Netflix HD Streams Coming to Xbox

Dear Santa,

I want an Xbox and an HD TV for Christmas. No, not for playing games - for watching HD streaming movies from Netflix. Well, I heard that they're making TVs that will be able to stream on demand via an internet connection and have an interactive component (via Tru2way), so maybe I don't need the Xbox. Hmmmmm, although, I think I would like to play some games too.... so, yeah, go ahead and throw the Xbox in there.

Milk and Cookies will be waiting for you beside the fireplace.

Yours Truly,
Paula

I just saw this in the New York Times:


Netflix HD Streams Coming to Xbox
By CHRIS ALBRECHT, GigaOm
Published: October 29, 2008

The Netflix hits just keep on comin’. We’ve known for a while that the movie rental company was going to make its streaming service available to Xbox 360 users. But what we didn’t know is that it was going to offer movies in HD. Hot diggety, the battle for your TV just got wayyyy more exciting.

Gadget sites Gizmodo and Engadget got a preview of the can’t-come-soon-enough (it’s being released on Nov. 19) update of the Xbox Live service, the “New Xbox Experience.” Part of the upgrade includes the Netflix capability, which appears to work similarly to the Roku’s Netflix player in terms of design and functionality.

But as Engadget discovered, the NetfliXbox has the Roku beat (and the other Netflix streaming partners, LG and Samsung Blu-Ray players) by offering high definition streaming. Unfortunately there aren’t any further details at this time (does it incorporate Microsoft’s Silverlight like Netflix on the Mac?). We’ll just have to wait until Nov. 19, when its released.

This could be a game-changer in a couple of ways. It helps accelerate Netflix into a leadership position among those offering digital movie and TV delivery as the combination of HD plus an all-you-can eat movie subscription is an offer that’s hard to refuse. And having a streaming video solution could finally give Microsoft something it’s been salivating over forever — getting a stronger foothold in your living room beyond just gamers.

Despite all this coolness, the Netflix service still has one huge hurdle to overcome, and that’s content. Even though it’s signing new deals, the library of content still has a long way to go before it becomes compelling.

HD on Disc vs Streaming

Much disagreement remains about what will succeed: HD movies on optical disc, or streaming movies over broadband on-demand. LG is hedging its bets with its latest Blu-ray player that can also access 12,000 movies and TV shows through Netflix.

The two companies first announced their plans at CES in January, when details of a set-top box to be developed by LG was released. It is not clear whether the Blu-ray player is the device that was described, or if the two companies still plan a standalone Netflix box like the one from Roku.

LG's player, the BD300, requires a wired connection to the network, and will allow Netflix movies to start in as little as 30 seconds from the point the title is first selected. Users would be able to fast-forward and rewind through the streams.

Full Story At Betanews.com

Excluding cinephiles and collectors--and films that are exclusively on disc, I'm not sure what incentive there would be to have discs if folks can instantly download any movie. Especially when people realize how many movies they own that they don't watch. For the average movie goer, it may become more and more evident that having a instant catalog of thousands is more cost effective and saves more space than having a collection of a few hundred.

The one set of folks who I anticipate will still buy the discs are families with kids. Kids like physically owning the movie and until technology progresses far enough, being able to stream movies in the back of a mini-van or to any portable player is probably a few years off.

Have You Seen Chop Shop?

Chop Shop is easily one of the top 5 films I've seen this year, along side Medicine for Melancholy.

Shop does--and so does Medicine--what I love best about great films. It just starts. No exposition. No montages. No foreshadowing.

These chunks of a review from Movie Zeal say it best:

The characters are given no back-story, and probably have little future; the only thing that matters in Chop Shop is the action in the moment.

...Chop Shop isn’t really about plot; all that exists or matters in this film are the characters and their actions. There’s a good deal of Italian neorealist influence here as well, albeit without the philosophical pretensions.

My greatest complaint about storytelling now days, is we rarely get to see a character make a decision and then watch the outcome. Too many films are about watching a character contemplating a decision. Talking about a decision. Or dreading a decision they made.

If you're looking for something interesting to check out, rent this flick. If you have Netflix you can watch it online now.

