Netflix to Offer Mac Video Streaming in 2008

[Doctor Q]

I've complained to (and about) Netflix for their lack of Mac support, but (shhhh! keep this to yourself) I've stayed a subscriber anyway because their service overall is worth the price even without the streaming movies. But adding Mac support will turn me from a customer into a happier customer.

 

[twoodcc]

good to hear.

 

[min_t]

Yeah, Netflix is worried because Apple presents a legit competition. The only thing wrong with Apple's rental model is that it's 24 hours only. 3 days is the sweet spot. They foresee the inevitable availability of 1 button rental download on the iPhone/iTouch. So with Apple, you get HD rentals on the pc, TV, mobile wifi...Apple everywhere. Yeah, netflix should be worried.

 

[milo]

Good...Good...

Apple really needs good competitors in the online video rentals market.
What I like from Netflix is their international and independedt films availability plus the fair monthly fee I pay.
This could force Apple to change its strategy and give us unlimited movie rentals for a flat fee.

Also I hope there is more online HD content.

You're comparing apples and oranges. Their "international and independedt films availability" is talking about physical disk rental, right? Their download selection so far isn't that great.

Renting a physical disk just requires the company to buy a disk. Streaming requires a payment to the studio for each view (which is probably why the netflix selection is so bad, it's the stuff nobody really wants to see so the studios practically give it away. Not to mention that while Netflix is offering it, they might only be able to afford to do it because very few are taking advantage. If it really took off, they would probably start losing money on it and would probably have to cap usage.

We won't see an unlimited rental model comparable to Netflix in pricing and selection unless the studios radically change the way they charge for content. Apple nor anyone else can compete with mailing out disks, it's flat out impossible right now.

Ah, the sweet smell of competition. I hope this will drive Apple to better prices and terms on their rentals.

And I hope it drives netflix to better selection and HD. While netflix's streaming is cheaper, it looks like apple already may have a better selection.

The NF version also isn't that interesting to me until they provide a way to watch on a TV instead of a computer. They'd not only have to beat apple's rental service, but beat aTV as well to get me interested. I just wish apple would open up the aTV to other services so it could stream the netflix stuff as well.

 

[Intarweb]

The NF version also isn't that interesting to me until they provide a way to watch on a TV instead of a computer. They'd not only have to beat apple's rental service, but beat aTV as well to get me interested. I just wish apple would open up the aTV to other services so it could stream the netflix stuff as well.

Netflix has a set-top (attach it to your TV) box coming out that's made by LG.

 

[milo]

I've used NBC's service HULU and the IPTV service Joost, both of which I recommend to watch streamed TV shows I've missed. I just wish I could download the shows and watch them without relying on a good, consistent high-speed internet connection.

Hulu actually doesn't seem too bad, I also like the streaming ABC has. But are there straightforward ways to get them to a TV? If only apple and the studios would work together on something more open.

Netflix has a set-top (attach it to your TV) box coming out that's made by LG.

I know. But since it's not out yet, nobody knows if it will be any good or not.

 

[peestandingup]

For the record, if you use Parallels to watch the movies it is choppy. BUT if you boot natively to Boot Camp it runs VERY smooth and looks great! If you don't have Boot Camp installed, you can always use VMware's Fusion. If you enable dual processor support then it is much smoother compared to Parallels.

The best solution I've found is to set up a BootCamp partition & install XP SP2 onto that. Then, use VMware Fusion to boot the BootCamp partition inside OS X instead of making a virtual one from scratch. It runs much faster that way & blows Parallels outta the water when you enable dual processor speed. I also did some tricks inside XP itself to disable some things to speed the OS up. This way, you dont have to keep rebooting everytime you wanna watch Netflix & their is hardly any performance loss.

