Netflix movie stream rerouted to PS3
Netflix is streaming its Watch Instantly service away from Xbox 360 and over into the PlayStation 3 camp.
The Netflix deal with Microsoft (Xbox) simply expired.
Not much to get excited about, really. As we’ve written before, the Watch Instantly is underwhelming, a lot of average to low-grade movies that are generally available any night on free TV.
On the Xbox 360, the two-step process to get the film streaming into your game console was a clunky pain, and once there the images looked borderline crappy.
This part is getting even worse on PS3, for now. In order to get the service, PS3 users have to insert a Netflix-supplied Blu-ray disc into their players, which also have to be connected to the Internet. A software update apparently will fix this later.
Also in line for the service, apparently, are owners of Nintendo’s Wii system. Tech blogger Dan Rayburn says he’s been leaked photos of the Wii-Netflix service, which could come this year.
Meanwhile, in other lame-tech news, Apple TV has been upgraded to 3.0 software. The changes mostly allow for more features from the iTunes Store such as the LP multimedia packages. No support for outside content, such as the Netflix package.
Macworld called the Apple TV 3.0 update “a pleasant improvement that addresses some lingering interface issues while adding whole new levels of mystery about exactly what (if anything) Apple is going to do with the product.”
Update: Apparently the Apple TV 3.0 update wasn’t an entirely pleasant experience for end users. Let’s hear it directly from Apple:
There is an issue with Apple TV software version 3.0 that can possibly cause your content to disappear after a period of time. All customers running Apple TV software version 3.0 should immediately restart their Apple TV and then upgrade to Apple TV software version 3.0.1.
Yes, that’s disappearing content.
After the botched iPhone 3G update … and the iTunes update that resulted in mysteriously AWOL library MP3 … you’d think they would be more careful. Someone should make a TV ad about this.
Hulu turning to paid content, exec says
Hulu has paid content in its near future, News Corp. deputy chairman Chase Carey says.
The popular online video site that’s prized for its free streams of TV shows “needs to evolve to have a meaningful subscription model as part of its business,” Carey told a broadcasting conference Oct. 22.
News Corp. owns Hulu along with NBC Universal and Disney.
He was quoted on Hulu’s future by Broadcasting & Cable, which sponsored the conference.
Carey predicted some paid content would show up on Hulu in 2010, but admitted he’d only sat in on one of its board meetings. He said an outright firewall didn’t make sense, but charging for specialty video such as TV previews did.
“I think a free model is a very difficult way to capture the value of (News Corp.’s) content,” Carey said. “I think what we need to do is deliver that content to consumers in a way where they will appreciate the value.”
Vudu taps into Criterion movie streams
Vudu has started offering streaming movies from the Criterion Collection, the video label of choice for foreign, classic, arthouse and experimental fare.
Criterion’s online video service started up about a year ago, serving up titles such as “La Strada,” “Grey Gardens,” “Au Revoir Les Enfants,” “Monterey Pop” and “M.” Vudu subscribers can access the films via their box or Vudu-ready TVs and Blu-ray players.
Pretty much everything released by the Criterion Collection
On Criterion’s “Online Cinematheque” site, the movies go for $5, but they appear to be $3 on Vudu. The advantage via Vudu is the movies stream directly to your television.
“The Criterion Collection has a long history of delivering the most significant movies of our times from the highest quality video and audio source files available,” press-released Alain Rossmann, CEO of Vudu.
Criterion co-founder Jonathan Turell said the label was “impressed with Vudu’s quality.” Indeed, there is an above-average selection of foreign films on the service, for example.
Of course the highest-quality source for these films remains Criterion’s newish line of Blu-ray discs and its current-version DVDs. But the more Criterion the better, so Vudu subs are plugged into a good thing.