Is Dr. Horrible the Future?

It's only got 3 acts and the free version of all 3 acts will vaporize from the web this Sunday at midnight, but Joss Whedon's Dr. Horrible is definitely--as he describes it--an Internet Miniseries Event.

For something dreamed up during the Writer's Strike and ultimately, more or less, the length of a sitcom episode, the hype on Whedon's project was high. The response was so overwhelming for the first act, it wasn't till sometime into day two of release that the Dr. Horrible site was back up after crashing the first day.

What's probably one of the best takeways is how, even though the novelity of Dr. Horrible being on the internets was a key PR/distribution component, Whedon and crew have seriously treated the launch of Dr. Horrible.

They did so by one, using names--with cult like status, two, limiting the window to less than a week, and three, doing the press rounds no differently than if Dr. Horrrible was a network show. Whedon and crew have treated Dr. Horrible like a credible property and not just a neat experiment. The fact that Whedon seriously looked at the potential bonanza of ancillary products (T-shirts, stickers, statutes, etc) speaks even more volumes about the seriousness he treated this project.

Now, here's where Dr. Horrible truly could be the harbinger of things to come. With XBox, the PS3, Roku and Vudu all entering the fray to deliver content to your TV via the web, we could definitely see not only more Dr. Horrible like events, but films, indie films in particular, could benefit.

Imagine a film debuts at Sundance and it generates amazing buzz. Instead of a normal distribution deal, it goes straight to the web and it's a Free Mini Event that goes through Netflix and is downloadable to over 15 million XBox's and Roku's. Getting just a few thousand of those eyeballs in the first 24-48 hours of release maybe enough buzz to generate true revenue from the DVD sales and digital downloads once the film is no longer free.

The one thing most Sundance films can't capitalize on is the large amount of press they receive. By the time they hit theaters, or even DVD, 6 months to a year has passed for most films. In that time frame they've lost all momentum. Interested audiences have fixated on other films, or, worse, still craving to see a film, never learn when and where a film is playing till long after its hit their local indie theater. And you can't discount the impact the downsizing of Entertainment Journalism has. Once a piece has been written on your film it's rare that same outlet is going to do another in depth piece at time of release.

Up until the late 1980s, there were few TV projects that could generate advance buzz, or final audience numbers, like a Mini-Series. Only something like Maude's abortion, Ellen's Puppy Episode, Dallas's Who Shot Jr? and M*A*S*H's finale could generate so much notice before a show aired. But, those were established shows, with some kind investment from audiences.

Mini-Series Events that incorporate a well publicized launch date and window, could recapture the magic of a Roots or a North and South.

XBox and Netflix...(My) Life Has Just Gotten Easier

Sony has been pushing hard to make the PS3 a beast of a home entertainment system. Their Blu-Ray has won the next-gen format wars and in terms raw processing power, the PS3 can kick my Xbox's arse.

However! Xbox Live has been one of the main reasons I've enjoyed my Xbox. In terms of extending the life of a game, battling a half dozen or so folks over the internets has made dropping $60 on a disc infinitely more palatable. I was playing Call of Duty 4 several months after I beat the game, primarily because online makes at a different experience each and everytime out. Even now I'll occasionally pop it in just to hop online.

So how can Microsoft make my Xbox even more enjoyable? Streaming movies from my Netflix account is a big step.

It's hard to keep up with my Netflix discs (I still don't know where the 3 I have out now are) and there are times when I'm just not in the mood to watch the ones I have. Being able to satiate my film-jones on the fly (the prospect of sitting through a 3 hour epic is someties just too daunting) is a way to further cement my brand loyality.

Only issues I see right now is that 10,000 titles to choose from is still much too small of a selection. Especially as you peruse the titles. That there aren't more popular titles available could dampen this initiative before it has a chance to get off the ground.

Yet, what makes this announcement even better is that I can avoid scooping up the Roku. I was perfectly willing to drop a $100 on this little desktop device, but now that I already have my own "Roku" why bother?

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gAeLpFUmF7uINATNoiOHlH9SR_cwD91TRVT02