Viewing Instant Netflix on a Mac?

[Chris Rogers]

I figured I'd had all my questions answered when it came to ditching my PC and adding to my Mac collection in an attempt to only be reliant on Macs, but I realized that I can't watch my netflix on a Mac (the ones that say Play Now)

I guess I could install Windows but that is extra $ I didn't factor in my purchase. Has anyone gotten around this?

Complete System Requirements

To watch instantly on your computer, you'll need a PC meeting the following minimum requirements:

* Windows XP with Service Pack 2 or higher, or Windows Vista
* Internet Explorer version 6 or higher
* Windows Media Player version 11 (DRM version 5145) or later
* An active broadband connection to the Internet
* 1.0 GHz processor
* 512 MB RAM
* 3 GB free hard disk drive space

Q:
Can I watch movies instantly on my Macintosh?
A:
Currently the Netflix Movie Viewer requires Internet Explorer Version 6 or later running on Windows XP Service Pack 2 or Vista. You'll find more detail on current requirements on our Instant Watching System Requirements page.

Our goal is for Netflix members to enjoy movies and TV shows on whatever screen they want. We're required to use Digital Rights Management to protect movies watched instantly online, and right now we only have approval for this protection on Windows Operating systems, not the Mac.

Apple does not license their DRM solution to third parties, which has made this more difficult, but we are working with the studios and content owners to gain approval for other solutions. As soon as a studio-approved DRM for the Mac is available to us, whether from Apple or another source, we will move quickly to provide a movie viewer that enables you to watch movies from Netflix instantly on your Mac.

In the meantime, you can use your account to watch instantly on any compatible PC, and Intel-based Macintosh computers can watch movies instantly using Boot Camp, Parallels, or Fusion to run Windows.

 

[drjaymez]

I used the installing Windows workaround. I had an old version of XP Pro. I installed VirtualBox (free) and then used it to create a Windows XP install. There is a seamless desktop mode that plays very nicely with OSX. I also use chrome this way. Not that much extra $$, especially if you have an old XP install lying around that you don't use anymore.

 

[Chris Rogers]

Not that much extra $$, especially if you have an old XP install lying around that you don't use anymore.

Good idea, I don't think I have one though.

EDIT: But I have some IT friends who I'm sure must have one.