Netflix Comes To Tivo, AppleTV, Linux 190
An anonymous reader writes "Netflix on Tivo is officially out and leaving satellite users out in the cold. Tivo announced today that if you are a subscriber to both services then you can start receiving many Netflix titles on your Tivo for no extra charge. This is only available to subscribers with TiVo HD, TiVo HD XL and TiVo Series3 DVRs. The majority of Tivo's subscribers are probably Series 2 owners and will be forced to 'upgrade' if they want this new service but it won't be that easy for those on satellite. Tivo's current model lineup does not really offer a solution for satellite subscribers. The HD and HD XL are cable only and there is no sign of the Series 3 on their site." Another reader also writes to tell us that "Linux PC and AppleTV users are about to gain the ability to stream Netflix's movies and TV shows directly to their systems. Although Netflix's instant watch service only officially supports Windows and Mac, Boxee expects to release Netflix streaming support to the Ubuntu version of its free A/V media center software within a couple of days, and says that adding Netflix streaming support to AppleTV asap is its top priority."
Show Me The Titles (Score:5, Insightful)
That's great in theory, but the problem with Netflix is that the selection of movies that they let you stream is, shall we say... poor.
At least the good news is that they are opening up and trying to support as many distribution channels as possible. It's a pain to connect my laptop to my TV, just because by definition, a laptop is always on the go, and a TV connection means plugging and unplugging two cables each time (one for video, one for audio). It's just too much of a hassle.
That's why I eventually got an AppleTV: it's the best way to browse music on a HiFi system which has an HD TV attached to it (that is to say, 90% of the standard geek setup) - and it may even be able to display video content too :-) I wish they had called it iTunes TV, it would not have confused people so much.
Now my AppleTV will get more content from its Internet connection. All good to me. As streaming movies becomes commonplace, maybe pirates and DRM will not be such an obsession of Hollywood...
XBox 360 left out of summary completely? (Score:5, Insightful)
Netflix gets it.
Every streaming media provider so far that has arrived & failed has done so because they try to mimic the rental pricing model. They charge $3 a movie for 24 hours, and then wonder why sales are low. The thing is, people won't pay $3 for access to media they don't physically control.
Netflix is following the HBO OnDemand pricing model. $20 a month for unlimited access to anything in their ondemand streaming library. This is the pricing model people want when it comes to media they don't physically control. Since I didn't pay per-item, I don't mind that there are restrictions on use.
I've been using this service on the XBox 360 for the past few weeks and it's been exceptional. My only technical gripe is that it's limited to 2-channel audio right now, but otherwise there is nothing to complain about. Widescreen movies are displayed fullscreen on an HD set, 4:3 content is pillarboxed, the video quality is approximately on-par with DVD. As soon as they work out 5.1 it'll be perfect. The addition of TV series with new episodes that have just aired but are not yet available on DVD is just another perk. Selection is growing every day.
It's really fantastic if you've got the bandwidth.
I'm seriously thinking about canceling my satellite TV service / DVR and just running with 360 & Netflix. For just under $300 a year, ($50 xblive, $20/mo to Netflix), as opposed to the almost $1000 a year that most cable/satellite companies charge for HD service, it's a great deal.
Silverlight? (Score:3, Insightful)
IIRC, this is using Silverlight. You need to install Microsoft's latest "active content" environment on your mac (or, eventually, on Linux) to take advantage of this. After avoiding depending on "active content" even on Windows (and avoiding a number of big virus panics) for a decade, I'm not about to start trusting them now.
But Mommy, *Tommy* got a new toy! (Score:5, Insightful)
This is bullshit. I have two series 2 tivo's and have been a subscriber for years. I purchased them both with lifetime service. Now I am supposed to buy new hardware and pay monthly so I can use netflix?
Let's see. You paid for lifetime service, and a product you didn't pay for that runs on hardware you didn't buy is available now, and since you don't get it, you complain? Your TiVo still works and your lifetime service is still providing data. In fact, it is likely you are getting more than you originally paid for (i.e. there are new features which *have* made it to Series 2 TiVos).
For (not) the last time, people, the fact that someone else may gain an additional unexpected benefit does not mean that anyone who did not get the additional unexpected benefit is being slighted! You do not *lose* anything just because someone else has a shiny new toy.
Re:But Mommy, *Tommy* got a new toy! (Score:1, Insightful)
True, but it creates the perception of loss; sometimes perception is more important than reality.
Comment removed (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Why bother (Score:3, Insightful)
The PS3 and the Xbox are game systems that can play TV. They are not 24/7 appliances like a DVR. A Tivo is on all the time, and everyone I know is familiar with how to use it.
If you're not a gamer, you will not be purchasing a game system to watch online Movies.
Re:Why bother (Score:3, Insightful)
Nintendo - Wii (Playon is building an interface for the Wii)
Wii isn't HD, has limited storage, and has trouble with youtube sometimes. Its a fantastic console, but its not a great media center device.
Realistically Tivo is fighting a diminishing game, and this comes from the owner of a Tivo HD. How many people own one of those 3 units above vs. a TivoHD? Which is cheaper, the PlayOn (30$) or TivoHD (300+ sub)?
My parents and their friends, and millions of people like them, will never by a PS3 or Xbox360. The will buy Tivo/PVR/AppleTV devices though. So its a niche they'll fit in with. A $30 addon for a device they won't buy vs a $300 device they will, is no contest... the $300 device wins them.
And for people who have both a console and a PVR/TivoHD/AppleTV its a $30 add-on vs 'built-in' guess who wins that one?
As for the market at large, streaming, video-on-demand, and even DVRs aren't really mainstream yet. Most people still watch whats on TV when its broadcast to them.
So its not to late for anyone to get into the market and win. If this were mp3's we're still at the pre-ipod stage, when there were lots of solutions around, but most people still used CDs.
Re:Silverlight? (Score:3, Insightful)
Umm...you're not depending on it, you're using it for your movies.
Don't be picky. If you need it for material you've paid for, you're depending on it for that purpose.
Do you also keep Flash off your boxes?
Adobe's track record for security and reliability is not perfect, by any means, but their basic design is not inherently insecure, andI have flashblock so I can control what flash components are given an opportunity to execute.
Microsoft's track record for security and reliability in this area is so bad that it borders on criminal negligence. They still haven't fixed the inherently insecure parts of the design after over a decade. I am reluctant to believe they've changed.
Re:But Mommy, *Tommy* got a new toy! (Score:0, Insightful)
The only "features" that have been added to Series-2 in the last 3 years are advertisement driven. They've actually removed some capabilities (such as moving videos to/from PC) and made it more annoying device to use. It also uses your storage capacity to retain the PaidProgramming that they try to force you to record.