It's funny watching Applebots squirm when another company takes on Apple head on. When the Netflix set-top box launches, AppleTV is in massive trouble. Netflix's on-demand library will grow (unless Apple has an exclusive agreement with certain studios, but don't think they do) and will be robust when the set-top box launches. Compare the unlimited streaming, with Apple's over priced rentals and asinine 24 hour watch window, Apple will have to do something massive to try and keep the AppleTV afloat.

You're right. Heck, even now the AppleTV is still considered a failure & iTunes video is way below expectation. They're still gonna have to do a lot of convincing to get consumers onboard the iTunes/AppleTV train. Netflix has an ace in the hole already with their massive subscription base.

You gotta also remember that LG is a HUGE producer of HDTVs, so it wouldnt be outta the question that they could just build Netflix functionality right into some of their own displays, as well as offer the set top box for everyone else.

Its Apple who is playing catchup here.

 

[synth3tik]

So they are getting nervous about the iTMS rentals and finally decided to do mac streaming. This is something they should have done when they first introduced steaming rentals.

 

[forafireescape]

I guess this means I can stop sending them weekly complaints/suggestions to add Mac support

Me too

 

[milo]

Heck, even now the AppleTV is still considered a failure & iTunes video is way below expectation. They're still gonna have to do a lot of convincing to get consumers onboard the iTunes/AppleTV train. Netflix has an ace in the hole already with their massive subscription base.

You consider netflix to have the advantage, but how many people are actually watching streamed movies from netflix? So far, from the numbers I've seen it looks like apple still is getting the majority of tv and movie downloads.

And is netflix downloading really going to be a serious competitor with no recent blockbuster movies? Do a little searching in netflix's download selection, and particularly look at their top 50 downloads. Not a single 2007 movie release that I've heard of (mostly documentary and straight to video). I only recognized about 4 of the 2006 releases. The best thing they have is some TV episodes. Until (if?) that improves, is NF downloading really a threat at all to any other download service?

 

[peestandingup]

You consider netflix to have the advantage, but how many people are actually watching streamed movies from netflix? So far, from the numbers I've seen it looks like apple still is getting the majority of tv and movie downloads.

And is netflix downloading really going to be a serious competitor with no recent blockbuster movies? Do a little searching in netflix's download selection, and particularly look at their top 50 downloads. Not a single 2007 movie release that I've heard of (mostly documentary and straight to video). I only recognized about 4 of the 2006 releases. The best thing they have is some TV episodes. Until (if?) that improves, is NF downloading really a threat at all to any other download service?

Its true. I dont think NF is a threat now. I only use it to stream some TV shows they have on there & a handful of movies. I think if they had the selection, there would be no contest, but its not there yet.

 

[solipsism]

You're right. Heck, even now the AppleTV is still considered a failure & iTunes video is way below expectation. They're still gonna have to do a lot of convincing to get consumers onboard the iTunes/AppleTV train. Netflix has an ace in the hole already with their massive subscription base.

You gotta also remember that LG is a HUGE producer of HDTVs, so it wouldnt be outta the question that they could just build Netflix functionality right into some of their own displays, as well as offer the set top box for everyone else.

Its Apple who is playing catchup here.

They both have there pros and cons. Apple is the significantly farther ahead than anyone with stand-alone media extenders. Before the AppleTV came out almost all media extenders were more than the AppleTV. They were able to sell 300-400k without the rentals in place.

So far Netflix quality is well quite low while iTunes rentals is DVD quality or better (I've had as high as 853, compared to DVD's 720). Plus, the iTunes rentals can be played on portable devices.

Netflix also has it's benefits. One can get many more movies for their dollar if they are aggressive and will have a media extender option coming soon. Hopefully they will be higher quality than they are now and free through the Netflix extender. Even if they aren't higher quality I think many people will be okay with that, especially if it have obsolescing outputs like S-Video and Composite.

I have rented many movies from iTunes already and also maintain a Netflix account. I have no intention of giving up one for the other. They both suit different needs. Netflix is the farthest competition for Apple right now, the closest is cable company's On-Demand services which offer a similar time frame at comparable prices.

