From the beginning, we knew the Roku Netflix Player ($100) was technically capable of displaying high def resolutions. The only real question I’ve had - Is the buffer big enough? Turns out, that by streaming “HD at substantially lower bit-rates,” it is. According to Roku:

• Roku will be delivering Netflix in HD by the end of the year
• The UI will be updated to run in 720p and more covers will be visible on the screen at a time
• And the release will include another major new feature that you’ll have to wait a bit longer to learn about

I’m hopeful the secret addition is Hulu streaming. Roku’s indicated they’re opening the doors to other providers, and we could really use a simple method of getting Hulu content (as rumored) onto the television. Of course, YouTube has also been suggested… although UGC isn’t nearly as compelling. Regardless, we’ll most likely see a slightly revamped interface, more than just those 720p visuals, to offer additional Netflix interaction and support new or potential partners.

If you’ve wanted the Netflix Watch Instantly service on your Mac, there’s now a way to opt-in. But, be warned, this is a all-in no-turning-back procedure. Some caveats:

• Once you switch to the new, Silverlight version of the Netflix player, you won’t be able to access the older, IE version.
• You Netflix account will use the Microsoft Silverlight version on all machines.
• Not all movies are currently available to watch using the Silverlight player.
• During the beta, you may notice errors or lesser quality when streaming certain titles.
• If you use a plugin for Netflix Watch Instantly with SageTV, Vista Media Center, Xbox 360 using VMCNetflix or any of the other HTPC programs, opting in will break that functionality. The new version will require a re-write to enable Netflix video playback.
• The new player works on PCs and Intel-based Macs.
• This is a preview release - bugs can and probably will surface.

I’m not opting in through my Netflix account as I use the SageTV Netflix plugin, but I was able to test this out using a friend’s account (primarily a OS X user) and can confirm it works. The streaming quality seemed noticeably worse under the Silverlight version, although fast forward, rewind and skipping around in the movie performed better in the new player. I was able to view Netflix Watch Instaly using Firefox 3 as well, but it doesn’t work in Opera. So, if you’re a Mac-only guy who hasn’t leveraged any of the customer-created plugins for Netflix Watch Instantly, and you’re okay with the above warnings…  opt in to the Silverlight Netflix player.

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

Netflix Week continues (and we may not even done)…

This morning, the New Xbox Experience (NXE) was delivered to my console. After quickly creating a non-representative (i.e. slender) avatar, I jumped right into Netflix. Unlike the previous 360 interface, the new one appears to be extensible - adding functionality without requiring a massive software update. What I’m trying to say is that Netflix isn’t pre-loaded and, by clicking on the tile for the first time, I was prompted to download it.

The Xbox Netflix interface is much richer, both in appearance and functionality, than what currently exists on the Roku Netflix box. A conceptual hurdle for some, at least initially, may still be fast forward and rewind via thumnail rather than traditional video scrubbing - a Netflix streaming limitation design decision. Like Engadget, I can put to bed the HDCP requirement rumors… Netflix, Xbox, and my HDTV are all reporting high definition streaming. I suppose it’s possible that Netflix is reducing the resolution over my component connection, but wouldn’t the UI indicate that? It also may be possible that HDCP is required only when using HDMI - meaning, some early HD sets may not support the handshake.

In the video above, you can see the opening Xbox video and a brief Netflix Watch Instantly walk-thru. Keep in mind that due to my network capture technique and YouTube encoding, you’ll probably notice dropped frames and longer buffering - this is not entirely representative. But if a picture is worth a thousand words, perhaps a recording is worth 10,000. At least until that take-down notice arrives…

The NXE is currently available as a preview to a limited subset of customers and official launch is scheduled for November 19th.

Over 4 years in the making, Netflix digital video has finally found its way to TiVo!

