Both Engadget and Gizmodo are live-blogging Microsoft’s opening E3 keynote… In addition to a massive Xbox 360 Dashboard UI overhaul (which I alluded to in May), Netflix-on-Xbox video streaming has been confirmed for fall. Sweet! Here’s to hoping Netflix can load up on current Hollywood hits prior to launch. Guess my Netflix Roku box is headed to ebay once we’ve completed the Battle Royale.

If you’re a heavy user of Netflix’s streaming movie service “Watch Now,” you may have run into the Netflix-imposed restriction of registering a maximum of three computers. Attempting to install and use Netflix Watch-Now on a fourth computer will most likely result in an error having you to contact customer service for another “key.” This hack has been around on the forums for a while now, but Tech-Recipes today posted the simple how-to on getting around the limitation without needing to contact Netflix Customer Support.

If your wondering how one would ever need to use Netflix Watch Now on more than three computers then consider this scenario: I have three HTPCs at home, one laptop from work that goes with me everywhere, my daughter’s laptop and my wife’s laptop. Any of those computers are likely to access Netflix Watch-Now at any time to pick up a show or movie.

The workaround for this is pretty simple involving a registry hack and a few additional steps. Check it out at Tech-Recipes.com. I’ve tried it on a fourth PC and it worked perfectly.

Check out more of Brent’s reflections on tech, gadgets, software and media at Brent Evans Geek Tonic.

My Roku Netflix Player just arrived, so of course I dropped everything to get it running. Setup and operation are extremely simple, and I appreciate the inclusion of WiFi (like Apple TV, as opposed to Vudu, Xbox, TiVo, and Akimbo). The rewind (and fast forward) thumbnail scanning functionality is going to take some getting used to, plus we’re obviously going to need more content and in higher definition. For the time being this won’t replace anyone’s DVD player, but the Netflix Player is reasonably priced with brand awareness and I’m a fan of an all-you-can-eat video subscription - we’re headed in the right direction. I’ll have additional thoughts after spending more than 10 minutes with it… and we’ll add Roku to the brewing Battle Royale.

24 pics: (more…)

Earlier than I had anticipated, the first Netflix set-top box has hit the market. Many of us complain of “box fatigue”, but we’ll probably make an exception for the compact Roku Netflix Player listed an attractive $100 with unlimited video streaming (for Unlimited Plan subscribers). Though, Roku obviously overlooked physical design to get this unit out quick and at a reasonable price point. Having said that, they didn’t skimp on network connectivity by kindly integrating wireless along with the typical wired Ethernet option. The fanless media streamer currently maxes out at 480p, but the HDMI-equipped unit is capable of higher definition once Netflix provides HD content. (Higher tier plan?) The UI is limited to browsing your pre-existing Watch Now Queue - meaning, you won’t be searching or adding movies on the fly.

Now the interesting thing about Roku is the founder and CEO… About a year ago Anthony Wood (also a founder of ReplayTV) left Roku to head up Netflix’s Internet TV Group. In January, he returned to Roku and here we are. I assume this is the smaller Netlifx partner which I got wrong (suggesting a D-Link or Netgear). Perhaps, I would have voted differently had I kept tabs on Wood.

Early Reviews:

• Gizmodo
• CrunchGear
• Crave
• PC Magazine
• Wired

Over on Geek Tonic, Brent’s taken a stab at guessing the three new Netflix hardware partners: Sony, Microsoft, and TiVo. So, I may as well get my forecast on the record too:

1. Microsoft (Xbox 360, Vista Media Center, HP media extender televisions, etc)
2. Toshiba (Connected DVD player - they need to replace HD DVD with something…)
3. A networking company with media extenders like Netgear or D-Link as the smaller partner

Leave your entries in the comments! Remind me in Q4 and the closest prediction will get something. If we have multiple correct submissions, I’ll randomly choose one for the yet-to-be-determined prize.

Interesting news out of Netflix’s quarterly call:

In January, we told you we were working with LG Electronics for a second half of 2008 product launch. At this point, I can tell you we have LG plus three additional partners actively working on integrating our technology into their products. Three of the four partners are major companies which each sell millions of devices per year and will enable the Netflix functionality in some of those devices likely in Q4 of this year. The fourth partner is a small company with which — which will likely launch sooner than Q4.

So who are these guys? I sure hope Sony (PS3), Microsoft (Xbox 360, VMC), TiVo, and/or Apple (ATV) are among the partners. I obviously want to see Netflix Service on a multipurpose device (other than LG’s connected DVD player). And that “small company” has me most intrigued.

(via Hacking Netflix)

Because we just don’t have enough set-top boxes to choose from, Blockbuster will be tossing their hat into the ring. According to the Hollywood Reporter:

The home video giant is developing a set-top device for streaming films directly to TV sets and is expected to announce the offering sometime this month. The device is believed to be a stand-alone product akin to Apple TV as opposed to embedding a Blockbuster-branded service in such existing devices as Microsoft’s Xbox 360 or TiVo.

How many boxes are people willing to connect? The BBC is onto something by making their web content available via the Wii (in the UK) and perhaps one day I’ll be offered Netflix Watch Now on my Xbox 360. As a TiVo owner, I also have a variety of standard def Amazon Unbox content to choose from… For some reason, I’m much more tolerant of low-rez video when I can stream unlimited quantities for a fixed price (Netlix) or free-with-commercials (Hulu).

Along those lines, I’ve been thinking of replacing one of my TiVo units with a small form factor computer for basic ATSC DVR capabilities (or maybe clear QAM HD), plus the ability to watch web video. (And if I’m feeling flush, perhaps I’ll add a Blu-ray drive.) Though, I’m holding off for now… It looks like there’s a small chance I might be able to extend Netflix Watch Now from the office Vista Media Center to the living room Xbox 360.

Yes, I caught the news that Netflix was down for 11 hours yesterday (thanks for the tips!) and experienced it first hand. However, I had limited blogging time available and chose to cover the more significant Sirius/XM merger update.

Site outages aren’t so unusual, though this Netflix one is notable for its length… AND apparently a related outage on their back-end, delaying most Monday shipments until today. I’ve been a customer on and off since the early days (1999!) and whatever catastrophic failure they experienced yesterday doesn’t change my appreciation for their service. However, it’s obvious they’re in need of more redundancy - or an improved implementation of their current strategy, which obviously failed.

In my former IT life, one role I had was assisting in the design and implementation of a continuity of operations plan (COOP) for an enterprise-wide messaging system. And fortunately, we never had to test our assumptions and solutions under real world conditions. It’s pretty challenging (though stimulating) trying to account for numerous potential scenarios (including the destruction of a facility and/or death of the employees) and engineer around them… So, I’m willing to cut Netflix some slack as long as downtime remains an infrequent occurrence.