 

[nbs2]

Comcast has always offered that top tier internet plan (and also for discount) when bundled with TV service. Here's what to do. Call them back & tell them you want the "Limited Basic Service" cable TV plan. Its $13.50 & they DO NOT advertise this service & they will give you . This way you get the discount & the top tier internet plan.

$13.50? Where do you live? Ours is up to $15. Anything higher and we'll end up dropping it, as we are now at the break even point for the bundle discount on the internet service.

 

[Malarkey]

they still can't stream high-definition

Netflix's strengths:

- huge selection of independent, foreign, obscure titles
- streaming is great for checking out movies for content, but it's no cinephile experience

Netflix's weaknesses:

- high definition: the wait for Blu-Ray and HD-DVD titles is intolerable
- their committment to Macs is less than believable until I see it

So while low-quality consumption of movies is becoming more readily available, there will still be a market for a more immersive experience. Or is that declining? Who will be the standard-bearer for high-definition? Is there any hope of high-definition streaming or downloads for rentals? I mean Blu-Ray quality.

 

[imbored]

I'm really disappointed that this hasn't happened sooner. I expected them to be streaming HD/Blu-Ray by this point in time. Fast internet connections have been available for a while, it's about time they started offering this for Macs

 

[solipsism]

I'm really disappointed that this hasn't happened sooner. I expected them to be streaming HD/Blu-Ray by this point in time. Fast internet connections have been available for a while, it's about time they started offering this for Macs

HD-DVD and Blu-ray encoded with VC-1 o H.264 will need a minimum of 20Mbps. That is a good deal more than most people's internet connection.

 

[zap2]

Good...but to late for me(personal)

Still nice to know they know we use the internet!

 

[CWallace]

I'm really disappointed that this hasn't happened sooner. I expected them to be streaming HD/Blu-Ray by this point in time. Fast internet connections have been available for a while, it's about time they started offering this for Macs

Some providers (Time Warner is the latest) are looking into the possibilities of implementing future bandwidth caps on their services which will impact the number of SD movies - to say nothing of HD movies - you could download per month before hitting that cap and then paying bandwidth fees on top of the rental.

Such caps would likely really impact the viability of such services, especially since most US customers do not have other options or those options have their own major drawbacks.

 

[overanalyzer]

Some providers (Time Warner is the latest) are looking into the possibilities of implementing future bandwidth caps on their services which will impact the number of SD movies - to say nothing of HD movies - you could download per month before hitting that cap and then paying bandwidth fees on top of the rental.

Such caps would likely really impact the viability of such services, especially since most US customers do not have other options or those options have their own major drawbacks.

I pay a flat rate with no caps for Comcast currently, and our service is pretty crappy. For the last several months, anytime we upload anything for more than 30-60 seconds (large e-mail attachments, FTP, posting photos to websites, online backups, etc.), our speed both up and down slows to a crawl that at times is actually slower than a 56k dialup connection.

If Comcast at some point decides to cap usage and increase our charges since we're heavy users, I'm perfectly happy, as long as they also stop traffic shaping our connection and provide guaranteed up/down speeds.

 

[solipsism]

I pay a flat rate with no caps for Comcast currently, and our service is pretty crappy. For the last several months, anytime we upload anything for more than 30-60 seconds (large e-mail attachments, FTP, posting photos to websites, online backups, etc.), our speed both up and down slows to a crawl that at times is actually slower than a 56k dialup connection.

If Comcast at some point decides to cap usage and increase our charges since we're heavy users, I'm perfectly happy, as long as they also stop traffic shaping our connection and provide guaranteed up/down speeds.

Wasn't Comcast one of the providers that were capping speeds for torrent packets?

Anyway, I have Comcast at 16Mbps and often get a solid 2MBps download speed, so I can't complain.

 

[overanalyzer]

Wasn't Comcast one of the providers that were capping speeds for torrent packets?

Anyway, I have Comcast at 16Mbps and often get a solid 2MBps download speed, so I can't complain.