The process probably hasn’t played out exactly the way TiVo and Netflix anticipated when they initially inked a development agreement in 2004… In fact, the struggle to find content and move this project forward drove Netflix CEO Reed Hastings to declare there’s “no work going on,” “no content,” and “no point” in 2005. Fast forward a few years and it’s pretty clear that the landscape has drastically shifted. Content is everywhere and Netflix intends to serve as many platforms as possible: “We want to be integrated on every Internet-connected device, game system, high-definition DVD player and dedicated Internet set-top box.”

Any day now, Netflix on TiVo will head into beta. What you see above is a rendering provided by TiVo illustrating the potential experience, and doesn’t represent the final UI. However, the new functionality is expected to be delivered to Series 3 and TiVo HD units quite soon - before the holidays. Why no Series 2 support you ask? The S2 chipset isn’t capable of handling the VC-1 encoded Netflix video, which also happens to be protected by Microsoft DRM. While I’ve got no insider info on this specific point, I’m hoping this new codec support and digital rights management platform paves the way for high definition TiVo video services from Amazon, CinemaNow, Jaman, and of course Netflix.

Press release follows: (more…)

Like all dedicated Xbox 360 fanboys, I’ve spent my morning delving into Engadget and Gizmodo’s New Xbox Experience (NXE) coverage. Buried within Engadget’s write-up was one very compelling picture (above) and related commentary:

A small perk — but huge deal as far as we’re concerned — is the inclusion of a limited amount of HD content. We previewed Heroes in HD, and the quality was stunning. Right now there’s only about 300 titles on offer, but we think after folks get a taste of this, they’ll be begging for some expansion.

The inclusion of select HD streaming is quite promising, especially in conjunction with the new Starz lineup and as long as Netflix continues to freely bundle online video with unlimited disc rental plans. Though I wonder if this will be an Xbox-only exclusive for now, or if we’ll be seeing HD streaming on computers and other hardware platforms soon. We do know the Roku Netflix box is capable of outputting HD resolutions, but is the hardware capable of crunching and caching the content? Remember, most 360s have plenty of hard drive storage…

While the Xbox team was taking preview applicants, I imagine most of us will be impatiently awaiting the official launch of NXE on November 19th.

While the screenshot above depicts a Windows-based laptop, you’ll soon likely see a Macbook in Netflix’s ads. For quite a while Windows users have had Netflix Watch Instantly Now video streaming - Mac users have had to sit by and wait or attempt virtualization. Well with Microsoft’s Silverlight, Netflix video streaming is finally arriving for most OS X users. I say most because it will only work on Intel-based Macs. Note, that as now, there’s no official word on the Netflix site, but my guess is we’ll see more info today given the press release EngadgetHD has posted.

The deployment, which will initially touch a small percentage of new Netflix subscribers, is the first step in an anticipated roll-out of the new platform to all Netflix subscribers by the end of the year. It is expected that Netflix members who watch movies and TV episodes instantly on their computers will enjoy a faster, easier connection and a more robust viewing experience with Silverlight, due to the quality built directly into the player. Among the viewing enhancements with the new player is a breakthrough in timeline navigation that vastly improves the use of fast-forwarding and rewinding.

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

I first came across PlayOn a few weeks ago. The PC-based software streams several Internet video site’s content to DLNA-compatible devices. PlayOn is still in beta, though the promised Netflix Watch Now support has just hit. Like most of the PlayOn experience, it continues to be rough around the edges - which is not unreasonable for pre-release software.

There’s a lot of promise here… Folks would much rather watch long form content from their couch and PlayOn leverages existing hardware platforms, such as the Xbox 360 and PS3 with Wii support on the way. While I am hopeful, thus far my experiences have been mixed. Check out the list of folders below right. That’s how you (try to) navigate Hulu. My Netflix experiment this AM wasn’t so successful either. While I could bring up my playlist (above), no movies would stream. And after a few minutes of futzing, PlayOn decided my Netflix credentials were no longer valid.

If they can tighten up the experience, both interface and reliability, while keeping up with any changes these sites will periodically throw at them, PlayOn will be well worth the $30 software fee. But not yet.