Crenk » Netflix

Netflix Adds 300 New On-Demand Indie Films

Steven Finch — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 04:25:57 +0000

Netflix is continuing to make forward progress in the streaming market, and this latest move will have Indie movie fans rejoicing.

According to the latest announcement, Netfix has partnered with “a number of leading distributors of independent” films which will result in them adding about 300 Indie films to the on-demand lineup.

The movies will come from distributors to include The Criterion Collection, Gravitas Ventures, Kino Lorber, Music Box Films, Oscilloscope Laboratories and Regent Releasing.

As for availability, this will vary with some being available immediately to as long as “early next year.”

Read [PR Newswire]

Nintendo Wii to Have Netflix Streaming Video and Movie Service Live Very Soon

Steven Finch — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 08:58:08 +0000

Nintendo Wii has done really well in the game console market, but its still a long way behind Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 when it comes to adding other services and features within the platform. Playstation 3 has blu-ray movie playback capabilities as well as online connectivity through the Playstation Network while the Xbox has a high-definition movie store and also an online chat facility. And yes, both the PS3 and Xbox also have Netflix service.

Nintendo has announced that they will now be adding Netflix service to its Wii console to enable video streaming, according to a report from the NYT.

The new Nintendo Wii feature will allow Netflix subscribers to choose from a catalog of older movies and TV Shows through their Nintendoo Wii and watch them immediately on their connected TV.

When the new feature goes live, Nintendo Wii owners using broadband Internet connection at home and who have been subscribe to Netflix’s DVD-by-mail service for the last 9 months can use the new service without incurring any additional cost. But before Nintendo Wii users can watch the movies, they will have to use a free software disc from Netflix which they need to put into their consoles.

Boxee Box Offers Streaming Digital Content

Luis Sandoval — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 08:16:11 +0000

There’s a lot of us out there who have cut the cable bill for the open, a al carte world of streaming digital media. Most of us are consuming content on sites like YouTube, Hulu, Netflix, or any other site providing quality content for the end user. Whether it’s music, video, or photos, streaming media seems to be the way of the future. And while there are other competitors out there, one seems to stand heads and shoulders above the rest…the key word being “seems.”

Boxee Box has been announced and from what I read and what I see, it looks nice. Refraining from the hype, I prefer to look under the hood and the specs of the device itself. A fan of the Roku player, I can already tell that this device offers a whole lot more than the simple Roku player offers, and I’m talking premium package here. Boxee Box will connect to your TV and share all the video, photo, and music folders on your computer, giving you an intimate look at information you never would have thought could be attached to your files. Covers, lyrics, artist and album information is pulled from online resources to give your media the best look possible.

Video is pulled from a variety of sources including the popular Hulu, where you can watch the latest episodes of your favorite shows straight from your living room. It can pull from Netflix, YouTube, and a variety of other streaming video sites and watch data in formats that I’ve never even come across myself.

I’m excited to see what Boxee box can do in the streaming media market, and below you’ll find a video that will share a little more about this device.

Watch live streaming video from boxee at livestream.com

NetFlix for iPhone?

Dean Sherwin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 13:38:34 +0000

The world of Apple Apps is kind of slowing down recently. We’re entering the third quarter of 2009 and companies are focusing their power elsewhere or saving the best until the Christmas season when surely millions of people will be opening Apple iPods on December 25^th.

However, Crenk does have one piece of good news for you concerning the app situation with the iPhone – NetFlix.

Yup! That’s right. According to initial reports its thought that NetFlix will be making a move onto the iPhone with users being able to use their existing subscription. The service is currently available on the XBOX 360, PS3, PC and Mac. It will also be on its way to the iPod Touch should these rumours hold water.

In fact, I think that they do. NetFlix want to be the biggest internet movie company so making an app for the world most popular smart phone would indeed make perfect sense. By compatibility issues alone, millions would rather be with Netflix for all their devices rather than several.

Quality would be an issue but not a big one. Recently, AT&T upgraded their 3G internet service especially to large urban areas so downloading wouldn’t be too painful. I imagine their would be separate movie files for the iPhone as you don’t need huge TV quality files when it’s all going to be shrunk down onto a small handheld screen.

In summary, this would make for one of the best apps yet and would use many of the good features such as the widescreen and good audio on the iPhone.

Netflix Offers “Watch Instantly” on Macs

Luis Sandoval — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 01:03:36 +0000

Netflix, an extremely popular online movie renting site, has done what other sites have been unable to do so successfully, bring the end of brick and mortar video renting locations. Not only have physical video rental locations dwindled, but other online competitors simply could not get the following that Netflix was able to acquire with its extensive selection and quick mailing turnaround.

But even with all of its successes, Netflix was still marred by one fact, their streaming option was not supported by Apple computers. Earlier this year Netflix announced that members of their site would be able to directly stream content from their site, making it easier on the user to view as opposed to having to wait for the mail out. This easily accessible option drove streaming use through the roof, but only for Window’s users. Mac owners were left out in this major announcement until now.

Last week it was announced by Netflix, Inc. that testing was being done to ensure that Mac users would be able to stream content by the end of this year. The announcement which many members thought would never come, came with a catch. The streaming technology would only be available for Intel based Macs, and not be supported by older models.

Thanks to Microsoft’s Silverlight technology, Netflix is able to bring it’s streaming library of over 12,000 movies and TV shows to non-windows users. I personally find it ironic that the only way streaming media could have been brought to the Mac was via a windows bridge, ala Silverlight. Nevertheless, those holding onto older Macs have a reason to ditch it for the Intel based models.

Currently there is a Mac media player that is available for beta testing. The product, now available for public beta testing can be downloaded by anyone. The beta as admittedly experienced several bugs that may interfere with the quality of the movie played, but plans from Netflix are to have most if not all of these bugs worked out by the end of the year.

Personally I love Netflix’s “Watch Instantly” choice, and have longed for support on the Mac. Interestingly though, the DRM only allows a certain number of machines that you can watch your streaming media on. This limitation is similar to what iTunes has with its account set up. I’m not necessarily sure this will be much of a problem for most of us, but the limitation seems silly to begin with.

Thus far the player has worked fine on my machine, but even with my limited use I may not come across all of the bugs that are expected to pop up. If you are using the public beta software to stream movies on a mac, I’d like to year about your experiences and whether this was a good move for Netflix, Inc. Make sure to leave your comments and be heard!

Gamefly Gives Gamers Mobile Access

Luis Sandoval — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:14:42 +0000

For those of you who are dedicated gamers, and rely on Gamefly to feed your need, here’s even more of a reason to stay with the game renting site. Just announced, Gamefly is going to offer their site through mobile access.

What does this mean?

Now you can add games to your queue, purchase the games you want or are renting currently, and re-order your queue on the fly if something catches your attention. The gaming site boasts millions of users, and having access from your mobile device will only make it even more popular.Gamefly, which is to gamers what Netflix is to movie buffs, offers the latest in new games and even offers an extensive back catalog of older games for some of us more nostalgic players.

Signing is is just as easy with the power of your account at your fingertips!