Yes, they are. Our download on Comcast is actually quite impressive. The problem is if we upload at all, both our upload and download speeds are horrendous. We've had technicians come out repeatedly, replace our equipment and wiring, run tests, and have called and complained about a dozen times with no results. I'd like to switch to another provider, but unfortunately living in a high rise downtown, we don't have much in the way of alternatives.

 

[BioChron]

Netflix recently announced that they were expanding their streaming service to allow users to download an unlimited number of movies per month for a flat $8.99 fee.

That would be awesome! I have a Netflix account myself, and being able to download an unlimited amount for a set price a month would be better then paying $4 a movie. It would save a lot of money, realistically.

 

[Rodimus Prime]

I switched to OS X so I would never be dependent on Microsoft ever again, for anything.

There's no way I'm ever installing Microsoft's Silverlight (or Microsoft anything) onto my Macs.

well you can thank apple for that. Apple complete refusal to let others use its DRM is starting to truly come back and haunt them.
Companies are afraid to try to make their own out of fear apple will just intentionally break it. Now MS is powerful enough to prevent that from happening. Just in things that some way directly compete with apple stuff, apple has a habit of not exactly playing nice.

 

[shadowfax]

well you can thank apple for that. Apple complete refusal to let others use its DRM is starting to truly come back and haunt them.
Companies are afraid to try to make their own out of fear apple will just intentionally break it. Now MS is powerful enough to prevent that from happening. Just in things that some way directly compete with apple stuff, apple has a habit of not exactly playing nice.

No, anyone can write DRM and make it work on OS X, and Apple couldn't and wouldn't break it. Why would they even care? that's not the real issue.

No one else writes DRM for Macs because there is NO POINT. the platform is teency-weency. The government in the UK has had to force the BBC to produce mac-compatible stuff, because, why bother?

The thing that Apple is really holding back from developers is the ability to get support for other DRM on the iPod. That's what they really want, and, thank APPLE, that's not going to happen, because that's just what the world needs, right? More DRM. I don't want Apple to license DRM because it's forcing the industry to NOT use DRM at all to get on the coveted iPod. That Apple has contributed to the downfall of DRM by making their own is brilliant irony, and quite frankly, sidled with Apple's desire to get its own (like everyone), what I think is eagle-eyed consumer protection. I really think Jobs & Apple really played the record industry--they seem to think that Amazon Unbox is going to hurt Apple... right, hurt Apple by allowing customers to put no-strings-attached media on their iPods, the same iPods that are making Apple a royal killing.

As for movies, I think that's a bit different. DRM will take a lot longer to overthrow with movies, and until it does, I'll be buying DVDs. As the Mac platform grows, though, it will get some other form of DRM support, like Silverlight that's already coming. And that's a reasonably great thing, to me. I don't care about DRM on something I have no intention of owning, rentals--that's all well and good. I would ecstatically pay $10/month to stream MS-DRMed videos to my Mac for rentals. If MS gives me a good deal on a product available on a platform I like, I am there. I *love* my MS Bluetooth notebook mouse, right down to its little travel pouch. Netflix for Digital downloads would be totally awesome, with or without MS, and I would certainly very rarely ever use Apple's comparatively overpriced system of rental.

 

[CWallace]

well you can thank apple for that. Apple complete refusal to let others use its DRM is starting to truly come back and haunt them.

Apple does not want to license FairPlay because if it gets out into the open, it will be reverse-engineered and hacked. Now for audio content that is no longer important because the music industry is moving to DRM-free music.

But the motion picture industry still very much demands DRM. They know the only reason their content is not pirated as much as music is because it is so much larger. So they're trying to close the barn door before the horse bolts.

Since Apple uses FairPlay as the DRM for their video content, once it is broken, and bandwidth increases, then iTunes video content will be pirated. They needed FairPlay to convince the music studios to support the iTunes Music Store and they now need it to convince the movie studios to support it.