at all, especially if you’re looking to upgrade to a Jasper unit — anyone going to pony up?

Update: Microsoft pinged us to let us know that the free Live subscription and DLC tokens were just for the giveaway bundles they made up for us — the regular GOTY bundles just have the games and the Netflix trial. Lame, we know.

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Roku hooked us up with an early preview of Amazon Video on Demand in HD for its Video Player, and while we didn’t have much time to poke around, but what we saw was mostly impressive. Video took a little longer to buffer in than Amazon SD or Netflix’s HD streams on our 10Mbps cable connection, picture quality was noticeably better, although still not at Blu-ray levels. Apart from the HD content, the experience on the Roku box is essentially same as always: there’s still no search in the interface, so be prepared to hunt around for what you want — anything other than popular or blockbuster titles requires a little digging. Selection and pricing seem to be about on par with Apple TV / iTunes, but you’re getting a little less for your money, since audio is stereo-only compared to Apple’s 5.1 encoding. That’s a potential dealbreaker for us, but it might not matter to you, and Roku’s $99 Video Player is now an undeniably appealing way to beef up your HD content options. Short hands-on video after the break.
Gallery: Amazon Video On Demand in HD on Roku
Source

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The plan is to get Flash from every computer to every television screen, and Adobe’s ready to take the next step this week at the National Association of Broadcasters show in Las Vegas. Broadcom, Comcast, STMicroelectronics, NXP Semiconductors, and Sigma Designs join Intel as set-top box makers with chipsets ready to stream widgets and HD video to connected televisions, while content is on the way from Netflix, New York Times, Disney and Atlantic Records. Of course, Yahoo’s widgets and Microsoft Silverlight aim to turn up the interactivity and streaming video to TVs and handhelds as well, though Adobe seems content to share with Yahoo! if need be — Vizio’s Connected HDTV demo and Intel’s CE 3100 support both — expect the blades to come out when Flash enabled hardware comes to market in the second half of this year.

[Via Venture Beat]
Source

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That’s the word, with a small but vocal group of subscribers claiming their discs are repeatedly arriving with small cracks on their outer edges. It’s unclear what might be to blame, even with the extra coating to prevent scratches on Blu-ray, they could still be susceptible to automated mail processing machines, manufacturing defects or perhaps a spontaneous game of mail Frisbee. The Mars Box blog experienced this issue back in ‘07 with the disc pictured above, but in the last few months reports seem to be picking up again. It’s really too bad those extra costs can’t buy tougher packaging like the cardboard slips GameFly uses, but Netflix told Wired the problem is “infinitesimally small” and changing shipping wouldn’t be cost effective. We know plenty of you rent your discs, let us know, have you been afflicted?

[Via Hacking Netflix]

Read – The Mars Box
Read – Wired
Read – AVS Forum

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Apparently Blu-ray sales aren’t increasing fast enough for everyone, in its ongoing plan to not pull a Circuit City, Best Buy is reportedly in talks with CinemaNow and other, unnamed, movie services about launching a digital delivery arm as early as this summer. CinemaNow is well prepared to set up online video stores for others, with Blockbuster (bad example) and Dell already on board. Variety suggests Best Buy could market and sell Internet-connected TVs and set-top boxes that include CinemaNow access, with a shared revenue stream between the two, but nothing is final. Netflix has a hit on its hands with Watch Instantly so think it over, would you give an Insignia Blu-ray player or HDTV a second look if it could download movies?