Netflix streaming to PS3, Xbox360
This seems too good to be true, but I’m hearing that internet-connected Sony Playstation 3 and Microsoft Xbox360 consoles will both stream movies directly from Netflix. This amazing feature costs nothing above your existing Netflix subscription fee.
The Xbox360 user will use their existing Xbox LIVE account. “You can choose from over 7,000 movies and TV series, and your choice starts playing on your TELEVISION in as little as 30 seconds.”
The PS3 requires a one-time purchase of a specially-formatted DVD for $3. “Now you can watch movies from Netflix instantly by using your Internet-connected Playstation 3. Simply insert a special Netflix disc into your PS/3 to enable instant movie streaming. The disc is available from Netflix for a one-time fee of $3.”
Source: Seanbajuice
This is going to be awesome! It’s too bad the PS3 needs a “special DVD”. Although, I’m sure once these DVD’s are out in the wild, people will rip the DVD as an image and provide it for free online. It sounds like you will need to insert this ‘special’ disc into the PS3 every time you want to watch a streaming Netflix film. If that’s the case, it sucks! Why not store the required files on the PS3 harddrive?
Who knows. Maybe it does save on the drive. But then why couldn’t you download it? It’s $3 so I’m not worried.
I wasn’t worried about the $3 price. I was worried that you may have to insert the disc every time you want to use the Netflix Watch Now service, which would be an inconvenience.
I agree having to rip the disc would be an inconvenience but it’s still not a bad overall solution. Maybe there is or will be a drive emulator like Daemon Tools for the PS3 that wouldn’t actually require the disc to be inserted, just mounted virtually…?
At this point it is moot since Netflix decided to ‘exclusively’ support the Xbox 360. PS3 owners are out of luck for now…
http://wesleytech.com/netflix-watch-now-coming-to-xbox-360/697/