PS3 Owners: Hold Onto Your Netflix Discs

H

HardOCP News

[H] News
Joined
Dec 31, 1969
Messages
0
If you are one of the people that just got a Netflix disc for your PS3, you’d better hold on to it, you’ll be needing it for a year. Let’s just hope this was a misunderstanding and they meant “next” year, not a “whole” year.

Netflix's Steve Swasey has told G4 that, as it stands, the only way to watch a Netflix movie via the console is to have a Netflix disc in the tray while you stream the movie/show over the internet. And that's the way it's going to stay for around a year.
Click to expand...
 
When it was first announced, several sites mentioned that it wouldn't be a download or baked into the firmware until late 2010.

http://www.joystiq.com/2009/10/26/netflix-ps3-disc-must-remain-in-system-until-2010-update/

Why not distribute the application via PSN download or firmware update, and then embed it into the XMB?

Again, the instant streaming disc represented the fastest and easiest way to let PS3 enthusiasts get Netflix on the PS3. Late next year we expect to have an embedded solution available for PS3s via a system software update slated for release through the PlayStation Network.
Click to expand...

Which would seem to fit with the "and that's the way it's going to stay for around a year."
 
I would bet Micrsoft struck an exclusivity deal for consoles when they first introduced their player. It would make sense for Netflix to have their play on every device possible, which seems to be the strategy they have been pursuing. I think you will see an official (non-disc) Wii and PS3 player around the same time.
 
Methadras said:
Uh, couldn't you just make a 1:1 copy and use that instead?
Click to expand...

Possibly but why?

The PS3 disk does not go against your standard movie rental plan. They send you the disk even if you already have 3 (or howmany) movies already out. Once they do send the disk it doesn't show up on your queue/out list.
 
I agree there has to be some deal with Microsoft. I highly doubt the PS3 is soooo different (especially if you have a disk that works) that it would take 1 year actual dev time.
 
Why would you stream a movie if you already had the disc in the player???????
 
WWCephas said:
Why would you stream a movie if you already had the disc in the player???????
Click to expand...

its not a movie disk, its a disk that lets you stream movies... like a game disk or whatnot... and it doesn't count against your queue in netflix, im not really seeing the problem besides perhaps the inconvenience of having to put in a disk

but then again I know better than to own a PS3 lol
 
A colleague of mine got his disc last Friday and said the quality of the stream was better than PlayOn, plus you get the nice GUI. My disc should be in tomorrow so I should be able to see if there is a difference.
 
The problem remains that most of the "watch instantly" movies are old and shitty.
 
Daemas said:
The problem remains that most of the "watch instantly" movies are old and shitty.
Click to expand...
There are a lot of older movies on the list, no doubt...but it's also go movies and shows like Hancock, Bolt, The Office Season 5, 30 Rock, Lost, Heroes, etc.
 
electech98 said:
There are a lot of older movies on the list, no doubt...but it's also go movies and shows like Hancock, Bolt, The Office Season 5, 30 Rock, Lost, Heroes, etc.
Click to expand...

You can also watch current shows like "Leverage" the day after they appear on cable. And since I've only got analog cable and Netflix's "Leverage" stream is HD, Netflix is my new best friend.

And yes, this is a way for Netflix to get around Microsoft's exclusivity agreement. Since the PS3 Netflix program runs in BD-Java, it's technically not running on a console -- it's running on a Blu-ray player that happens to be the PS3. There are several Blu-ray players that can already stream from Netflix.
 
I would think it was pretty obvious that you should hold on to your disc to stream the movies. I wasn't sure why they did the disc rather then a PSN DL or something, but a MS contract would explain that. Either way I'm happy with it and works good. Even non-HD movies aren't to bad better quality then my Brighthouse SD movie channels not to mention they're full screen rather then 4:3. The HD quality is pretty good, on par with HD through the cable. They need a search feature though (maybe I just didn't see it, only messed with a few minutes). Not having access to a computer to search a movie out and trying to navigate through it is kinda a PITA.

I do belive the disc is tied to the account now so I can take my disc over to a buddys house and watch a movie with the disc through his PS3. I think thats a nice perk to the disc vs DL software though.
 
tissimo said:
They need a search feature though (maybe I just didn't see it, only messed with a few minutes). Not having access to a computer to search a movie out and trying to navigate through it is kinda a PITA.

I do belive the disc is tied to the account now so I can take my disc over to a buddys house and watch a movie with the disc through his PS3. I think thats a nice perk to the disc vs DL software though.
Click to expand...

You do realize that the PS3 does have a web browser than can be used to access the netflix site directly.

And no, the discs are definitely not linked your netflix account, the online registration probably creates a "cookie" like object that gets stored in the BD Live persistent memory area on your PS3. The costs involved with sending out customized discs to every user would be financially unwise.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top